3.1 Personal Identity, Greetings, Polite Formulas & Professions
Key Takeaways
- Distinguish between formal address (vous / vouvoyer) for examiners, professionals, and adult strangers, and informal address (tu / tutoyer) for peers and family.
- Introduce yourself and others using foundational formulas (Je m'appelle, Je suis, C'est, Voici, Je vous présente) and express age with 'avoir' (J'ai... ans).
- State professions with 'être' omitting the indefinite article (Je suis professeur), and adjust nationalities and job titles for grammatical gender.
- Spell names and surnames orally using standard French alphabet phonetics, accent terminology, and articulate email addresses and 10-digit phone numbers in two-digit pairs.
3.1 Personal Identity, Greetings, Polite Formulas & Professions
DELF A1 Focus: Personal identity, greetings, and social etiquette form the backbone of both the oral exam (Production orale — Épreuve 1: Entretien dirigé) and the written exam (Production écrite — Exercice 1: Fiche de renseignements). Candidates must be able to state their full name, spell it aloud, state their nationality and profession without article errors, and exchange polite greetings and contact details fluidly.
1. Greetings and Parting Formulas (Salutations et Prises de Congé)
In French culture, greeting someone upon entering a room, shop, or conversation is an obligatory social norm. The table below outlines essential greetings and their contextual usage:
| Expression | Meaning | Register | Context / Usage Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello / Good morning | Universal / Polite | Standard daytime greeting used until dusk (~18:00). |
| Bonsoir | Good evening | Universal / Polite | Used from late afternoon and evening onward. |
| Salut | Hi / Bye | Informal | Reserved strictly for close friends, classmates, and family. |
| Coucou | Hey there | Very informal | Affectionate greeting used among family and close friends. |
| Enchanté(e) | Delighted to meet you | Universal / Polite | Add a silent -e in writing if the speaker is female. |
| Au revoir | Goodbye | Universal / Polite | The standard, universally appropriate parting formula. |
| À bientôt | See you soon | Universal | Used when anticipating meeting again in the near future. |
| À tout à l'heure | See you later | Universal | Used when meeting again later on the same day. |
| À demain | See you tomorrow | Universal | Used when meeting again the following day. |
| À plus tard / À plus | See you later | Informal | Often abbreviated as A+ in text messages. |
| Bonne journée | Have a good day | Universal / Polite | Parting wish offered during morning and daytime hours. |
| Bonne soirée | Have a pleasant evening | Universal / Polite | Parting wish offered when leaving in the evening. |
| Bonne nuit | Good night | Universal | Spoken exclusively right before going to bed or sleeping. |
| Bon week-end | Have a nice weekend | Universal | Used on Fridays or Saturdays when parting for the weekend. |
[!IMPORTANT] Exam Etiquette: Always address your DELF examiner with polite titles: « Bonjour Madame » or « Bonjour Monsieur ». Never greet an examiner with Salut or Coucou, which violates the required formal register.
2. Formal vs. Informal Address: Vous (Le Vouvoiement) vs. Tu (Le Tutoiement)
French grammar requires choosing between informal singular (tu) and formal/plural (vous):
- Le tutoiement (tutoyer): Used when addressing children, peers, classmates, friends, and family members.
- Le vouvoiement (vouvoyer): Used when addressing adult strangers, examiners, shopkeepers, superiors, doctors, and police officers.
