Tu or vous? A closer look at a French language peculiarity

Hello everyone!

If you’re learning French then there’s a good chance you’ve come across the whole tu and vous thing. Both words mean “you”, but are at wildly different levels of formality.

And until recently, I’d been pronouncing one of them incorrectly. No, they don’t rhyme. At all.

Anyway, tu and vous are the subject of this week’s podcast episode with Camille, the woman behind French Today. Listen below or subscribe on your phone and listen on the go.

In this episode we talk all about the two words, how to use them, when to use them, and how to make the switch to the less formal version. 

This episode was originally released as a bonus episode for Patreon supporters. Sign up today: www.patreon.com/theearfultower

If you want to learn French with Camille’s method, find the audiobooks here.

And if you’re hankering for a lot more from Camille, she has been on this podcast many times. Here’s the full list of her appearances. Enjoy!

One thought on “Tu or vous? A closer look at a French language peculiarity

  1. Hi Oliver !
    I remember a time I was having some
    drinks at a bar with my French friend and others in southern France. We were all chatting and I poked fun of my friend. He didn’t react but the next time he spoke to me he used “vous”. I realized I had crossed the line and this was his way of distancing him from
    me for a short time. It was then I realized that Tu and Vous have other nuances.

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