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Cheat sheet

Tu or vous: a practical French address cheat sheet

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Choose tu or vous for one person or a group, ask to switch to tu, and match verbs and adjectives. Includes a workplace scene and four practice questions.

In short

Use tu for one person when that is the form you use together. Vous addresses a group, or one person with polite distance. With an unfamiliar adult, vous is a useful starting point; On peut se tutoyer ? asks whether you can use tu with each other.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Two newly acquainted colleagues greeting one another at a French office coffee corner.
A new relationship prompts on peut se tutoyer. Illustration: Atelier

Tu ou vous ?

1 · Count the listeners first

Several people take vous, including close friends. One person can take tu or vous.

Les amis, vous êtes prêts ?Friends, are you ready?

Tu es prête, Nora ?Are you ready, Nora?

2 · Start with the exchange you are in

For a first meeting with an unfamiliar adult, bonjour and vous make a useful opening. Follow an explicit preference when someone gives one.

Bonjour, vous allez bien ?Hello, are you well?

Salut Léa, tu vas bien ?Hi Léa, are you well?

3 · Ask about a mutual switch

Tutoyer means addressing someone with tu; vouvoyer means addressing someone with vous. Ask and wait for the reply.

— On peut se tutoyer ? — Oui, bien sûr.“Can we use tu with each other?” “Yes, of course.”

Je préfère qu’on se vouvoie.I’d prefer us to use vous with each other.

4 · Keep the matching verb and possessive

Match the form throughout your question. A first name can go with vous: Nora, vous avez reçu mon message ?

tu es / vous êtesyou are
tu as / vous avezyou have
ton nom / votre nomyour surname
et toi ? / et vous ?and you?

5 · Let the adjective describe the person

Singular polite vous keeps the plural verb form, but the adjective follows the actual person. For Nora alone, use feminine singular prête.

Vous êtes prête, Nora ?Are you ready, Nora?

Vous êtes prêtes, Léa et Nora ?Are you ready, Léa and Nora?

Vous êtes prêts, Samir et Paul ?Are you ready, Samir and Paul?

When should you use tu or vous?

Première réunion entre collègues
  1. Samir

    Bonjour Nora, vous avez reçu mon message ?

    Hello Nora, have you received my message?

  2. Nora

    Oui, merci. On peut se tutoyer ?

    Yes, thank you. Can we use tu with each other?

  3. Samir

    Oui, avec plaisir.

    Yes, gladly.

  4. Nora

    Parfait. Tu es disponible demain ?

    Great. Are you free tomorrow?

  5. Samir

    Oui. Et toi ?

    Yes. And you?

The first name fits both stages of this scene. The explicit question and answer establish the switch. Vous pouvez me tutoyer means “You can address me with tu”; On peut se tutoyer ? asks about both directions.

Question 1No account needed
You are addressing Léa and Nora together. Which sentence fits?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Vous êtes prêtes ?. There are two women: plural vous êtes and feminine plural prêtes.

Question 2No account needed
You address Nora alone using polite vous. Complete the sentence.Vous êtes ___, Nora ?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

prête. Nora is one woman, so prête is feminine singular even though the verb is êtes.

Question 3No account needed
Which question asks for a mutual switch to tu?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

On peut se tutoyer ?. Se tutoyer means using tu with each other; the question asks about that change.

Question 4No account needed
Complete the question while keeping polite vous.Vous pouvez épeler ___ nom ?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

votre. Votre matches the form of address in vous.

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