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### The reply half of politeness

The course has taught you **merci** and **s'il vous plaît**. What it has not taught you is what to say back, or how to say any of it to someone you call *tu*.

### tu or vous — it changes the words

Every politeness formula in French comes in two registers, and picking the wrong one is more noticeable than a grammar mistake.

| to someone you call **vous** | to someone you call **tu** |
|---|---|
| s'il vous plaît | **s'il te plaît** |
| **excusez-moi** | **excuse-moi** |
| **je vous en prie** | de rien |

**S'il te plaît** is the same words as *s'il vous plaît* with the pronoun swapped: literally *if it pleases you*. The same swap runs through **excusez-moi** / **excuse-moi**.

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### Answering merci

English has one *you're welcome*. French has two, and they are not equally formal. **De rien** — literally *of nothing* — is the everyday reply. **Je vous en prie** is the polite one, and it is what a waiter, a shop assistant or a stranger will say to you.

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### Sorry, of course, and good wishes

**Désolé** is *sorry* for something you regret; **pardon** and **excusez-moi** are for interrupting or getting past someone. A woman writes **désolée**, with an extra -e.

**Bien sûr** is *of course* — the standard way to agree to a request.

French wishes people things constantly, and always with **bon** or **bonne** plus a noun. You have already met *bonne journée*; the same frame gives **bon appétit** before a meal, **bon week-end** on a Friday, and **bon voyage** to anyone leaving.

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Please, sorry and thank you

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)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

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

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
please (informal)	s'il te plaît
Your name, please!	Ton nom, s'il te plaît !
The menu, please.	La carte, s'il te plaît.
excuse me, sorry (formal)	excusez-moi
Excuse me, where is the train station?	Excusez-moi, où est la gare ?
Excuse me, sir, I am looking for a hotel.	Excusez-moi, Monsieur, je cherche un hôtel.
excuse me, sorry (informal)	excuse-moi
Sorry, I do not understand.	Excuse-moi, je ne comprends pas.
Sorry! I am looking for my phone.	Excuse-moi ! Je cherche mon téléphone.
you're welcome, not at all	de rien
Thanks for the carafe! You're welcome.	Merci pour la carafe ! De rien.
You're welcome, it is not a problem.	De rien, ce n'est pas un problème.
you're welcome (formal)	je vous en prie
Thank you very much, sir. You're welcome.	Merci beaucoup, Monsieur. Je vous en prie.
You're welcome, madam, the table is ready.	Je vous en prie, Madame, la table est prête.
sorry	désolé
I am sorry, there is no set menu.	Je suis désolé, il n'y a pas de menu.
Sorry madam, the restaurant is closing now.	Désolé Madame, le restaurant ferme maintenant.
of course	bien sûr
Of course, sir! I am reserving a table.	Bien sûr, Monsieur ! Je réserve une table.
Do you want some bread? Of course!	Tu veux du pain ? Bien sûr !
enjoy your meal	bon appétit
Dinner is ready. Enjoy your meal!	Le dîner est prêt. Bon appétit !
Enjoy your meal, madam!	Bon appétit, Madame !
have a good weekend	bon week-end
Have a good weekend, sir!	Bon week-end, Monsieur !
Have a good weekend! I am going to the sea.	Bon week-end ! Je vais à la mer.
have a good trip	bon voyage
Have a good trip! The train arrives at noon.	Bon voyage ! Le train arrive à midi.
Have a good trip, madam! See you soon!	Bon voyage, Madame ! À bientôt !
to excuse, to forgive	excuser
Excuse my friend, please.	Excusez mon ami, s'il vous plaît.
Excuse this small problem, thank you.	Excusez ce petit problème, merci.
the lady	la dame
This lady is very polite.	Cette dame est très polie.
Excuse me Madam, is the lady here?	Pardon Madame, la dame est ici ?

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