Comment allez-vous? Comment êtes-vous? English speakers often confuse the two expressions that have very different meanings in French.

Présentation au sujet: "Comment allez-vous? Comment êtes-vous? English speakers often confuse the two expressions that have very different meanings in French."— Transcription de la présentation:

1 Comment allez-vous? Comment êtes-vous? English speakers often confuse the two expressions that have very different meanings in French.

2 Comment allez-vous? When I ask this question, I am concerned about your well being. I want to know that you are OK, or I am just being casually polite, and greeting you, exactly the same as when you ask people how they are in English.

3 Comment êtes-vous Imagine we have a blind date and we want to be able to recognize each other. I want to know what you are like physically as a person. Etes vous grand(e), petit(e), de taille moyenne (average size)? Maigre, fort(e), gros(se)? Blond(e), brun(e), châtain, roux(rousse)? Blanc(he), noir(e), latin(e), arabe, asiatique…? (noir(e) doesn’t have any negative connotation in French, it is strictly a reference to skin color. There is no equivalent of African American in the French language.)

4 I could also be asking you to describe your character If I don’t know you well yet, I could ask you comment êtes-vous? To help me understand your personality. You would then proceed to describe yourself Je suis calme, énervé(e),anxieux(anxieuse), stressé(e) intelligent(e), optimiste, pessimiste, sociable, réservé(e), timide, dynamique, idéaliste, réaliste, sympathique, antipathique, agréable, désagréable, discipliné(e), indiscipliné(e), conformiste, anticonformiste, raisonnable, têtu(e), individualiste…