tutoyé

Tutoyé is the past participle of the French verb tutoyer and can function as an adjective or be used in reflexive phrases. It denotes the use of the second-person singular pronoun tu to address someone, as opposed to the formal vous. The noun form for the act is tutoiement, while the opposite form of address is vouvoiement.

In ordinary use, tutoyer signals informality, familiarity, or equality. It occurs among friends, family, teammates, or colleagues who have agreed to a less distant relationship. The switch from vous to tu is called the passage au tutoiement and is often a matter of social conventions or mutual consent. In many professional or ceremonial contexts, vous remains the standard until a switch is explicitly requested or granted.

Etiquette around tutoiement varies by region and social setting. In France and many Francophone communities, using tu with someone you do not know well can be seen as presumptive or disrespectful unless invited to do so. In other contexts, such as schools, workplaces, or online communities, the boundaries may be more flexible, but care is taken to respect hierarchies and cultural norms. Some environments explicitly formalize the transition, e.g., through phrases like “On peut se tutoyer ?” or a preliminary use of vous.

Linguistically, tutoyage is a key dimension of social language in French, reflecting relationships and social distance. It contrasts with vouvoiement, which preserves formality and distance. Examples: “Ils se tutoient,” “Elle m’a tutoyé,” “Nous passons au tutoiement.”