You need to write to your manager, reply to a neighbour’s message or meet your future in-laws. Should you say tu or vous? « Je ne sais pas » or « je sais pas »? In French, choosing the right register matters as much as grammar.
Too formal, and you will sound distant or a little stiff. Too casual, and you risk offending someone. Here is how to recognise the registers and choose the right one for each situation.
Key takeaways
- French has three registers: formal (soutenu), standard (courant) and informal (familier).
- The standard register works for most situations, spoken or written.
- When in doubt, use vous and wait for the other person to suggest tu.
- Keep the same register throughout a conversation.
The three registers of French
People often talk about “formal” and “informal” French, but there are actually three levels of language. The language stays the same; what changes is the vocabulary, the sentence structure and the pronunciation.
| Register | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (soutenu) | speeches, official letters, literature, very ceremonial situations | « Je ne saurais vous dire à quelle heure il arrivera. » |
| Standard (courant) | work, shops, public offices, people you do not know well | « Je ne sais pas à quelle heure il arrive. » |
| Informal (familier) | friends, family, close colleagues, messages to people you know well | « J’sais pas quand il arrive. » |
Formal French: its main features
- Vous: you say vous to someone you do not know, to a superior or to a client.
- Full negation: « Je ne pense pas », with the ne clearly pronounced.
- Nous rather than on: « Nous vous remercions de votre patience. »
- Questions with inversion: « Pouvez-vous m’indiquer la salle ? » rather than « Vous pouvez m’indiquer la salle ? »
- The polite conditional: « Je voudrais… », « Pourriez-vous… ? »
- Precise vocabulary: « une voiture », « de l’argent », « un travail ».
- In formal writing, you will also come across the passé simple, mostly in literary and historical texts.
Informal French: its main features
- Tu between friends, in the family and often between colleagues.
- On instead of nous: « On se voit demain ? »
- Negation without ne: « Je sais pas », « C’est pas grave ».
- Questions through intonation: « Tu viens ? », « Ça va ? »
- Colloquial words: « une bagnole » (a car), « du fric » (money), « le boulot » (work), « un truc » (a thing).
- Spoken contractions: « T’as vu ? », « Y a pas de souci. »
The informal register is not “bad French”: it is everyday French between people who know each other well. You simply need to know when to use it.
Tu or vous? The rules of thumb
- Use vous by default with someone you do not know, a client, a superior or an older person.
- Use tu with children, friends and family.
- At work, watch your colleagues: in many companies (start-ups, agencies), everyone says tu, including to the manager. In others (banks, public administration), vous is still the norm.
- If an older or more senior person says tu to you, keep saying vous until they tell you: « On peut se tutoyer ! »
- It is usually the older or more senior person who suggests switching to tu.
Watch out: do not mix registers. « Pourriez-vous me passer le truc, là ? » sounds just as odd as « Salut, je vous saurais gré de venir ce soir. » Once you have chosen a register, keep it for the whole exchange.
What about other French-speaking countries?
Customs vary. In Quebec, tu is far more common than in France, even with people you barely know. In Belgium and Switzerland, the rules are close to those in France, with a few local nuances. If you live or work in a French-speaking country, listen to how people address each other around you: it is the best guide.
Going further
Switching between registers becomes natural with practice. In French conversation lessons, your teacher can role-play formal situations with you (a job interview, a meeting, a call to customer service) and informal ones (dinner with friends, a chat with a neighbour). At the Live French Club, you practise in a small group and hear how other learners adapt. And to discover the liberties French people take when they speak, read our article: should you copy native French speakers’ mistakes?
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between formal and informal French?
Formal French uses vous, full negation, nous rather than on, and precise vocabulary. Informal French uses tu, often drops the ne in negatives and uses colloquial words such as « boulot » or « truc ».
Should I say tu or vous?
Say vous by default to someone you do not know, a client, a superior or an older person. Say tu to friends, family and children. At work, do what your colleagues do.
Is it rude to say tu to someone?
It can be if the person has not invited you to, especially if they are older or in a professional setting. When in doubt, use vous: nobody will blame you for being too polite.
Is informal French bad French?
No. It is everyday French between people who know each other well. It only becomes a problem in a situation that calls for a standard or formal register, such as a job interview.
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