17

UNIT 1 first contact

hellos and goodbyes

saying hello

There are two words for you in French: tu and vous. Tu is informal and tends to be reserved for chatting with friends and younger people in general – people you might say a casual Hi to in English and Salut in French. Bonjour and bonsoir can be used to greet anyone, including people you don’t know, such as staff in hotels, shops and restaurants, and people you know on a formal footing. It’s usual to address such people as vous, until invited to use tu, and it’s polite to add monsieur or madame after bonjour. Vous is the one you should use if in any doubt at all. (Remember, vous is also used when talking to more than one person.)

Ça va? is an informal way of asking how someone is. Make sure it sounds like a question (with your voice rising on va) when using it in this way, because the same two words can also be your answer, meaning I’m OK. You can add to this: Ça va bien I’m fine or Ça va très bien I’m very well. Va and allez, in the more formal Comment allez-vous?, both come from aller, which literally means to go and which you’ll come across in all sorts of other circumstances. (You can find more on aller in the grammar section on page 126.)

Salut! Bonjour. Bonsoir. Ça va? Comment allez-vous? Ça va. Ça va bien, merci. Ça fait plaisir de te revoir.

Hello, hi!Good morning, hello.Good evening.How are you? (informal)How are you? (formal)I’m OK.I’m fine, thanks.It’s nice to see you again.

Department Store 5; Basics, First Contact, Greetings

hellos and goodbyes● saying hello

● introducing yourself and others

● saying goodbye

chatting about yourself● saying where you’re from

● saying where you live

● saying what you do

chatting about your family● describing your personal

situation

● talking about your family

first contact

UNIT 1

16