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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsCurtEastPoint
(20,079 posts)Celerity
(54,796 posts)when it comes to 'you', with 'Du' being informal versus the formal 'Sie').
Du VS Sie? How to address people in German!
Iggo
(50,026 posts).........and yes
Iggo
(50,026 posts)Another example is tu v. vous in French.
As an American, I have always found this distinction between different forms of "you" hard to grasp (not the concept, but how and when to use them). English is a tough language to learn in many ways, but at least this one aspect is simple: in English, "you" means "you," not matter who "you" is.
Wounded Bear
(64,547 posts)Kind of like calling someone "sir" in English when you first meet.
The informal "du" is for someone you already know fairly well.
(High school German student)
Old Crank
(7,186 posts)Sie also for old school bosses. Sie for Polizei.
Du for addressing children, immer(always), they will look at you funny if you use the formal.
magicarpet
(19,267 posts)... for their kind recognition of Democratic Underground on their magazine front cover.
(a international public relations coup d' tat.)
wnylib
(26,381 posts)generalbetrayus
(1,959 posts)Marcuse
(9,075 posts)displacedvermoter
(4,935 posts)twodogsbarking
(19,233 posts)erronis
(24,416 posts)some_of_us_are_sane
(3,495 posts)(I'm gonna go sit in the corner....
wnylib
(26,381 posts)In German, "du" means "you."
True Dough
(27,192 posts)
