In addition to being used as an informal greeting, Salut also means bye. Again, it should only be used among friends. Another informal greeting is ciao, an Italian word commonly used in France. Au revoir is the only formal way to say Good-bye. If you will be meeting someone again soon, use À bientôt or À tout à l'heure. À
demain is used if you will be seeing the person the following day.
V: Names
Tu t'appelles comment ? is used to informally ask someone for his or her name. It is normal to just reply by stating your name, however you may also respond Je m'appelle [ name ] (I am called...). In the next lesson, you will learn more formal ways of asking someone for their name.
Check for understanding
One of your good friends is introducing you to his younger cousin who is visiting on a trip from France, and doesn't speak a word of English. You want to introduce yourself to him, tell him your name, and ask "What's up?"
Lesson 0.06 - Formal Speech
D: A formal conversation
French Dialogue ? Print version ?
audio (info ?65 kb ? help)
A Formal Conversation Une conversation formelle
Two people?Monsieur Bernard and Monsieur Lambert?are meeting for the first time: Monsieur Bernard
Bonjour. Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Monsieur Lambert
Je m'appelle Jean-Paul Lambert. Et vous ?
Monsieur Bernard
Moi, je[4] suis Marc Bernard. Enchanté.
Monsieur Lambert
Enchanté[5].
^ I ( I is not capitalized in French (unless, of course, beginning a sentence))
^ Nice to meet you (lit. enchanted)
G: Vous vs. tu
This is an important difference between French and English. English no longer distinguishes between the singular and the plural, formal version of "you", although "thou" used to be the informal singular version in the days of Shakespeare.
In French, it is important to know when to use "vous" and when to use "tu".
"Vous" is the plural form of "you". This is somewhat equivalent to "you all", "you guys", "all of you", except that it does not carry any familiarity when used with the plural. You'd use it to address your friends as well as when talking to the whole government at a press conference.
"Vous" is also used to refer to single individuals to show respect, to be polite or to be neutral. It is used when talking to someone who is important, someone who is older than you are, or someone with whom you are unfamiliar. This is known as Vouvoiement. Note the conversation between M. Bernard and M. Lambert above as an example of this use.
Conversely, "tu" is the singular and informal form of "vous" (you) in French. It is commonly used when referring to a friend or a family member, and is also used between children or when addressing a child. If it is used when speaking to a stranger, it signals disrespect. This is known as Tutoiement. As a rule of thumb, use "tu" only when you would call that person by his first name, otherwise use "vous". French people will make it known when they would like you to refer to them by "tu". The use of "vous" is less common in Quebequois than in French from France.
V: Courtesy
French Vocabulary ? Print version ?
audio (info ?160 kb ? help)
Courtesy La politesse
S'il te plaît.
(Lit: If it pleases you.)
Please
