#ryo_alt72_73490
heady nexus
loud galleon
"tu" is a subject pronoun, used as a subject in a sentence. The one doing the action.
ex: tu penses à Marie.
you're thinking about Marie
"toi" is a stressed pronoun. It's used to indicate someone, put emphasis on someone, or in specific constructions.
ex: Marie pense à toi.
Marie is thinking about you
brisk crag
What about Marie pense à tu?
loud galleon
it is the same difference as I vs me, or he vs him, in English. Except that English uses "you" in both cases. The difference exists in old English, with thou vs thee
loud galleon
What about Marie pense à tu?
would sound like "Marie is thinking about he" except with you instead
brisk crag
no then that’s supposed to be Marie pense à il
loud galleon
no then that’s supposed to be Marie pense à il
yeah, I used another pronoun to showcase why it wouldn't work. Because English doesn't make the distinction between the different kinds of "you"
you wouldn't say "she's thinking about he", but rather "she's thinking about him"
for the same reason you can't say "elle pense à tu" but rather "elle pense à toi"
brisk crag
What does vous mean
loud galleon
now, "vous"
"tu" and "toi" are singular pronouns. They only work when "you" is a unique person.
When talking to multiple people, you have to use "vous".
"vous" is both a subject pronoun and a stressed pronoun, so there shouldn't be any confusion on that end.
Basically, the difference between "tu" and "vous" is the same as between "I" and "We" in English. In old English, there was the distinction "thou/thee" for a singular person and "ye/you" for multiple people.
that said, "vous" can also be used to address a single person. In that case, it's used to note respect. It's used when addressing strangers, your teacher, or your boss for instance