Congratulations on completing five lessons — you've come a long way! This final lesson of Unit 1 is all about the social glue of French: politeness. You'll learn how to say 'excuse me', 'sorry', 'you're welcome', and crucially, how to choose between the informal 'tu' and formal 'vous' when making requests. These small words have a huge impact on how you're perceived — the French take politeness seriously, and mastering it will immediately set you apart.
Learning tips
- The tu/vous distinction is one of the most socially loaded choices in French. When in doubt, always default to 'vous' — it's polite and nobody is offended by excess formality, but using 'tu' with a stranger or elder can come across as rude.
- 'De rien' (you're welcome) is the most common response to 'merci' in everyday French. You may also hear 'avec plaisir' (with pleasure) or 'je vous en prie' (please, don't mention it) in more formal contexts.
- The pronoun 'on' is one of the most useful words in French. It formally means 'one' (as in 'one says') but in spoken French it's used constantly instead of 'nous' to mean 'we', or impersonally to mean 'people/they'. 'On dit' = people say / we say.
- Notice that 's'il te plaît' and 's'il vous plaît' are the same phrase, just with the informal (te) vs formal (vous) pronoun swapped. Once you know the tu/vous rule, you always know which to use.
- 'Pardon' is used both to apologise mildly and to get someone's attention — like tapping someone on the shoulder before speaking to them. 'Excusez-moi' is slightly stronger and more attention-grabbing.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| zéro | zero |
| un | one |
| deux | two |
| trois | three |
| quatre | four |
| cinq | five |
| le numéro | the number |
| le téléphone | the telephone / phone |
| le portable | the mobile phone |
| s'il vous plaît | please (formal) |
Dialog
The dialog has two scenes. In the first, Lucas visits a bakery and uses polite language to order. Notice he uses 's'il te plaît' — the informal form — suggesting he knows the baker (Camille). She responds with 'de rien, monsieur', the standard polite 'you're welcome'. Then Lucas uses 'pardon' to get her attention before asking how to say 'thank you' in French — a meta-moment that shows 'pardon' working as a soft attention-getter. 'Vous êtes très aimable' (you are very kind) is a formal compliment. In the second scene, Lucas apologises to a neighbour with 'je suis désolé'. 'La personne cherche vous' is a slightly odd structure for style — normally 'vous cherche' would come together, but this mirrors beginner word order you might use yourself.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| de rien | /də ʁjɛ̃/ | you're welcome / it's nothing | Literally 'of nothing'. The most common response to merci in everyday French. Less formal than 'je vous en prie'. |
| pardon | /paʁ.dɔ̃/ | sorry / pardon (mild) | A light apology or polite way to get someone's attention before speaking. Less strong than 'je suis désolé'. |
| excusez-moi | /ɛk.sky.ze mwa/ | excuse me (formal) | Stronger than 'pardon' — use to get attention, pass through a crowd, or apologise to a stranger. Always formal. |
| s'il te plaît | /sil tə plɛ/ | please (informal) | The informal version — use with friends, family, or anyone you'd call 'tu'. Compare to 's'il vous plaît' (formal). |
| je suis désolé | /ʒə sɥi de.zɔ.le/ | I'm sorry (male speaker) | A genuine apology. 'Désolé' matches the speaker's gender — a woman says 'je suis désolée'. |
| comment | /kɔ.mɑ̃/ | how | A question word. Used in 'comment tu t'appelles' (what's your name?) and 'comment on dit' (how do you say). |
| non | /nɔ̃/ | no | The standard 'no'. In casual speech 'nan' is heard, but 'non' is correct French. A firm, flat sound. |
| vous | /vu/ | you (formal / plural) | The formal and/or plural 'you'. Use with strangers, elders, authority figures, or when addressing multiple people. |
| on | /ɔ̃/ | one / we (impersonal) | The impersonal pronoun — 'on dit' = one says / people say / we say. Extremely common in spoken French as a casual substitute for 'nous'. |
| la personne | /la pɛʁ.sɔn/ | the person | Feminine noun, regardless of the gender of the person referred to: 'la personne' is always feminine. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pas de problème | /pa də pʁɔ.blɛm/ | ||
| je vous en prie | /ʒə vu zɑ̃ pʁi/ | ||
| bien sûr | /bjɛ̃ syʁ/ | ||
| d'accord | /da.kɔʁ/ | ||
| avec plaisir | /a.vɛk plɛ.ziʁ/ | ||
| c'est gentil | /sɛ ʒɑ̃.ti/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| merci beaucoup | thank you very much |
| je suis désolée | I'm sorry (female speaker) |
Grammar: Tu vs. vous — formal and informal address
| Situation | Tu ou Vous ? |
|---|---|
| Ami, famille | Tu (s'il te plaît) |
| Inconnu, magasin | Vous (s'il vous plaît) |
| Personne âgée | Vous |
| Collègue (premier contact) | Vous |
| Enfant | Tu |
This lesson's grammar focus is the tu/vous distinction — one of the most important social choices in French. French has two words for 'you': 'tu' (informal, singular) and 'vous' (formal, or plural for any group). Choosing the wrong one can be perceived as rude or overly cold. The table below summarises when to use each:
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Friend or family member | Tu (s'il te plaît) |
| Stranger, shop, service | Vous (s'il vous plaît) |
| Older person | Vous |
| First meeting with colleague | Vous |
| Child | Tu |
This also affects verbs: 'tu parles' (you speak, informal) vs 'vous parlez' (you speak, formal/plural). It even affects possessives: 'ton numéro' (your number, informal) vs 'votre numéro' (your number, formal). In modern French, especially in cities, this distinction is slightly more relaxed — many workplaces now use 'tu' from the start — but the traditional rules remain the safe default when you're uncertain.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct French polite word or phrase.
- , un croissant s'il vous plaît.(how you get someone's attention politely — formal)
- Merci ! — De !(the response to 'merci' — 'de ___!')
- Je suis . Pardon.(the phrase for 'I'm sorry' — masculine speaker)
- on dit « hello » en français ?(the French question word for 'how')
- S'il plaît, votre nom ?(formal 'please' — which pronoun fills the gap: 's'il ___ plaît')
Grammar Application
Choose 'te' or 'vous' in each 's'il ___ plaît' phrase based on the situation described.
- Tu parles à un ami. S'il plaît.(talking to a friend — informal pronoun for 'please')
- Tu parles à un inconnu. S'il plaît.(talking to a stranger — formal pronoun for 'please')
- Tu ou vous ? Parler au professeur → (speaking to a professor — tu or vous?)
- Tu ou vous ? Parler à un enfant → (speaking to a child — tu or vous?)
- Complète : dit « merci » en France. (pronom impersonnel)(the impersonal subject pronoun — not 'je', not 'nous', but what French people use informally for 'we/one')
Translate into French
Translate each English sentence into French using the politeness vocabulary from this lesson.
- Excuse me, please.
- Thank you! — You're welcome!
- Sorry, I'm sorry.
- How do you say 'goodbye'?
- No, don't mention it!
Build Your Own Sentence
Write a short polite exchange of 2–3 lines in French. Use at least three polite expressions from this lesson: 'excusez-moi', 's'il vous plaît', 'merci', 'de rien', 'pardon', or 'je suis désolé'.
Takeaway
The tu/vous distinction is a social contract in French: 'tu' for people you know well, 'vous' for everyone else — when uncertain, 'vous' is always the safe and polite choice.