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### Formal and Informal "You"

In English, we use "you" for everyone. In French, there are two different words for "you" depending on the politeness register:

- **tu** is the informal "you". Use it with friends, family members, peers, and children.
- **vous** is the formal "you". Use it with strangers, elders, or professionals. (As you learned before, **vous** is also the plural "you" for groups).

To match these registers, French has different greetings:
- **Bonjour** (Hello) is standard and appropriate for formal situations.
- **Salut** (Hi) is informal, used only with people you address as **tu**.

Titles like **Monsieur** (Sir) and **Madame** (Madam) are always paired with **vous**.

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### Using 'Être' (to be)

Notice how the verb changes depending on which "you" you use:

| Pronoun | Verb | Meaning |
|---------|------|---------|
| tu | es | you are (informal) |
| vous | êtes | you are (formal / plural) |

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### Adjective Agreement with a Singular "Vous"

When you use **vous** to speak formally to *one* person, the adjective does not become plural. You do not add an **-s**. The adjective simply matches the gender of the single person you are addressing.

If you are speaking to a woman, the adjective takes a feminine **-e**:

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If you are speaking to a man, it remains masculine:

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And of course, the informal **tu** follows the exact same gender rules:

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Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Knowing facts vs. familiarity (savoir, connaître)

Question	Answer
hello	bonjour
sir	Monsieur
Hello, sir, are you French?	Bonjour, Monsieur, vous êtes français ?
yes	oui
Yes, I am French.	Oui, je suis français.
hi	salut
or	ou
Hi! Are you a student or a teacher?	Salut ! Tu es étudiant ou professeur ?
I am a student here.	Je suis étudiant ici.
madam	Madame
Hello, madam, are you ready?	Bonjour, Madame, vous êtes prête ?
Hi, are you ready too?	Salut, tu es prêt aussi ?
strict	sévère
Sir, you are very strict.	Monsieur, vous êtes très sévère.
friendly	sympa
Is the teacher strict or friendly?	Le professeur est sévère ou sympa ?
polite	poli
Madam, you are very polite.	Madame, vous êtes très polie.
Yes, you are friendly and very polite.	Oui, tu es sympa et très poli.
no	non
No, you are very polite, sir.	Non, vous êtes très poli, Monsieur.
No, you are a student.	Non, tu es un étudiant.