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French has a T-V distinction in the second person singular. That is, it uses two different sets of pronouns: tu and vous and their various forms. The usage of tu and vous depends on the kind of relationship (formal or informal) that exists between the speaker and the person with whom they are speaking and the age differences between these subjects. [1]
French has a complex system of personal pronouns (analogous to English I, we, they, and so on). When compared to English, the particularities of French personal pronouns include: a T-V distinction in the second person singular (familiar tu vs. polite vous) the placement of object pronouns before the verb: « Agnès les voit. » ("Agnès sees ...
The practice of matching singular and plural forms with informal and formal connotations is called the T–V distinction and in English is largely due to the influence of French. This began with the practice of addressing kings and other aristocrats in the plural .
For some, the English you keeps everybody at a distance, although not to the same extent as V pronouns in other languages. [4] For others, you is a default neutral pronoun that fulfils the functions of both T and V without being the equivalent of either, [5] so an N-V-T framework is needed, where N indicates neutrality. [6]
Following the Norman Conquest, the Middle English that emerged continued to use þou [2] at first, but by the 13th century, Norman French influence had led to the use of the second-person plural ȝe or ye in formal contexts. In Early Modern English superiors and strangers were therefore respectfully addressed as ye in the nominative [3] and you ...
Unless, of course, you are in French Polynesia, where you would use "Comment vas-tu?" The Jade Knight 09:36, 5 July 2007 (UTC) Confused: contemporary English is unlike the many languages which make a distinction between formality and familiarity when addressing a "you." Even Middle English and Old English did so.
In certain cases in formal French, the word ne can be used without signifying negation; the ne in such instances is known as expletive ne (French: ne explétif): J'ai peur que cela ne se reproduise. — "I am afraid that it might happen again." Il est arrivé avant que nous n ' ayons commencé. — "He arrived before we started."
Many words in the English vocabulary are of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern English. English words of French origin, such as art, competition, force, money, and table are pronounced ...