Rocket French Newsletter:
Formal vs Casual!

Salut, ça va?

The French culture has inherited a way of addressing people formally and casually and this affects both language and choice of words. There are distinctions about who to call “vous” and who to call “tu” for example. In today’s fast paced lifestyles, there is a tendency to be less formal, yet compared to the English language, French customs still make an imprint on social interactions.

Applying for a job is always strictly formal and interacting with people socially on holiday at a hotel for example, or sight seeing, would always be expected to be more rather than less, formal. It’s a good idea to be comfortable using both socially.

Look at the following ice-breakers and compare the use of language while delivering almost the same message:

» Audio 1   Double Click Play To Hear Audio

Notice that words are different but that the overall meaning stays the same.

You may remember coming across the goodbye ritual in an earlier lesson! This type of scenario is very common in France , whether you are talking to a waiter or to the ticket collector on a train, or meeting people in a group activity. Things do take longer, and the French do love to talk and explain – this helps to understand the origins of the word “etiquette”, the art of manners and decorum in how things are done!

In the next newsletter we talk about the phrases that you will need to know to get around Paris.

À très bientôt! (See you very soon!)

Marie-Claire

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