In the previous section, we talked about subject pronouns and saw that in French, there are two words for the English ''you''.<\/p>\r\n
Addressing someone in French-speaking countries can be challenging as it entails using Tu <\/strong>(informal ''you'') for interactions between family, friends, children, peers or Vous<\/strong> (formal ''you'') in everyday life with professional colleagues, acquaintances and service employees. To be safe consider using the formal Vous<\/strong> when meeting new people and follow your French interlocutor's lead who will invite you to use Tu<\/strong> to break the ice if appropriate. It must be said that in Canada and Qu\u00e9bec, the use of Tu<\/strong> is far more common, though Vous<\/strong> is still used to show respect, politeness, formality or even to establish social distance. In May of 2025, however, the government of Qu\u00e9bec announced a<\/span>\u00a0plan to mandate the use of the formal ''vous'' in schools<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n \r\n Learn more about the differences between\u00a0tu<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0vous<\/strong> by watching this video tutorial: Tu vs. vous<\/a><\/p>\r\n With each new interaction, gaging the inherent social norms between Tu<\/strong> or Vous<\/strong><\/a> will become easier.<\/p>","rendered":" In the previous section, we talked about subject pronouns and saw that in French, there are two words for the English ”you”.<\/p>\n Addressing someone in French-speaking countries can be challenging as it entails using Tu <\/strong>(informal ”you”) for interactions between family, friends, children, peers or Vous<\/strong> (formal ”you”) in everyday life with professional colleagues, acquaintances and service employees. To be safe consider using the formal Vous<\/strong> when meeting new people and follow your French interlocutor’s lead who will invite you to use Tu<\/strong> to break the ice if appropriate. It must be said that in Canada and Qu\u00e9bec, the use of Tu<\/strong> is far more common, though Vous<\/strong> is still used to show respect, politeness, formality or even to establish social distance. In May of 2025, however, the government of Qu\u00e9bec announced a<\/span>\u00a0plan to mandate the use of the formal ”vous” in schools<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Learn more about the differences between\u00a0tu<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0vous<\/strong> by watching this video tutorial: Tu vs. vous<\/a><\/p>\nTu vs Vous<\/h4>\n