# Forms of Address: tu and vous

https://langs123.com/en/french/pronoms/tu-vous/
CEFR A0–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> **Tu** addresses one person you know well; **vous** addresses one person politely or several people. With **vous**, the verb is always plural, even for one person: Madame, **vous avez** l’heure ? Les enfants, **vous venez** ?

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Set phrases | **s’il te plaît** for a friend, **s’il vous plaît** for politeness | **S’il vous plaît**, madame. | Please, madam. |
| Tu | one person you know well: friend, family, child | **Tu** viens, Marie ? | Are you coming, Marie? |
| Vous (polite) | one person you do not know or respect: stranger, customer, boss | **Vous** habitez ici, madame ? | Do you live here, madam? |
| Vous (plural) | several people, friends or strangers | Les enfants, **vous** venez ? | Children, are you coming? |
| Verb | **vous** takes the plural form, even for one person | Vous **parlez** anglais ? | Do you speak English? |
| Agreement | the adjective follows the person: singular for one, plural for several | Madame Roux, vous êtes **fatiguée** ? | Mrs Roux, are you tired? |
| Switching to tu | **tutoyer** and **vouvoyer**: to say **tu** or **vous** to someone | On se **tutoie** ? | Shall we use tu? |
| Québec | **tu** comes sooner: colleague, shop assistant, customer | **Tu** veux un sac ? | Do you want a bag? |
| Trap | an adult stranger gets **vous**, never **tu** | Madame, **vous** avez l’heure ? | Madam, do you have the time? |
| Trap | **vous**: **vous parlez**, never **vous parle** | Vous **avez** faim, monsieur ? | Are you hungry, sir? |

## Overview

- French has two ways to say “you” to one person: **tu** and **vous**. **Tu** es prêt ? / **Vous** êtes prêt ? (Are you ready? / Are you ready? (polite))
- **Vous** is also used for several people; **tu** has no plural. Léa, **tu** viens ? / Léa et Paul, **vous** venez ? (Léa, are you coming? / Léa and Paul, are you coming?)
- The other subject pronouns: see Subject Pronouns.

## Form: tu and vous

| Function | tu | vous |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subject | **tu** | **vous** |
| Verb (parler) | tu **parles** | vous **parlez** |
| Object | **te** / **t’** | **vous** |
| Possessive | **ton** / **ta** / **tes** | **votre** / **vos** |
| Stressed pronoun | **toi** | **vous** |

- With **vous**, the verb has the plural form: **êtes**, **avez**, **parlez**. **Vous êtes** français, monsieur ? / **Vous avez** un frère, madame ? (Are you French, sir? / Do you have a brother, madam?)
- The forms of être and avoir: see Être and avoir.
- Object pronouns, possessives and stressed pronouns: see Object Pronouns, Possessives and Stressed Pronouns.

## Use: who says tu, who says vous

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Courtesy phrases with **tu** | **S’il te plaît**, Léa. / Comment **vas-tu** ? | Please, Léa. / How are you? |
| Courtesy phrases with **vous** | **S’il vous plaît**, madame. / Comment **allez-vous** ? | Please, madam. / How are you? |
| **tu**: a friend, a classmate, a relative, a child | **Tu** viens, Marie ? / **Tu** as faim, Léo ? | Are you coming, Marie? / Are you hungry, Léo? |
| **vous**: an adult stranger, an older person, a customer, a boss | **Vous** habitez ici, madame ? / **Vous** parlez anglais ? | Do you live here, madam? / Do you speak English? |
| **vous**: several people, friends or strangers | Les enfants, **vous** venez ? / Léa, Paul, **vous** avez faim ? | Children, are you coming? / Léa, Paul, are you hungry? |
| **tutoyer** and **vouvoyer**: to say **tu** or **vous** to someone | On se **tutoie** ? / Ils se **vouvoient**. | Shall we use tu? / They address each other as vous. |

- You keep the same form through the whole conversation. Madame, **vous** avez faim ? **Vous** voulez un café ? (Madam, are you hungry? Would you like a coffee?)
- With the polite **vous**, the adjective stays singular and agrees with the person. Madame Roux, vous êtes **fatiguée** ? / Les enfants, vous êtes **fatigués** ? (Mrs Roux, are you tired? / Children, are you tired?)
- Agreement of adjectives: see Adjectives.
- In the imperative, **viens** or **venez**: see Imperative: parle, parlons, parlez.
- Canada: In Québec, people switch to **tu** sooner: a shop assistant, a waiter or a colleague often says it to someone they do not know. **Tu** veux un sac ? / **Tu** cherches quelque chose ? (Do you want a bag? / Are you looking for something?)

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| S’il te plaît, madame. | S’il **vous** plaît, madame. | to a woman you do not know, say **s’il vous plaît** |
| Madame, tu as l’heure ? | Madame, **vous** avez l’heure ? | you say **vous** to an adult you do not know |
| Les enfants, tu viens ? | Les enfants, **vous** venez ? | English “you” is also plural, but French needs **vous** for several people: **vous venez** |
| Madame Roux, vous êtes fatigués ? | Madame Roux, vous êtes **fatiguée** ? | for one person, the adjective stays singular |