Sortie+3-2-1+Questions


 * Questions from Sortie 3-2-1 Sheets:**

Q: Which is formal: **//vous//** or **//tu//** ? A: Both mean "you." In French ** tu is singular and informal. You use it when talking to a friend or family member. ** **Vous** is singular formal or plural. You use when talking to an adult. Adults will often use **vous** with with each other in a business setting, if they don't know each other well, or sometimes just because they're a bit formal in their personality.

When talking to more than one person at a time, use **vous.** When you use it as a plural, it doesn't need to be formal or informal; it covers both. You may have noticed that I often use **vous** in class when giving instructions.

Q: What does //est-ce que// mean? A: The short answer is that when you ask a //yes/no// question, you can begin the question with //est-ce que...?// It doesn't have a translation in English. So you could say: All of these questions can be answered with either //Oui// or //Non.
 * //Est-ce que tu voudrais une sucette?//
 * //Est-ce que tu es française?//
 * //Est-ce que tu as un chien?//

Q: Why are random words masculine and feminine? // A: All nouns in French have gender; that is, they are either masculine or feminine. The gender of some nouns is immediately obvious: la fille, le garçon, la grand-mère, le frère. For other nouns, there is no immediately apparent reason for the gender of the noun: le tableau, la crêpe, le hot-dog, la place. When you learn new nouns, learn the word for "a" or "the" associated with the word. That makes learning gender a lot easier. There are some patterns that tell you if words are masculine or feminine. These rules of thumb word much of the time, but there are exceptions. It's not necessary to know these patterns. I'm giving this information for anyone interested: http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/genderpatterns.htm.

// Q: Why do people say encore at concerts? // A: When used at a concert, encore means "more."

// Q: Do colors change iwth feminine/masculine? // A: Most colors do change. We call this "agreement" because they agree in gender and number with the noun. encore la maison blanche, la chaise grise.

Colors whose names come from fruits, flowers, etc. are typcially invariable (i.e., they don't change spelling).