In this French grammar lesson on subject pronouns, you will learn whether you should use tu or vous?
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how to use tu in French
- how to use vous in French
- how to know when you should use tu or vous in French
- how tu and vous are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on tu or vous
- how to practice with flashcards for tu or vous
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson, you will know all about tu and vous!
Table of Contents
Table of Subject Pronouns
| je | I |
| tu | you (singular informal) |
| il | he, it (masculine) |
| elle | she, it (feminine) |
| on | one, we (informal), people, they |
| nous | we (formal) |
| vous | you (singular formal and all plurals) |
| ils | they (masculine, or mixed masculine and feminine) |
| elles | they (feminine) |
How to Use Tu
Tu has one use. This will be explained and examples will be provided.
- Informal singular you
One uses tu when speaking to:
- Friends
- Family
- Children
- Peers
Tu es mon meilleur ami.
You are my best friend.
Papa, où vas-tu ?
Dad, where are you going to?
Vas-tu faire tes devoirs maintenant ?
Are you going to do your homework now?
Que vas-tu faire demain ?
What are you going to do tomorrow?
How to Use Vous
Vous has two uses. These will both be explained and examples will be provided.
- Formal singular you
This vous will be used when speaking to people in the following categories:
- People we don’t know
- People older than us
- People that hold a higher position than us
Qui êtes-vous ?
Who are you?
Bonjour, M. Bernard, comment allez-vous?
Hello, Mr Bernard, how are you?
Vous avez raison, Monsieur le Président
You are right Mr President
Please note that with this vous you are speaking only to one other person.
- Plural you
This vous will be used when speaking to people in the following group:
- Two or more people
Vous êtes le vainqueur de la coupe du monde !
You [plural you] are the winner of the world cup!
Je sais que vous êtes tous là.
I know that you are all there.
Please note that with this vous you are always talking to multiple people.
How to Know Whether to Use Tu or Vous
Should you be uncertain whether to use tu or vous then the safe path is to use vous.
If however, the other person uses tu, then it is fine to switch to tu as well.
Example Sentences with Tu or Vous
The final section of this lesson on tu or vous is about seeing them in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on tu and vous through examples.
This section contains all of the previous sentences, neatly organised in one place.
tu (informal singular you)
Tu es mon meilleur ami.
You are my best friend.
tu (informal singular you)
Papa, où vas-tu ?
Dad, where are you going to?
tu (informal singular you)
Vas-tu faire tes devoirs maintenant ?
Are you going to do your homework now?
tu (informal singular you)
Que vas-tu faire demain ?
What are you going to do tomorrow?
vous (formal singular you)
Qui êtes-vous ?
Who are you?
vous (formal singular you)
Bonjour, M. Bernard, comment allez-vous?
Hello, Mr Bernard, how are you?
vous (formal singular you)
Vous avez raison, Monsieur le Président
You are right Mr President
vous (plural you)
Vous êtes le vainqueur de la coupe du monde !
You [plural you] are the winner of the world cup!
vous (plural you)
Je sais que vous êtes tous là.
I know that you are all there.
Quiz Yourself on Tu or Vous
At the end of every lesson you can do a small test.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter. It is up to you to give the correct answer.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want!
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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