| Communicative Goal | Informal Register (Tu) | Formal Register (Vous) |
|---|---|---|
| Asking someone's name | Comment tu t'appelles ? / Tu t'appelles comment ? | Comment vous vous appelez ? |
| Asking how someone is | Comment ça va ? / Tu vas bien ? / Ça va ? | Comment allez-vous ? / Comment vous portez-vous ? |
| Asking someone's age | Tu as quel âge ? / Quel âge as-tu ? | Quel âge avez-vous ? |
| Asking where someone lives | Tu habites où ? / Où habites-tu ? | Où habitez-vous ? |
| Asking someone's profession | Qu'est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ? | Quelle est votre profession ? / Que faites-vous ? |
| Asking for nationality | Tu es de quelle nationalité ? | Quelle est votre nationalité ? |
3. Essential Polite Formulas (Les Formules de Politesse)
Polite markers are required in every communicative task at DELF A1:
| Situation | French Polite Formula | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Making a formal request | S'il vous plaît | Please (formal / plural) |
| Making an informal request | S'il te plaît | Please (informal singular) |
| Expressing gratitude | Merci beaucoup / Je vous remercie | Thank you very much / I thank you |
| Responding to thanks (formal) | Je vous en prie | You are welcome (formal) |
| Responding to thanks (informal) | De rien / Je t'en prie / Avec plaisir | You're welcome / My pleasure |
| Excusing oneself (formal) | Excusez-moi / Pardonnez-moi | Excuse me / Forgive me |
| Apologizing for a small incident | Pardon / Je suis désolé(e) | Pardon / I am sorry |
| Asking someone to repeat | Pardon, pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous plaît ? | Pardon, could you please repeat? |
4. Self-Introductions and Introducing Others (Se Présenter et Présenter Quelqu'un)
Formulations for Self-Introduction
- Name: Je m'appelle Alexandre Dumas. / Mon prénom est Alexandre et mon nom de famille est Dumas.
- Age: J'ai vingt-cinq ans. (Always use the verb avoir — saying Je suis 25 ans is a major grammatical error).
- Nationality: Je suis canadien. (masculine) / Je suis canadienne. (feminine).
- Residence: J'habite à Lyon, en France. (Use à before cities, en before feminine countries).
- Languages: Je parle anglais, espagnol et un peu français.
- Family: Je suis marié(e) / Je suis célibataire. J'ai deux enfants (un fils et une fille).
Formulations for Introducing Others
- Voici... — Voici mon ami Thomas. (Here is my friend Thomas.)
- C'est... / Ce sont... — C'est ma collègue Sarah. / Ce sont mes voisins. (This is my colleague Sarah. / These are my neighbors.)
- Je vous présente... (Formal): Madame Mercier, je vous présente Monsieur Dupont, notre directeur.
- Je te présente... (Informal): Lucas, je te présente ma sœur Camille.
5. The French Alphabet, Pronunciation & Spelling Aloud (Épeler)
During Production orale (Part 1), the examiner will say: « Épelez votre nom et votre prénom, s'il vous plaît. »
French Alphabet Phonetic Guide
| Letter | Phonetic Sound | Letter | Phonetic Sound | Letter | Phonetic Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | [ah] | J | [zhee] | S | [ess] |
| B | [bay] | K | [kah] | T | [tay] |
| C | [say] | L | [ell] | U | [y] (rounded tight lips) |
| D | [day] | M | [emm] | V | [vay] |
| E | [euh] | N | [enn] | W | [doo-bluh-vay] |
| F | [eff] | O | [oh] | X | [eeks] |
| G | [zhay] | P | [pay] | Y | [ee-grek] |
| H | [ash] | Q | [kew] | Z | [zed] |
| I | [ee] | R | [air] (uvular sound) |
Accents and Special Characters (Les Accents et Caractères Spéciaux)
- é : e accent aigu (e.g., René → R-E accent aigu-N-E accent aigu)
- è : e accent grave (e.g., Hélène → H-E accent grave-L-E accent grave-N-E)
- ê / î / ô / û : accent circonflexe (e.g., Benoît → B-E-N-O-I accent circonflexe-T)
- ë / ï : tréma (two dots indicating separate vowel pronunciation)
- ç : c cédille (pronounced [s] before a, o, u: François → F-R-A-N-C cédille-O-I-S)
- - : tiret or trait d'union (hyphen)
