CultureNote:  Tú and usted

What would happen if you addressed the principal by his first name?  Or if your father's boss came to dinner and you addressed him by his first name?  Or if you addressed your Spanish teacher by his/her first name?????

In English we make a fairly big deal about using the first name or Mr./Mrs.  In Spanish, there are 3 pronouns for "you" (4 in Spain, but we'll use the Latin American customs here). 

The abbreviation for Usted is Ud.  (sometimes Vd. in Spain), and Uds. for ustedes.

Note:  this varies from country to country.  In Central America, people very rarely use tú.  They use usted with nearly everyone.  Mrs. Stacy remembers hearing a man use "usted" with his German shepherd and with small children.  In Spain, by contrast, it seems that everyone uses 'tú' with each other.  When you deal with people in Spanish, be sensitive to whether they are using tú or usted.

OJO:  When in doubt, err on the side of formality.  In English, if you aren't certain whether to use the first name or Mr./Mrs., use Mr./Mrs.  In Spanish, when in doubt, use Usted.