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Showing posts from December, 2012

Name Games

As a follow up to my post on les bises, I’d like to talk more about an aspect of French that ties in ideas of language and culture: the tu versus vous distinction, both translated by the pronoun ‘you’ in English. In any French class, you will learn this distinction very early on, and will be told, more or less, that tu is an informal way of addressing someone, whereas vous is formal (or used for plural you, as in ‘you all’). For example, about.com suggests the following uses of each: Tu   is the familiar "you," which demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. Use   tu   when speaking to one ·          friend ·          peer / colleague ·          relative ·          child ·          pet Vous   is the formal "you." It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance or formality with someone. Use   vous   when speaking to ·          someone you don't know well ·          an older person ·          an authority figure