Tu vs. vous: different forms of “you” in French

Tu viens jouer avec moi, papa ? (Are you coming to play with me, Daddy?). We use tu (informal “you”) when talking to someone in our family, in this case, papa (daddy). Example: maman, tu me donnes un biscuit, s'il te plaît ? (Mom, can you give me a biscuit, please?).

We use vous to mean “you” in formal situations, which is not the case when talking to a family member like papa (dad). Example: vous voulez me parler, monsieur le directeur ? (do you want to talk to me, Mr. Director?).

Tu veux du lait, mon chat ? (Would you like some milk, cat?). We use tu (informal “you”) when talking to an animal, in this case un chat (a cat). Example: tu es beau, mon chien (you're my beautiful doggy).

We use vous (formal “you”) to address certain people, but not an animal (mon chat - “my cat”). Example: vous partez déjà, madame ? (are you leaving already, madam?).

Bonjour madame, que désirez-vous ? (Hello madam, what would you like?). We use the formal vous (you) when addressing a person we don't know in a formal context, for instance a customer in a shop. Example: monsieur, voulez-vous un autre café ? (sir, would you like another coffee?).

We use tu (informal “you”) when talking to a friend or someone in an informal setting. We can't use it in conjunction with the formal madame (madam). Example: Simon, tu viens en vacances avec moi ? (Simon, are you coming on vacation with me?).

Allô, c'est moi ! Tu m'entends, maman ? (Hello, it's me! Can you hear me, Mom?). We use the informal tu (you) to address someone in our family, in this case maman (mom). Example: tu es mon frère préféré ! (you are my favorite brother!).

We use vous (formal “you”) to address someone we don't know in a formal situation, which is not the case here with maman (mom). Example: vous venez souvent ici, madame ? (do you come here often, madam?).

Bonjour monsieur, comment allez-vous ? (Hello sir, how are you?). We use vous (formal “you”) to address someone we don't know in a formal situation, as is this case here with monsieur (sir). Example: enchanté de vous rencontrer, monsieur (pleased to meet you, sir).

We say comment vas-tu? (how are you?) to a friend, but not when using the more formal monsieur (sir).

Vous voulez un café, madame Belamour ? (Would you like a coffee, Mrs. Belamour?). In a professional context, as here with madame Belamour, we generally address people using the formal vous (you). Example: vous travaillez au service comptabilité ? (do you work in accounts?).

Tu veux un café ? (Would you like a coffee?). We use tu to mean “you” when speaking informally to someone we know well, but this sentence refers to madame Belamour (Mrs. Belamour), indicating that it is a more formal relationship.

Quel âge as-tu ? 8 ou 9 ans ? (How old are you? 8 or 9?). We use tu (informal “you”) when talking to a child. Example: tu vas à l'école ? (do you go to school?).

We can say quel âge avez-vous? (how old are you?) when asking an adult whom we don't know well. We can't use it here as the age (8 ou 9 ans, “8 or 9”) indicates that a child is being addressed.

Mamie, tu veux un thé ? (Grandma, would you like a cup of tea?). We use tu (informal “you”) to address someone in our family, in this case mamie (grandma). Example: mamie, tu me racontes une histoire ? (granny, can you tell me a story?).

We can say voulez-vous un thé? when addressing someone we don't know, or an elderly person in a formal situation. We need to use tu (informal “you”) here as we are addressing a family member - mamie (granny).

Messieurs, vous êtes en retard ! (Gentlemen, you're late!). We use vous to mean ”you" when addressing several people, as is the case here with messieurs (gentlemen). Example: mesdames, asseyez-vous, s'il vous plaît (ladies, please sit down).

We can say tu es en retard (you are late) when talking to a friend, but we can't use it here with messieurs (gentlemen).