Register: tu vs vous

Two ways to say «you»: French has two ways to address one person: « tu » is informal, for friends, peers, family and children; « vous » is formal, for strangers, elders, people in authority and business. This is called register — the level of formality you choose for who you're talking to. « vous » also does double duty: it's the plural « you », so when you speak to several people you always use « vous », whoever they are. Crucially, « vous » takes its own verb ending (-ez) — « vous mangez », « vous pouvez » — and uses « votre / vos » and « vous » where « tu » uses « ton/ta/tes » and « te/toi ».

le registre

register — the level of formality (formal vs informal)

tu

informal «you» (one person) — friends, peers, family, children

vous

formal «you» (one person) AND plural «you» (several people, always)

tutoyer

to address someone with «tu» (informally)

vouvoyer

to address someone with «vous» (formally)

le vouvoiement

the use of «vous» — the polite, formal form of address

It's a band descriptor: Choosing the right register and keeping it consistent is a marked criterion. A formal letter that slips into « tu », or a chat with a friend that goes stiffly into « vous », costs marks. Decide the register from the audience before you write the first word — and remember that more than one reader is always « vous ».

What changes with each: Switching register changes more than the pronoun. « vous » takes its own verb ending (-ez) and swaps the possessives and the object/stressed pronouns. Get the whole set right and your register stays consistent.

Vous = its own -ez ending: The single most useful rule: « vous » has its own verb form, usually ending in -ez — « vous parlez », « vous avez », « vous pouvez » (a few are irregular: « vous êtes », « vous faites », « vous dites ») — and it pairs with « votre/vos » and the pronoun « vous », never « ton » or « te ». Note « votre » is one word for any single noun (votre sac, votre maison) and « vos » is the plural (vos livres).

Read the audience and the text type: The register comes from who you're addressing and what kind of text it is. A letter to a company is formal (vous); a message to a friend is informal (tu); and any group of people is always « vous ». Here are the cues that tell you which to pick, each with a French example.

Decide before you start — and «vous» when unsure: Pick the register from the task instructions before writing: une lettre formelle signals vous; un message à ton ami signals tu. When you're unsure with one person, start with « vous » — it's the safe, polite choice — and switch to « tu » only if invited (« On peut se tutoyer ? »). Once you've chosen, you must keep it the whole way through — that's where the next section comes in.

The same request, two registers: Here is the same favour written twice — once informally to a friend (tu), once formally to a company (vous) — so the contrast is visible side by side. Watch the verb form, the possessive (ton → votre) and the pronoun (te → vous) all shift together. Tap Voir la traduction or 🔊 to hear it.

Change all three together: When you switch from tu to vous, change everything at once: the verb (tu peux → vous pouvez), the possessive (ton → votre) and the pronoun (te → vous). Changing only one is the classic slip that breaks consistency.

The slips anglophone learners make: Because English has only one « you », learners forget to choose at all. The two biggest register mistakes are mixing tu and vous in one text (you must stay consistent) and getting the possessive or verb wrong with vous (it needs « votre/vos » and the -ez form, not « ton » or the « tu » ending). A third trap: using « tu » for a group — several people are always « vous ». Compare the right version with the typical mistake.

Pick one register and stay there: Before you hand in: scan the whole text and check every verb, possessive and pronoun matches the same register. If you started formal, there should be no « tu », « ton/ta/tes » or « te/toi » anywhere — and vice versa. And if your reader is a group, everything must be « vous ». Consistency is what the marker is checking.