Meaning of vousvoyer | Babel Free

Definitions

Synonym of vouvoy.

Examples

“The much thornier problem of whether to vousvoyer or tutoyer Ahmadou solved itself. At first I sought refuge in the impersonal on ("Can one have a glass of water, please?" instead of "Please bring me a glass of water.") But Ahmadou was soon tutoyer-ing me as often as vousvoyer-ing me, although he continued to use the formal "Monsieur," so I came to use the familiar form in addressing him.”

“It was typical that once I learned to speak French, I could tutoyer both men, though they formally “vousvoyered” each other.”

“It irritated her that since the bedroom incident he presumed to tutoyer her. She always took care to vousvoyer him back. With icy politeness.”

“As for vousvoyer'''ing the help, Mahouna has tutoyéed me from the beginning.”

“After using the familiar form "tu" you can’t go back to vousvoyering.”

“Everybody present, including me, thought it would be silly to vousvoyer somebody in bed;[…]I've never needed to address someone in a communal shower, but I'd bet hard money that you'd vousvoyer.[…]One tutoyers aquaintances,^([sic]) unless there is a reason not to, and one vousvoyers strangers.[…]I know who I ought to be vousvoyering and who I ought to be tutoyering, usually, although I occasionally slip up anyway.[…]I started into a sentence like that, using "vous", and my colleague absently corrected me to "tu", and then said hastily "but you can vousvoyer me if you want..." (I think he was considering the possibility I was vousvoyering him on purpose because I was mad at him, which I wasn't).[…]François Mitterand^([sic]) is said to have vousvoyered his dog”

“Is his vousvoyering of the lady supposed to be, like, ironic?”

“The texts say to vousvoyer (use impersonal) most of the time.”

“{note that it is the custom in francophone newsgroups to vousvoyer; I will have none of it. In italophone newsgroups, si da del tu.}”

“One’s youngers, intimates, domestic pets and God are “tu”, though we are reliably informed that Mme Chirac vousvoyered her husband even before he reached the Elysée.”

““I’m Will. I do English. What about you?” “French.”[…]“[…] Refreshers, they’re supposed to be, vousvoyering. […]””

CEFR level