Tu or vous
In French, as in some other latin based languages, the meaning of the word “you” changes depending on the person being addressed; tu or vous are used in different ways. The pronoun “You” can will be translated into “tu” for more familiar situations and “vous” for more formal situations. En English the words “tu” and “vous” both mean ‘you’ and it can be used to address any person or number of people, whatever the age or social status of that person.
The “tu” form:
It is more likely to be used to address somebody in a similar social situation (same age, same role or job status, even though she or he is a stranger)
The “vous” form:
It is more likely to be used to address somebody in a superior social situation (older than you, higher hierarchy in a professional relationship or a person that you just make acquaintance)
In case of doubt, you can always ask the person what he or she prefers or start with “vous”, and see if the person asks you to switch to “tu”. You can also listen to what other people, similar to you in status, call the person in order to choose the appropriate tu or vous pronoun.
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Practice some questions here:
| Questions personnelles (informal): | Questions personnelles (formal): |
|---|---|
| Tu – t’ – ton – ta | Vous / votre |
| 1. Comment t’appelles-tu ? | 1. Comment vous appelez – vous ? |
| 2. Comment vas-tu ? | 2. Comment allez –vous ? |
| 3. Quel est ton métier ? | 3. Quel est votre métier ? |
| 4. Quelle est ta profession ? | 4. Quelle est votre profession ? |
| 5. Où travailles-tu ? | 5. Où travaillez – vous ? |
Basic Grammar for level 1 – List
1. The alphabet: L’alphabet
2. French Silent Letters: Lettres muettes françaises
3. French Letter Combinations: Combinaisons de lettres (Practice)
4. Articles: Articles
5. Masculine or feminine nouns: Noms masculins ou féminins
6. The interrogative form: la forme interrogative
a) Question words : Les mots interrogatifs
7. Prepositions(go, come – present) (Practice)
a) The preposition “à”
b) The preposition “de”
c) “Pour” Explained: For vs. To
8. French expressions:
a) Two words
b) Three words
9. Accents: Accents
10. Liaison: Liaison
11. Possessive adjectives: Adjectifs possessifs (Practice)
12. The negative form: La forme négative
a) Negative words in French: Les mots négatifs en français
13. C’est – Il est – elle est: It is – He is – she is
14. Quiz Game Level 1: Quiz
Basic Conjugation for L1
1. Personal Pronouns: Personal Pronouns
a) Subject pronouns: Pronoms sujets
b) You or you: Tu or vous
c) (Practice)
2.Infinitive and conjugated verbs
3. The verb to be: Le verbe être
4. The verb to have: Le verbe avoir
5. The verb to go: Le verbe aller
6. The verb to do: Le verbe faire
7. To be, To have, To go, To do
8. ER Verbs : (Phonetic pronunciation)
9. IR Verbs: (Phonetic pronunciation)
10. RE Verbs: (Phonetic pronunciation)
11. Sentences with ER verbs
12. Sentences with IR verbs
13. Sentences with RE verbs
14. Most Common French Verbs
15. REGULAR Verbs:
a) (Verbes)
b) (Sentences)
c) (Practice)
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French Resources for Level 1:
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