Tutear Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tutear means “to address as tú” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Tutear means to address someone as tú, using the informal form instead of the formal usted. It is a social verb: friends tutean each other, and people agree to tutearse when a relationship becomes close. The verb matters because choosing tú or usted is one of the first social decisions a Spanish learner has to make. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of tutear; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the tutear present tense page.

tutear in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with tutear in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día. — I address my friends as tú from the first day.
  2. Él/Ella tutea a mis compañeros de trabajo. — He addresses my work colleagues as tú.
  3. Nosotros/as tuteamos a mi profesor con su permiso. — We address my teacher as tú, with his permission.
  4. Ellos/as tutean a los clientes en la tienda. — They address the customers in the shop as tú.

In the past

Four sentences with tutear in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo tuteé a mi profesor con su permiso. — Yesterday, I addressed my teacher as tú, with his permission.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as tuteábamos a los clientes en la tienda. — Before, We used to address the customers in the shop as tú.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella tuteó a mis amigos desde el primer día. — Yesterday, He addressed my friends as tú from the first day.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as tuteaban a mis compañeros de trabajo. — As children, They used to address my work colleagues as tú.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with tutear in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú tutearás a mis amigos desde el primer día. — Tomorrow, You will address my friends as tú from the first day.
  2. Yo tutearía a mis compañeros de trabajo. — I would address my work colleagues as tú.
  3. Espero que él tutee a mi profesor con su permiso. — I hope he addresses my teacher as tú, with his permission.
  4. Él/Ella ha tuteado a los clientes en la tienda. — He has addressed the customers in the shop as tú.

tutear in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú tuteas a mis amigos desde el primer día mañana? — Are you going to address my friends as tú from the first day tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día todos los días. — Yes, I address my friends as tú from the first day every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana tutearás a mis compañeros de trabajo? — And tomorrow, will you address my work colleagues as tú? Luis: Claro, mañana tutearé a mis compañeros de trabajo sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will address my work colleagues as tú without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo tutearé a mi profesor con su permiso también. — Perfect. I will address my teacher as tú, with his permission too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer tuteé a mi profesor con su permiso. — Yesterday, I addressed my teacher as tú, with his permission. Ana: ¿Y antes tuteabas a los clientes en la tienda? — And before, did you use to address the customers in the shop as tú? Luis: Sí, antes tuteaba a los clientes en la tienda todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to address the customers in the shop as tú every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos tutearon a mis amigos desde el primer día? — And did your brothers addressed my friends as tú from the first day? Luis: Sí, ellos tutearon a mis amigos desde el primer día por la tarde. — Yes, they addressed my friends as tú from the first day in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo tutea a mis amigos desde el primer día. — Right: Yo tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día. — The person matters: tutea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is tuteo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating tutear and tratar de usted as identical in every context. — Right: Tutear means to address as tú, while tratar de usted means to address someone formally as usted. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tutear fits sentences such as Tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día, while tratar de usted belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy tuteado a mis compañeros de trabajo. — Right: Yo he tuteado a mis compañeros de trabajo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tuteado, has tuteado, ha tuteado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo tuteé a mi profesor con su permiso todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo tuteaba a mi profesor con su permiso todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tuteaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tuteé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on tutear in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a los clientes en la tienda. (present tense) A. tutean B. tuteo C. tuteas D. tutea

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a mis amigos desde el primer día. (preterite tense) A. tuteé B. tuteaste C. tuteó D. tuteamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ a mis compañeros de trabajo. (imperfect tense) A. tuteábamos B. tuteabais C. tuteabas D. tuteaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a mi profesor con su permiso. (future tense) A. tutearemos B. tuteará C. tutearé D. tutearás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a los clientes en la tienda. (conditional tense) A. tutearíamos B. tutearía C. tutearías D. tutearíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a mis amigos desde el primer día. (present-perfect tense) A. has tuteado B. ha tuteado C. hemos tuteado D. he tuteado

  7. What does tutear mean in English? A. to disturb B. to cover C. to address as tú D. to address someone formally as usted

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo tuteé a mi profesor con su permiso. B. Yo tutea a mis amigos desde el primer día. C. Yo tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día. D. Él/Ella tutea a mis compañeros de trabajo.

  9. Which is the gerund of tutear, used with estar for the progressive? A. tuteando B. tuteado C. tuteo D. tuteé

  10. Which is the past participle of tutear, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. tuteando B. tuteo C. tuteé D. tuteado

Answer key

  1. tutean — The correct form here is tutean.
  2. tuteamos — The correct form here is tuteamos.
  3. tuteabas — The correct form here is tuteabas.
  4. tuteará — The correct form here is tuteará.
  5. tutearíamos — The correct form here is tutearíamos.
  6. he tuteado — The correct form here is he tuteado.
  7. to address as tú — Tutear means to address as tú. Tratar de usted means to address someone formally as usted, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo tutea a mis amigos desde el primer día. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día.. The person matters: tutea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is tuteo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. tuteando — The gerund of tutear is tuteando: estoy tuteando.
  10. tuteado — The past participle of tutear is tuteado: he tuteado, has tuteado, ha tuteado.

Frequently asked questions

What does tutear mean?

Tutear means to address as tú. Tutear means to address someone as tú, using the informal form instead of the formal usted. It is a social verb: friends tutean each other, and people agree to tutearse when a relationship becomes close. The verb matters because choosing tú or usted is one of the first social decisions a Spanish learner has to make.

When do people use tutear most?

People use tutear most in everyday situations such as Yo tuteo a mis amigos desde el primer día. and Ayer, Yo tuteé a mi profesor con su permiso.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between tutear and tratar de usted?

Tutear means to address as tú, while tratar de usted means to address someone formally as usted. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of tutear?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of tutear as your reference, the tutear present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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