Two ways to say you: French has two ways to say you to one person: tu (informal) and vous (formal). Choosing between them is called register.
Tu, vous and register
- tu is informal: for friends, peers, family and children.
- vous is formal: for strangers, elders, people in authority and business.
- Register is the level of formality you choose for who you're talking to.
- vous also does double duty: it's the plural you. When you speak to several people, you always use vous, whoever they are.
vous has its own forms: Crucially, vous takes its own verb ending (-ez): vous mangez, vous pouvez. It 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 from the audience: Decide the register from the audience before you write the first word. And remember: more than one reader is always vous.
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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.
tu (informal)
- Verbe : tu parles, tu as, tu peux
- Possessif : ton sac, ta clé, tes livres
- Pronom objet : je te vois
- Pronom tonique : avec toi, pour toi
vous (formal / plural)
- Verbe : vous parlez, vous avez, vous pouvez
- Possessif : votre sac, votre clé, vos livres
- Pronom objet : je vous vois
- Pronom tonique : avec vous, pour vous
| Verbe (présent) | tu (informal) | vous (formal) |
|---|---|---|
| parler | tu parles | vous parlez |
| avoir | tu as | vous avez |
| pouvoir | tu peux | vous pouvez |
| être | tu es | vous êtes |
| aller | tu vas | vous allez |
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.
Possessives and pronouns with vous
- vous pairs with votre/vos and the pronoun vous, never ton or te.
- votre is one word for any single noun: votre sac, votre maison.
- vos is the plural: vos livres.
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Read the audience and the text type: The register comes from who you're addressing and what kind of text it is. The cues below tell you which to pick, each with a French example.
Three quick cues
- A letter to a company is formal: vous.
- A message to a friend is informal: tu.
- Any group of people is always vous.
Quand choisir chacun
- Lettre à une entreprise / une institution → vous — Je vous écris pour demander des renseignements. (I'm writing to you to request information.)
- Message à un ami → tu — Salut, tu viens à la fête ? (Hi, are you coming to the party?)
- Parler à une personne âgée ou inconnue → vous — Excusez-moi, vous savez où est la gare ? (Excuse me, do you know where the station is?)
- Parler à un camarade de classe → tu — Tu peux me prêter ton stylo ? (Can you lend me your pen?)
- Courriel à un professeur ou à un patron → vous — Pourriez-vous relire mon travail, s'il vous plaît ? (Could you review my work, please?)
- Parler à un groupe (amis ou non) → vous — Bonjour à tous, vous êtes prêts ? (Hello everyone, are you ready?)
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.
Unsure? Start with vous: When you're unsure with one person, start with vous. It's the safe, polite choice. Switch to tu only if invited (On peut se tutoyer ?). Once you've chosen, 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). Tap Voir la traduction or the audio button to hear it.
Watch these shift together
- The verb form
- The possessive (ton → votre)
- The pronoun (te → vous)
tu et vous en action
La même demande, deux registres
- Version informelle (tu) : Salut Léa, est-ce que tu peux m'aider avec le projet ?
- Tu as un moment cet après-midi ? Je t'envoie les documents à ton adresse.
- Version formelle (vous) : Bonjour Madame Garcia, est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider avec le projet ?
- Vous avez un moment cet après-midi ? Je vous envoie les documents à votre adresse.
- Je vous remercie de votre attention et j'attends votre réponse.
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.
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The slips anglophone learners make: Because English has only one you, learners forget to choose at all. Compare the right version with the typical mistake.
The three register traps
- Mixing tu and vous in one text: you must stay consistent.
- Getting the possessive or verb wrong with vous: it needs votre/vos and the -ez form, not ton or the tu ending.
- Using tu for a group: several people are always vous.
Correct
- Pouvez-vous m'envoyer votre adresse ?
- Cher Monsieur, je vous écris pour…
- Salut, tu me donnes ton numéro ?
- Bonjour à tous, vous êtes prêts ?
Erreur fréquente
- Pouvez-vous m'envoyer ton adresse ?
- Cher Monsieur, je te écris pour…
- Salut, vous me donnez votre numéro ?
- Bonjour à tous, tu es prêt ?
Pick one register and stay there: Before you hand in, scan the whole text. Check that 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.
A group is vous: If your reader is a group, everything must be vous. Consistency is what the marker is checking.