Hover a line for its translation; hover a word for its meaning. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 0 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
Sign in to generate dialogues. It needs a pass — the first ten lessons of every course are free either way.
Tu and Vous, and When They Change
The choice between tu and vous is one of the most socially loaded features of French. Vous is used with strangers, with people in authority and in most professional relationships; tu with family, friends, children, and among students and many young colleagues. The switch from vous to tu is a small event: it is usually proposed explicitly, with phrases such as on peut se tutoyer ? or tu peux me tutoyer, and by convention it is the older or more senior person who makes the offer. Declining the offer can seem cold, and continuing to say vous after it has been made can feel awkward on both sides, which is why people often start with a short, easy sentence in the tu form. Practices vary: in some workplaces and in many start-ups, tu is the default from the first day, while in some families grandparents and in-laws keep vous for years. In universities, students generally say vous to their professors, and a professor may propose tu after a degree is finished, though many never do. End-of-year parties, with their toasts and their mixture of students, friends and staff, are a classic setting for these changes. When toasting, à la tienne answers someone you call tu, and à la vôtre someone you call vous, or a group.