Native French Speakers Needed for Linguistic Study

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Permalink Reply by Frank on January 2, 2010 at 10:26pm

Bonjour Lucy,

Il y a quelques éléments de réponse dans ces messages envoyés il y a quelques temps sur le forum :

by stu harris on December 4, 2009 at 6:38pm

Many people would like some guidance on "tu" and "vous" -- something we have absolutely no experience of in English. I'm not native French but I think:

People who are automatically "tu":
Close family
Close friends
School or college friends, whether or not you know them well
Kids
These days, anyone in internet chat because you assume you don't owe them respect

People who are automatically "vous":
Old people
Anyone you have a purely commercial relationship with -- shopkeepers, waiters etc.
Anyone to whom you owe respect

People who could go either way:
Work colleagues
People of your own age who you meet informally

The biggest trap is in choosing the moment when a "vous" becomes a "tu". Advice from a native speaker would be welcome here. It can be seen as a Faux pas. Is it ever OK with a waiter or barman who serves you regularly? How about someone of your own age who you have a casual conversation with at a bar?

I noticed something clever in the english sub-titling of the Klapisch film "Paris". The professeur begins an affair with one of his students (a really gorgeous woman, by the way.) Eventually she says "I love you" but she can't get out of the habit of vous-ing him. He replies "Bon, mais dans ce cas tu peus me tutoyer". Literally, this is "Fine, but in that case you can call me tu." The translator came up with something clever -- "Fine, but in that case you can stop calling me Sir."

Another thing I'd like to know from a native is -- is "Je vous aime" ever really logical?

Reply by Frank on December 6, 2009 at 5:28pm

Hi Stu,

This is a very interesting question and your list is quite accurate.

Think about how you would greet the person you are talking to. If saying "what's up" would be ok, you can probably go for "tu". If a more formal greeting would be more suitable, "vous" would be a safer pick.

Is it ever OK with a waiter or barman who serves you regularly?

Depends. If other clients might hear your conversation, maybe not, because other clients could consider you as a privileged client, thus feeling uncomfortable. If not, and especially in a bar, if you are a regular client, it might be ok. But as a rule of thumb, you should avoid "tu" with someone you are a client of, when he's on the clock.

How about someone of your own age who you have a casual conversation with at a bar?

Start with "vous" and shift to "tu" after the first beer or after a few jokes :)

At the workplace, at school, etc. it all depends on the local informal pre-established rules. In some companies, coworkers always use "vous", except when they are very close colleagues. In other companies, "tu" is the rule, no matter who you are talking to. In the company I'm currently working for, I always say "tu", even to the boss and to people I have never met before.

If you're not sure about which one to use, use "vous" and eventually the person you are talking to is going to say "hé, on peut se tutoyer".

When talking to kids, "tu" is the rule. But at school, usually starting at the secondary school, teachers use "vous" when talking to pupils.

Some people used to say "vous" to their relatives, especially to their parents and grandparents. But this is a very uncommon thing nowadays.

"Je vous aime" is a juicy mix of going intimate and being distant at the same time. This is something you will only hear in movies, not in the real life.

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Permalink Reply by Frank on January 2, 2010 at 10:40pm

Vous êtes un homme ou une femme ?

Voyons voir... un homme, on dirait :)

Quel âge avez-vous ?

Dans les 30 ans.


D’où venez-vous ?

Paris !


Quelle est votre profession ?

Je travaille actuellement comme développeur informatique pour un réseau social.


Quel pronom utilisez-vous avec :


Vos clients ? (Tu/vous)

"Vous", sauf s'ils disent éventuellement "on peut se tutoyer". Si c'est le cas, "tu".


Votre chef ? (Tu/vous)

Tu.

Parce que dans cette société, tout le monde se tutoie entre collègues, y compris avec les chefs et lorsque l'on ne se connait pas beaucoup. Sans doute parce que la moyenne d'âge est assez jeune.


Vos collègues ? (Tu/vous)

Tu.

J'ai travaillé dans beaucoup de sociétés et dans aucune le "vous" était utilisé entre collègues.


Quel pronom utilisez-vous parmi ces groupes de gens suivants :


Vos parents ? (Tu/vous)

Tu

Votre famille en générale ? (Tu/vous)

Tu.

Mais ma copine emploie le "vous" avec l'une de ses grand-mères, car celle-ci la vouvoie depuis toujours. C'est un peu étrange.

Vos amis ? (Tu/vous)

Tu.

Vos amies (Tu/vous)

Tu.

Un(e) copin(e) ? (Tu/vous)

Tu.

Etes-vous marié(e) ?

Pas (encore) officiellement marié, mais je vis avec ma copine depuis 11 ans et nous avons deux petites filles.


Si la réponse est « oui », quel pronom utilisez-vous avec votre femme/mari ? (Tu/vous)

Tu.

On ne peut vraiment pas dire "vous" à quelqu'un avec qui l'on est intime.

A votre avis, dans quelles situations devrait-on utiliser « vous » ?
Et quand devrait-on utiliser « tu » ?

See below :)

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