Who you write to sets the register: Register is how formal or informal your Spanish is — and it's set by who reads it and the text type. Two registers matter for Paper 1: informal, built on tú (a friend, a classmate — ¡Hola!, Un abrazo), and formal, built on usted (a company, a teacher, an official — Estimado/a, Atentamente). Choosing the right register and holding it consistently is what earns Criterion C.
- el registro
- the register — how formal or informal the language is
- el destinatario
- the audience / addressee — the reader you write to
- informal (tú)
- informal register, using tú — for friends and peers
- formal (usted)
- formal register, using usted — for officials, teachers, companies
- el saludo
- the greeting (¡Hola! vs Estimado/a)
- la despedida
- the sign-off (Un abrazo vs Atentamente)
Ask: who is reading this?: Before writing, ask who the reader is. A friend → tú; a company, teacher or stranger → usted. Decide once, at the planning stage, and every greeting, verb and sign-off follows from it. Get this right and Criterion C is half-won.
Reader → register → markers: Match the reader to a register, and the register to its markers — the greeting, pronoun and sign-off that signal it. The table below maps the most common readers you'll meet in Paper 1.
| Destinatario | Registro | Marcas |
|---|---|---|
| Un amigo | informal | tú · ¡Hola! · Un abrazo |
| Una empresa / un profesor | formal | usted · Estimado/a · Atentamente |
| El público de un blog | semiformal | tú/vosotros correcto · título · cierre cercano |
Three readers, three registers: Amigo → informal (tú, ¡Hola!, Un abrazo) · Empresa o profesor → formal (usted, Estimado/a, Atentamente) · Público de un blog → semiformal. Lock the reader to its markers and you won't drift mid-answer.
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Choose once, hold throughout: The skill is not just choosing the register but holding it from first word to last. The four moves: identify the reader, choose tú or usted, match the greeting, sign-off and vocabulary, and keep it consistent throughout.
Choose and hold the register
1
Identify the reader
Work out who the prompt asks you to write to — a friend, a teacher, a company, a blog audience.
2
Choose tú or usted
A friend or peer → tú; a company, teacher or official → usted. This single choice drives everything else.
3
Match greeting, sign-off & vocab
Line up the greeting (¡Hola! vs Estimado/a), the sign-off (Un abrazo vs Atentamente) and the vocabulary with your choice.
4
Keep it consistent throughout
Use the same pronoun and verb forms from start to finish — never slip from usted into tú halfway through.
Identify → Choose → Match → Keep
Consistency is the marked thing: Criterion C rewards a register that's consistent, not just chosen. The classic slip is opening with usted and drifting into tú by the third paragraph. Re-read your verb endings and possessives at the end to catch any drift.
The same request, two registers: Here's one request written twice — once informal (tú) to a friend, once formal (usted) to a college — so you can see the greeting, verb and possessive shift while the message stays the same. Tap Ver traducción to see the English explanation, or 🔊 to hear the Spanish.
One request, tú vs usted
Watching the register shift
- La misma petición: pedir que te envíen información sobre un curso de verano.
- Informal (tú), a un amigo: «¡Hola, Marta! ¿Me puedes mandar la información de tu curso de verano? Gracias por tu ayuda. Un abrazo, Lucía.»
- Formal (usted), al director de una academia: «Estimado señor: ¿Podría enviarme la información de su curso de verano? Le agradezco su ayuda. Atentamente, Lucía García.»
- Los cambios clave: ¡Hola! → Estimado señor · puedes → podría · tu → su · Un abrazo → Atentamente.
Four markers move together: Notice the greeting, verb, possessive and sign-off all change together — ¡Hola!→Estimado señor, puedes→podría, tu→su, Un abrazo→Atentamente. They're a set: switch all four or none. Mixing them is the fastest way to lose Criterion C.
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Consistent register vs costly slips: Register marks are usually lost to mixing tú and usted, being too casual for a formal reader, or a greeting and sign-off that clash with the register. Here's the contrast.
Registro coherente
- Elige tú o usted y mantenlo siempre.
- Usa usted con una empresa o un profesor.
- El saludo y la despedida combinan con el registro.
- Ajusta el vocabulario al destinatario.
Errores típicos
- Mezclar tú y usted en el mismo texto.
- Be too casual for a formal reader.
- Use a greeting or sign-off that clashes with the register.
- Cambiar de registro a la mitad sin darse cuenta.
Re-read your verb endings: The mixing error hides in verb endings and possessives — you greet with Estimado/a but write puedes and tu later. At the end, scan every verb and possessive against your chosen register. One consistent register protects Criterion C.