Log inSign up

Bonjour, Madame, vous êtes prête ?

Bonjour, Madame, vous êtes prête ?
Hello, madam, are you ready?
From Lesson 6:Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)·French

Breakdown of Bonjour, Madame, vous êtes prête ?

être
to be
vous
you (plural/formal)
prêt
ready
bonjour
hello
Madame
madam

Questions & Answers about Bonjour, Madame, vous êtes prête ?

Why do we use vous here instead of tu?
We use vous because the speaker is addressing a Madame, indicating a formal situation. In French, you must use vous for strangers, elders, or professionals, while tu is reserved for friends, family, and children.
Isn't vous the plural word for 'you'? Why is it used for just one person here?
The pronoun vous does mean 'you all' when talking to multiple people, but it also doubles as the formal 'you' for a single person. Because the speaker is talking to one Madame, it is acting as the formal singular here.
Why does prête have an 'e' at the end if vous is the pronoun?
Adjectives in French must match the person they describe. Even though vous is the pronoun, the actual person being spoken to is a single woman (Madame). Therefore, the adjective prêt (ready) adds an e to become the feminine singular prête.
How is this a question if the words are in the normal sentence order?
In spoken French, you can turn a regular statement like vous êtes prête into a question simply by raising the pitch of your voice at the end. This is called intonation and is a very common, natural way to ask questions.

Learn Bonjour, Madame, vous êtes prête and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →