To our circle of French Story Listeners,
If you haven’t yet, we invite you to settle in with a cup of tea and watch Session 4 of Le Cercle de Bruno, which took place last Friday.
It was a joyful, thoughtful hour, and we would love for you to be part of it, live or in replay.
🎥 Watch the Session 4 replay
https://www.aliceayel.com/resources/book-club-le-cercle-de-bruno-session-4/
Where we are in the story
We began chapter 3, “Enchanté,” and have nearly finished it.
Bruno arrives in Brittany to train with his great-great-aunt Astrid (Tante Dubois), a centuries-old enchantress who appears to his family as a frail ninety-year-old. At her home he meets Jeanne, a sharp-tongued raven. Astrid gave her the gift of speech long ago and named her after Joan of Arc, which explains her strong opinions about the English!
A small, lovely moment in this chapter sparked a big conversation: Bruno tutoie Jeanne whereas Jeanne vouvoie him.
Tu ou vous?
French has two ways of saying “you,” and choosing between them is a little act of relationship.
- Tu is informal. We use it with family, close friends, children, and people we feel at ease with.
- Vous is formal, and it is also the plural. We use it with strangers, elders, people we respect or don’t know well, and in many professional settings.
Vouvoyer means to say vous to someone; tutoyer means to say tu.
Moving from one to the other is a real step in a friendship.
The French even have a phrase for it: “On se tutoie ?” (“Shall we use tu?”).
You may also notice that younger generations in France use tu much more freely than their parents and grandparents did. Among young people, with colleagues in many workplaces, and especially online, tu comes quickly.
Vouvoiement is still very much alive, particularly with older people and in formal settings, but it is gently loosening its hold.
So here is a good rule: when in doubt, begin with vous and wait to be invited to use tu.
A word on “perdre sa langue”
When Bruno is struck silent by a talking raven, Jeanne teases him: “Vous avez perdu votre langue ?” (literally, “Have you lost your tongue?”), which is the English “Cat got your tongue?”
Notice that she uses the formal vous, a perfect example of her prickly dignity! In everyday French you would more often hear “Tu as perdu ta langue ?” among friends.
The French say it when someone suddenly goes quiet at a moment when they would normally speak, often a shy child, someone caught off guard, or a person who has no answer ready.
It is usually a gentle tease, though it can sound a bit pointed, as it does coming from Jeanne!
As for its origins, the image is simple and vivid: a person who cannot speak must have lost the very thing they speak with.
Some people link it to old, harsh punishments in which the tongues of liars or blasphemers were cut out, but the exact origin isn’t firmly documented, so we’ll enjoy it as a vivid image rather than a certain history.
📅 Join us this Friday for Le Cercle de Bruno
Friday, October 9th
🕓 4pm UK / 5pm France / 11am EDT / 8am PDT
🔗 Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/84542604887
Meeting ID: 845 4260 4887
Passcode: Bruno3
Come with your camera on or off, and with your questions, your laughter, and your own favorite expressions.
Listening to French together, around a story, is one of the gentlest and most effective ways to learn.
With warmth,
Alice & Ben 💕
P.S. Our weekend in Pau is coming in November, a rare chance to have an authentic, unique French experience with me, in real life and not on screen. Only 4 spots are available, and you have until October 26th to secure yours. 👉 https://www.aliceayel.com/live-a-weekend-entirely-in-french/