Foreign Languages
Formal and informal greetings.
Definition
Formal greetings are used with strangers, elders, or in professional settings, while informal greetings are used with friends and family. In many languages, the level of formality changes the vocabulary and verb forms you use. For example, French uses "vous" for formal and "tu" for informal address.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 French formal: 'Bonjour, comment allez-vous?' vs. informal: 'Salut, ça va?'
- 2 Spanish formal: '¿Cómo está usted?' vs. informal: '¿Qué tal?'
- 3 German formal: 'Guten Tag, wie geht es Ihnen?' vs. informal: 'Hi, wie geht's?'