Greetings & Formality
अभिवादन और औपचारिकता
French splits 'you' into tu (informal) and vous (formal) — a distinction Hindi speakers already navigate with तुम (informal) and आप (formal). Start here before any other vocabulary, since this choice shapes verb endings and politeness in almost every sentence you'll build.
Grammar Comparison
व्याकरण तुलना
tu vs vous ≈ तुम vs आप
tu (informal) / vous (formal)
तुम (informal) / आप (formal)
Use vous with elders, strangers, officials, and anyone you'd address as आप — shopkeepers, teachers, doctors. Use tu with close friends, family, and children, same as तुम. One quirk: vous is also the plural 'you all' regardless of formality — Hindi keeps this simpler by letting आप itself cover a respected group, but also has तुम लोग/आप लोग available when you specifically want to mark plurality, a option French's vous doesn't need or offer.
Vocabulary
शब्दावली
| French | Pronunciation | Hindi | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | bohn-ZHOOR | नमस्तेnamaste | Hello / Good day |
| Bonsoir | bohn-SWAHR | शुभ संध्याśubh sandhyā | Good evening |
| Au revoir | oh ruh-VWAHR | फिर मिलेंगेphir mileñge | Goodbye (formal) |
| Salut | sah-LU | बाय बायbāy bāy | Hi / Bye (informal) |
| Merci | mair-SEE | धन्यवादdhanyavād | Thanks |
| S'il vous plaît | seel voo PLEH | कृपयाkṛpayā | Please (formal) |
| Oui | wee | हाँhāñ | Yes |
| Non | nohn | नहींnahīñ | No |
| Comment ça va ? | koh-mahn sah VAH | क्या हाल है?kyā hāl hai? | How are you? (casual) |
| Ça va bien | sah vah bee-AHN | मैं ठीक हूँmaiñ ṭhīk hūñ | I'm doing well |