Introductions Explained

French Conversation

Claire	Bonjour
Paul	Salut
Claire	Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Paul	Je m’appelle Paul
Claire	D’ou venez-vous ?
Paul	Je viens des États-Unis.
Claire	Vous parlez bien français
Paul	Juste un petit peu. J’adore apprendre.

Now, have a look at the same conversation through familiar eyes...

English Translation

Claire	Hello!
Paul	Hi!
Claire	What's your name?
Paul	I'm called Paul.
Claire	Where do you come from?
Paul	I come from the United States.
Claire	You speak French well.
Paul	Just a little bit. I love learning.

Getting Formal or Informal with French Grammar

As you will find out in your conversations with French people, so much of the dialogue depends on how other people interact with you! It’s just as important to understand what’s being said to you as it is to know what to say in a new language. Introducing yourself and introducing other people to each other is a good place to start establishing your ease with dialogues.

In French, there are two ways of addressing someone or a group of people directly. This tradition stems from a time when it was considered vital to treat authority figures with deference.

The sense of respect prevails today in many cultures around the globe, albeit adapted to modern day norms. In some French families today, parents are still addressed by their children in the formal way! To some this appears to create distance, while to others it maintains a sense of respect.

In French today there is still a clear language code where both formal and informal greetings are relevant. This formal code is useful when you are asking for anything in the commercial arena in France, from shops, health care, touring, making bookings, and as you meet new people.

The only exception to using the formal “vous” would be when visiting your family, your friends or when addressing very young children.

Formal Context You will notice that in a typical dialogue in French, a person is always addressed by their appropriate title, even if you don’t know their actual name, as in “Sir,” “Monsieur,” “Madam,” ”Madame,” and more traditionally, addressing adolescents as “jeune homme,” ”young man,” or “jeune fille,” ”young lady.” Monsieur It’s quite natural for people to refer to “this young man over there,” “le petit jeune homme là bas,” or “la petite” (in abbreviated form) when referring to “the young girl.” There are some subtle distinctions, for example, “Monsieur” across the board, refers to “Sir,” or to a “gentleman,” whereas “l’homme,” means “the man.” It’s probably safer to address any adult woman as “madame” as opposed to “mademoiselle” “miss” regardless of their actual status.

Monsieur

Casual Context

In contrast, when addressing family or very young children, it’s not necessary to be so formal. However, it’s probably good to follow the general guideline that, when in doubt, be formal!

Remember that when you already know someone relatively well, there is no need to introduce yourself formally anyway. You may need to introduce a friend to another friend, in which case it is useful to follow the expected pattern.

The following examples show casual greetings using varying degrees of familiarity, from casual through to very laid back.

Casual Conversations

	Salut Marie, ça va comme tu veux?
	Hello Mary, are you doing ok?
	Oui, ça va plus ou moins, merci.
	Yes, things are not bad, thanks.
	Salut, quoi de neuf?
	Hi! What’s new?
	Ça va?
	How are things?
	Bonjour Jean, tout se passe bien aujourd’hui?
	Good morning Jean, everything ok today?

Two more Casual Exchanges:

	Bonjour Marie, comment vas-tu? Tu connais Jeanne?
	Good morning Marie, how are you? Have you met Jeanne?
	Non, on ne se connaît pas. Salut Jeanne, ça va?
	No, we haven’t met. Hi Jeanne, how’s it going?
	Bonjour Marie, ça fait longtemps qu’on ne s’est vue!
	Good morning Mary, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other!
	Oui! Ça fait plaisir de te voir, tout va bien de ton côté?
	Yes! It’s great to see you again, is everything going well with you?

There, that should cover your bases and keep you out of trouble for a while, however informal you'd like to be.

Tune in for tomorrow's lesson when we hear what it should sound like when you ask for what you want, what you need, and exactly how you'd like it. What else is there in this world to say??

Á plus tard! (See you later!)

Marie-Claire