T v. Ud.

t
Informal way of saying you
For example:
Two friends are talking below:
Matt: Hey, Robert. How are you?
Robert: Im fine, and you?

In the example above, Robert and Matt

are friends and therefore they use the
informal you

Usted

Formal way of saying you

Usted is abbreviated by using Ud.
For example:

Lacy and a teacher are talking below:

Lacy: Hi, Mr. Smith. How are you?
Mr. Smith: Im fine, and you?

In this example, Lacy uses the formal you

because she is talking to a person she needs to
show respect to (Mr. Smith).
On the other hand, Mr. Smith uses the informal
you because he is talking to one of his students

Spanish Example:
Roberto: Hola, Claudia. Cmo ests?
Claudia: Muy bien. Y t?
Why is the informal how are you?
used?
Why does Claudia use the informal
you?

Spanish Example
Elena: Buenas tardes, Sr. Ruiz. Cmo est?
Sr. Ruiz: Regular. Y t?
What form of How are you? is Elena
using? How do you know that? Why is she
using it?
Why does Sr. Ruiz use the informal you?