Spanish speakers in Philadelphia break traditional rules of formal and informal speech in signs around town

I’ve discovered something fascinating about how Spanish speakers in Philadelphia address each other and communicate through public signs.

The discovery is part of my research on language patterns in Philadelphia – and it challenges what many students learn in Spanish class.

Remember those lessons where you learned to use the formal “usted” with strangers and “tú” with friends? Well, the signs on Philadelphia’s streets show that Spanish speakers actually use pronouns differently.

In Spanish, unlike modern English, speakers must choose between different ways of saying “you” when addressing someone. Some Spanish dialects use up to four different forms – “tú,” “usted,” “vos” and the Colombian “sumercé” – but the Spanish speakers writing signs in Philadelphia have settled on just two: “tú” and “usted.”

But here’s where it gets interesting: In Philadelphia, the choice between these forms doesn’t follow the traditional rules we all thought we knew.

What the signs tell us

After analyzing 250 signs across three neighborhoods with a significant number of Spanish speakers – the Golden Block, in North Philadelphia; Olney, in North Philadelphia; and South Philadelpha’s Italian Market corridor – and online spaces such as social media from different Hispanic organizations in the city, I found some surprising patterns in how these forms are used.

Bilingual signs written in both Spanish and English tend to use the verb form associated with formal “usted” – imagine a store window announcing, “Please wear a mask / Por favor, utilice una mascarilla.” But signs written only in Spanish often use the informal “tú,” even when addressing strangers. This challenges the common assumption that we should always use formal language with people we don’t know.

My study suggests the purpose of the message matters more than formality. When signs make requests, they typically use “usted.” But when they’re trying to persuade or invite people to do something, “tú” is more common. A sign saying, “Please wait to be seated” typically uses “usted,” while one saying “Join us for our grand opening!” uses “tú.”

A city’s changing voice

Philadelphia’s Spanish-speaking history stretches back to the late 1800s, with waves of migration bringing distinct varieties of the Spanish language to the city.

Puerto Rican communities arrived in the 1940s and ’50s, followed by Colombians in the ’70s and ’80s, and more recently, Mexican and Central American immigrants in the early 2000s.

What’s particularly noteworthy is the absence of “vos” in these signs, despite Philadelphia’s significant Salvadoran population who traditionally use this form. This suggests newer communities are adapting their language in signs to match the more established Spanish-speaking groups in the city.

Why this matters

These findings tell us something important about language in immigrant communities.

Rather than creating an entirely new dialect, Philadelphia’s Spanish speakers are finding common ground in how they communicate. It’s a reminder that language rules are often more flexible than we think, shaped by real-world use rather than textbook guidelines.

The next time you’re walking through Philadelphia’s Spanish-speaking neighborhoods, pay attention to the signs around you. They’re not just giving directions or advertising services – they’re showing us how language evolves when different communities come together in a new home.

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Daniel Guarin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.