Sorting game
Tu or vous? Sort twelve everyday situations
Should you say tu or vous? Sort twelve real situations, from your new colleague to the baker and your friend's grandmother, then read why each one goes where it does.
- A1
- 12 words to sort
- 2 boxes
- Tap to play
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
Use vous with adults you don't know, in shops and services, at work with superiors and with older people. Use tu with friends, family, children, animals and, very often, colleagues of your own level. When in doubt, start with vous and let the other person suggest tu.
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Tap a word, then the box it belongs in.
When do French people switch from vous to tu?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| On se tutoie ? | Shall we say tu? |
| Tu peux me tutoyer. | You can call me tu. |
| Je préfère qu'on se vouvoie. | I'd rather we kept vous. |
| Pardon, je vous ai tutoyé ! | Sorry, I said tu to you! |
Tutoyer (to say tu) and vouvoyer (to say vous) are everyday verbs. Some families even use vous with grandparents, and some couples famously kept vous for life, but that's rare today.
Workplaces differ: start-ups and many offices use tu from day one, while banks, law firms and the civil service often keep vous. Teenagers say tu to each other instantly. If you slip, nobody minds much: a quick pardon is enough.