Tu vs Vous: When to Use the Formal and Plural "You" in French

French has two words for "you": tu, which is informal, and vous, which is formal for one person and also the plural for everyone. Using one or the other is called tutoyer and vouvoyer, and the choice says a lot about how you see the relationship. This guide explains how each form works, when French speakers use it, and how the switch from vous to tu usually happens.

The forms of "you" in French

So vous does double duty. Said to one person, it's polite. Said to a group, it's simply "you all", whether they're your friends or your clients. Context tells you which one the speaker intends.

Vous as the plural "you" in French

French has no separate word for "you all" or "you guys". Whenever you speak to two or more people, the word is vous, whether they're strangers, colleagues, your best friends or your own children. Tu is only ever singular, so the tu-or-vous question only comes up when you're talking to one person.

• Vous venez ce soir ? ("Are you coming tonight?") to two friends: plural vous, completely casual
• Les enfants, vous avez faim ? ("Kids, are you hungry?"): plural vous, even though each child would get tu
• Vous êtes prêts ? ("Are you ready?") to a group. To a group of women only: Vous êtes prêtes ?

Plural vous takes the same verb forms as formal vous (vous êtes, vous avez, vous allez, vous faites), so you often can't tell them apart from the verb alone. The difference shows in agreement: Vous êtes prêt ? is one person addressed formally, Vous êtes prêts ? is several people. In speech, people make the plural clear with vous deux ("you two"), vous tous or vous toutes ("all of you"), and in Québec vous autres.

Nous vs vous

Nous is "we" or "us", and includes the speaker. Vous is "you": several people, or one person formally. The verb endings tell them apart, usually -ons for nous and -ez for vous: nous parlons ("we speak"), vous parlez ("you speak"); nous sommes, vous êtes; nous avons, vous avez. The same split runs through the other forms: Il nous parle ("He's talking to us") vs Il vous parle ("He's talking to you"), and notre/nos ("our") vs votre/vos ("your"). In everyday speech, French speakers often say on instead of nous (On y va ?, "Shall we go?"), but nothing replaces vous.

When to use tu

• Friends, family, partners and children
• Pets, and God in most modern prayers
• People your age in casual settings, especially if you're young
• Fellow students, teammates and members of a club
• Colleagues, in many startups, creative jobs and younger teams
• Online, in games, forums and most social media

Children use tu with each other from the start, and adults use tu with children.

When to use vous

• Adult strangers, including people in the street, shops, cafés and on the phone
• Older people you don't know well
• Your boss, clients and colleagues in more traditional workplaces
• Officials, doctors, teachers (from the pupil's side) and anyone in a formal role
• Formal writing, such as emails to companies, cover letters and official letters

When you meet an adult you don't know, start with vous. Using tu with a shopkeeper or a stranger is one of the clearest signs of rudeness or overfamiliarity in French. There's even a classic put-down for it: On n'a pas gardé les cochons ensemble ("We didn't herd pigs together").

How the switch to tu happens

Moving from vous to tu is usually proposed by the older or more senior person. Common ways to offer:

• On peut se tutoyer ? ("Can we use tu?")
• On se tutoie ? ("Shall we use tu?")
• Tu peux me tutoyer. ("You can use tu with me.")

Among young adults, at parties or at university, people often use tu from the first sentence without asking. In the workplace, it depends heavily on the company. Many French offices now use tu among colleagues, but vous with senior management or clients is still common.

Once you've switched to tu, going back to vous is rare and signals that the relationship has cooled.

France vs Québec, Belgium and Switzerland

Québec uses tu much more freely than France. Shop staff, colleagues and strangers of similar age often use tu, and vous can sound distant. Vous is kept for elderly people, formal service and official settings.

Belgium and Switzerland broadly follow French norms, with local variation. In all French-speaking regions, the safest approach is to listen first and mirror the people around you.

How the verbs change

Tu takes the second-person singular. Vous takes the second-person plural, even when you're addressing just one person.

Pronouns and possessives change too. With tu, you use te/toi and ton, ta, tes. With vous, you use vous and votre, vos.

One subtle point: with formal vous to one person, adjectives and past participles agree with that one person, not with a plural. Vous êtes prêt ? (to one man), Vous êtes prête ? (to one woman), Vous êtes prêts ? (to a group).

Example sentences: tu vs vous

Notice that the tu column is also more relaxed in style. T'as is a spoken contraction of tu as, and Tu habites où ? is everyday word order, while Où habitez-vous ? uses formal inversion. Formal speech tends to add s'il vous plaît and softer conditionals like pourriez-vous.

Common mistakes

• Mixing forms. Tu peux me donner votre numéro ? switches halfway. Keep everything matching: Tu peux me donner ton numéro ? or Vous pouvez me donner votre numéro ?
• Using tu with service staff. As an adult, saying tu to a waiter, a pharmacist or a shop assistant you don't know is rude in France. Use vous, even if they're younger than you.
• Making formal vous agree as plural. To one woman, it's Vous êtes arrivée ?, not arrivées.
• Saying s'il te plaît to strangers. S'il te plaît is for people you'd use tu with. To a waiter, it's s'il vous plaît.
• Proposing tu too early when you're junior. Let your boss, your partner's parents or an older acquaintance suggest it first.
• Writing t'es and t'as in formal texts. These are fine in speech and casual messages but not in emails or written work.

FAQ

Is it rude to use tu with strangers?

In France, yes, if the stranger is an adult in a normal public setting. Use vous with people you don't know, unless you're in a clearly informal context, like among young people at a party or in an online game.

Should I use tu or vous with my partner's parents?

Start with vous and wait for them to suggest tu. Many families switch quickly, but some keep vous with in-laws for years. Your partner can tell you what's normal in their family.

Should I use tu or vous at work?

It depends on the company and the country. Many French startups and creative teams use tu throughout, while banks, law firms and the public sector often keep vous, especially with managers. In Québec, tu is common at work. Follow your colleagues.

Is vous used for one person or for many?

Both. Vous is the formal singular and also the only plural "you". Context, and the agreement of adjectives (prêt vs prêts), shows which one applies.

Can I switch back from tu to vous?

It's rare. Switching back usually signals anger, distance or a deliberately formal setting, such as a meeting where you and a colleague both use vous for the record.

How do you say plural "you" in French?

Use vous for any group of two or more people, even close friends or family. Tu is only ever singular. With plural vous, adjectives and past participles agree in the plural: Vous êtes prêts ? (to a group).