Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to keep trying. And you will complimented for your efforts.
Start with simple things: the numbers, polite phrases, and
the spelling of your name in the French alphabet. Remember
Polly Platt's Ten Magic Words: '
Excusez-moi de vous déranger,
Monsieur (Madame), mais j'ai un problème...'
That gets the
French every time. Under that cool reserve, they really want
to help.
THINKING LIKE THE FRENCH
As you get to know the language better, you will soon i nd a
separate reality to the French language. It is not just a way
of speaking, but also a way of thinking.
M / F
The most obvious difference is that French, like other
Romance languages, includes a sexual element missing
in English. All French nouns are either masculine or
feminine and the articles and adjectives must agree. Is it
the language that makes the French so conscious of sex
or the other way around? Who knows, but learning the
gender of French nouns will keep the differences more
i rmly in your mind.
TU / VOUS
Another characteristic always paramount in French is the
relationship between the speakers. The second person
singular,
tu/toi
, is reserved for close friends and family
members of the same age and younger. The more formal
second person form,
vous
, and its agreeing verb forms
are used otherwise. Even in the more informal society of
today,
vous
is used when hip teenagers speak to adults.
M / MME / MLLE
The formality of the way a person is addressed is also
important.
Madame
or
Monsieur
and a person's title,
such as
Monsieur le directeur
, are used to address
a business associate who is your superior. Until
you know a person well, use their last name to address
them, along with
Monsieur, Madame or Mademoiselle
and
the
vous
forms.
Mademoiselle
is used with girls too young to be
reasonably married (
Mademoiselle
Chanel was an
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