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Madame, vous êtes très polie.

Madame, vous êtes très polie.
Madam, you are very polite.
From Lesson 6:Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)·French

Breakdown of Madame, vous êtes très polie.

être
to be
très
very
vous
you (plural/formal)
Madame
madam
poli
polite

Questions & Answers about Madame, vous êtes très polie.

Why is the word vous used here if Madame is just one person?
In French, vous is used as a formal 'you' for a single person you do not know well or want to show respect to, like a customer or someone you call Madame. You would only use tu for a friend or family member.
Does vous always use the verb form êtes even when speaking to just one person?
Yes! Even when vous means a singular, formal 'you', it always keeps its normal verb form. You will always say vous êtes, never vous es.
If vous uses a plural verb, why doesn't the adjective polie have an s at the end for plural?
Adjectives always match the actual number of people you are describing. Since you are talking to exactly one woman, the adjective is singular. There is no s because there is only one person.
Why is there an e at the end of polie?
Adjectives change to match gender. Because you are talking to a woman, you add a feminine e to the base adjective poli. If you were talking to a man, you would drop the e and just write poli.

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