Tutoyer - can it be used to be funny?

Jacquie V.B2Kwiziq community member

Tutoyer - can it be used to be funny?

I was watching a short youtube video in which, if I understood the gist of it, a bilingual gentleman was giving students advice in how to translate.  I thought I heard him address his audience repeatedly by 'tu'. I don't know if it was a tongue in cheek humour or was he being unusually familiar, The video was here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHKoBeDltjY

Merci.

Asked 1 month ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Jacquie, 

Firstly this gentleman is Canadian so he probably wouldn't follow traditional norms anyway.

Secondly, he is addressing students, and since he is of a similar age and wants to appeal to them and be cool, he would only use the singular  'tu' form. It then appears that he is directing his attention to each and every individual listener, a technique used by media.

So, no humour is meant there.

You may be interested in reading an article I wrote on this thorny subject -

https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/revision/lessons/saying-tu-or-vous-that-is-the-question

Bonne Continuation !

Jacquie V. asked:

Tutoyer - can it be used to be funny?

I was watching a short youtube video in which, if I understood the gist of it, a bilingual gentleman was giving students advice in how to translate.  I thought I heard him address his audience repeatedly by 'tu'. I don't know if it was a tongue in cheek humour or was he being unusually familiar, The video was here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHKoBeDltjY

Merci.

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Let me take a look at that...