- _ : tiret du bas or underscore
- @ : arobase
- . : point
- Espace : Space
- Majuscule / Minuscule : Uppercase / Lowercase
6. Nationalities & Gender Agreement (Les Nationalités)
Nationalities function as adjectives in French and must agree with the gender of the subject:
| Country | Masculine Form | Feminine Form | Agreement Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| La France | français | française | Add -e (silent final consonant becomes pronounced) |
| L'Angleterre | anglais | anglaise | Add -e |
| Le Japon | japonais | japonaise | Add -e |
| La Chine | chinois | chinoise | Add -e |
| L'Espagne | espagnol | espagnole | Add -e |
| L'Allemagne | allemand | allemande | Add -e |
| Le Canada | canadien | canadienne | Double -n and add -e (-ien → -ienne) |
| L'Italie | italien | italienne | Double -n and add -e |
| Le Brésil | brésilien | brésilienne | Double -n and add -e |
| Les États-Unis | américain | américaine | Add -e |
| Le Mexique | mexicain | mexicaine | Add -e |
| La Belgique | belge | belge | Invariable (already ends in silent -e) |
| La Suisse | suisse | suisse | Invariable |
| La Russie | russe | russe | Invariable |
[!NOTE] Capitalization Rule: In French, nationality nouns referring to people take a capital letter (C'est un Français), but nationality adjectives take a lowercase letter (Elle est française / la cuisine française).
7. Professions & the Zero Article Rule (Les Métiers et Professions)
In French, when expressing a profession directly after the verb être, do not use an article (un / une):
- Je suis professeur. (I am a teacher.) — Correct
- Je suis un professeur. — Incorrect in standard French
- Elle est médecin. (She is a doctor.) — Correct
Exception: When a descriptive adjective modifies the profession or when using C'est / Ce sont, the article is used:
- C'est un excellent médecin. / C'est un ingénieur renommé.
Common Profession Suffix Patterns
| Suffix Pattern | Masculine Profession | Feminine Profession | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ier → -ière | boulanger | boulangère | baker |
| infirmier | infirmière | nurse | |
| cuisinier | cuisinière | cook / chef | |
| -eur → -euse | serveur | serveuse | waiter / waitress |
| vendeur | vendeuse | shop assistant / salesperson | |
| coiffeur | coiffeuse | hairdresser | |
| -teur → -trice | directeur | directrice | director / manager |
| acteur | actrice | actor / actress | |
| traducteur | traductrice | translator | |
| -ien → -ienne | informaticien | informaticienne | IT specialist / software engineer |
| pharmacien | pharmacienne | pharmacist | |
| musicien | musicienne | musician | |
| -ant → -ante | enseignant | enseignante | teacher / instructor |
| étudiant | étudiante | student | |
| Invariable (-e) | architecte | architecte | architect |
| dentiste | dentiste | dentist | |
| journaliste | journaliste | journalist | |
| secrétaire | secrétaire | secretary | |
| médecin | médecin | doctor / physician |
8. Stating Contact Information: Telephone & Email Addresses
Telephone Numbers in French
French telephone numbers comprise 10 digits and are always dictated in five two-digit pairs:
06 14 28 35 90is dictated as: « zéro six, quatorze, vingt-huit, trente-cinq, quatre-vingt-dix ».01 42 68 55 12is dictated as: « zéro un, quarante-deux, soixante-huit, cinquante-cinq, douze ».
Dictating Email Addresses Orally
pierre.dupont@orange.fris dictated as: « pierre point dupont arobase orange point f-r ».claire_martin-88@gmail.comis dictated as: « claire tiret du bas martin tiret quatre-vingt-huit arobase gmail point com ».
An adult candidate arrives for their DELF A1 oral examination and meets the examiner for the first time. Which greeting and form of address is most appropriate?
Which sentence correctly states a female nurse's profession according to standard French grammatical rules?
During the guided interview, how should a candidate orally dictate the email address 'lucas_bernard@paris.fr'?