Mademoiselle or Madame
Another interesting article from French Together that this time looks at the possible pitfalls of using the term Mademoiselle when addressing a woman in France.
One learns fairly early on about vous and tu, and the need for caution when using the more personal tu form. But in much the same way that there were arguments for Ms to be used in place of Miss or Mrs in Britain, there has been a reaction in France against using an address that defines a woman's marital status. Unfortunately, however, they haven't created the equivalent of Ms, which leaves one with the difficult decision as to what term to use, the safe option invariably being Madame.
The article explores this interesting phenomenon in depth but still leaves you with a bit if a challenge in certain circumstances.
One learns fairly early on about vous and tu, and the need for caution when using the more personal tu form. But in much the same way that there were arguments for Ms to be used in place of Miss or Mrs in Britain, there has been a reaction in France against using an address that defines a woman's marital status. Unfortunately, however, they haven't created the equivalent of Ms, which leaves one with the difficult decision as to what term to use, the safe option invariably being Madame.
The article explores this interesting phenomenon in depth but still leaves you with a bit if a challenge in certain circumstances.