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> Could someone enlighten me on the etymology of Spanish 'Usted'? TIA. > James It comes from the expression 'Vuestra Merced' (or an older form thereof), which means something along the lines of "Your Honor" or "your Grace". Hence the use of 3rd person verb forms with it. Must be an Iberian thing, as Portuguese and Catalan also have similar second-but-really-third person formal pronouns with the same origin (você and vostè). Thomas