Formality and Informality – forms of address in French

Vous and Tu

In French, there are contexts of formality and informality – word choice and even grammatical structures will change accordingly.  We do this in English, too. For example, a person will greet their close friend or family member differently than they would greet a job interviewer or judge (hey, what’s up? vs. good afternoon, how are you?). However, in French, there are decisions to be made :  two pronouns mean “you” – you have to choose between: tu and vous. Generally, tu is informal and used when speaking to one person you know. Kids and most teenagers will use tu with each other, even when meeting for the first time. Tu is also used on sports teams, when talking to God, children, animals, and inanimate objects. Using tu gives a sense of love, closeness, comraderie, and equality. When greeting, people who use tu with each other will usually faire la bise. The risk with using tu incorrectly, however, is that if used in the wrong instance, it can be interpreted as disrespectful, condescending, or demeaning. vous is used when addressing someone that you don’t know (formal) or addressing multiple people (plural). Vous is used in formal settings and indicates a respectful and/or distant relationship. It is used between strangers and service providers or when there is an unequal power distinction: such as between teachers and their students; doctors and their patients; policemen, waiters, clerks, receptionists, etc. People who use vous with each other typically shake hands: serrer la main. However, It is not uncommon for someone to initially address a colleague with vous and then switch to tu by asking “On peut se tutoyer ?”

When in doubt, it is best to let the other person speak first to see which address they choose. For example, if you’re introduced by someone who says Je vous présente… then you can conclude that vous should be used. If you’re not clear,  it’s best to start with vous .

Video

Géraldine Lepère is a Paris-born French language and lifestyle expert.  In her video, she talks about some of the real-world cases of using tu and vous, and many of her personal experiences where there’s not a straight-forward answer. She also gives us good advice about how to talk about this conundrum.

This graphic accessed through this link makes a visual flow-chart for us. It is quite funny – worth your time to get a laugh. Give it a look and see if the application follows along with the video you just watched.

Saying goodbye

The classic French “goodbye” is au revoir.  It is not pronounced as it looks, so listen carefully.

This expression is the default and can be used with anyone in any situation.

A few more expressions you will see and hear frequently are these:

This beautiful song – cette belle chanson – will help review what we’ve learned in this introductory chapter.

“Salut, c’est encore moi. Salut, comment tu vas … ”  Hello, it’s me again. Hello, how are you …