In any language there is a stable etiquette for addressing the interlocutor, and English is no exception. This is especially important for those starting a dialogue or uttering the first phrase in relation to to a stranger.

The lack of distinction in English between “you” and “you” - even beginners learning English know about this, but when to use Sir, Madam, Missis and other similar expressions - it’s difficult to navigate this without deep knowledge.

In many languages, the words used for address have only one or two pairs (for women and men), and it is difficult to make a mistake. For example, in a Russian-speaking environment, no one would think of saying “girl” to a lady old age, or address “woman” to a teenage girl. There are many similar words in English, and a mistake of just one letter can lead to negative reaction future interlocutor. This applies to conversations with both men and women.

Words used to correctly address a male interlocutor

Yes, Sir!

Sir

The most commonly used word when someone wants to say something to a person male. There are several situations when it is permissible, both when making a first statement to a man, and when talking with someone you already know.

Addressing a male person when he is of a higher rank or position. Used without surname or given name. Allowed in a conversation with an unfamiliar person or if there has already been a dialogue before.

Sir, may I go home a little bit earlier today? “Sir, can I go home a little early today?” (In a request to a male boss whom the speaker knows).

Sir, unfortunately I forgot the way to my unit, can you help me? - Sir, unfortunately, I forgot the way to my military unit, could you help me? (When addressing an unfamiliar officer of a higher rank).

Yes, Sir! - Yes, sir (yes, sir)! Confirmation-response in military (or police) structures, the one who gave the order is told.

Respectful address to to a stranger , regardless of his age, rank, position in society.

Excuse me, Sir, can you show me the way to the nearest drug store? - Excuse me, sir, can you show me the way to the nearest pharmacy?

In cases where the second participant in the conversation is a service worker and lower in secret rank, Sir is still an acceptable option.

It seems to me, Sir, you are going too fast, we will have a crash! - It seems to me that you are driving too fast, we could get into an accident! (Phrase spoken to a taxi driver).

Mr. [ˈmɪstə(r)]

At the beginning of a dialogue with a man; except for rare exceptions, this word is followed in speech by the surname.

When talking with a male interlocutor, when the speaker knows his last name. It is used to formally address both a superior and an equal or subordinate.

Mr. Tinkov, where is the translation you had to do yesterday? - Mr. Tinkov, where is the translation that you were supposed to do yesterday? (Dialogue “superior/subordinate”).

I'm so sorry, Mr. Garbo, I missed the train, that’s why I am late. – Sorry, Mr. Garbo, I missed the train, that’s why I was late. (Conversation “subordinate/chief”).

When addressing a male dignitary with the following official status. The surname in this case is not announced; the person being communicated with is known.

Mr. President, your pilot is waiting for you. - Mr. President, your pilot is waiting for you.

Request or appeal at conferences, meetings, in the presence of large quantity observers. In this case, the first and last names may follow.

Now, Mr. Alan Heathrow, we will ask you to come up on the stage. - And now, Mr. Alan Heathrow, we will ask you to come up to the stage.

If Mr. in the first phrase to a stranger, it is used with a playful nickname. This is said extremely rarely, because this phrase can offend the interlocutor.

Mr. Strong, will you please not slam the door, it will collapse! - Mr. Strongman, could you stop slamming the door, it will fall off!

Methods of addressing ladies unknown or known to the interlocutor

Madam is a polite term for a lady of any age.

To start a conversation with females in English, the set of special words is richer, and their use has a complex gradation.

Madam [ˈmædəm]

A respectful, polite start to a dialogue with a lady of any age.

You can address a young woman this way, but it is extremely undesirable to address a teenage girl. The last name/first name of the person to whom the phrase is intended is unknown.

Madam, can I help you to carry your heavy luggage? – Madam, can I help you carry your heavy luggage?

When talking with someone whose details the speaker knows, but if the one who started the dialogue is an employee of much lower rank(for example, a cleaner or a maid).

Madam, I have already done all work for today, may I have a break? – Madam, I have already completed all the work for today, can I take a break?

Important! Sir and Madam are the only acceptable forms of address when the speaker is an employee or servant.

Address to a lady of high government rank; the word Madam is followed by an official title. It doesn’t matter her marital status, what age she is (even if she’s young).

Madam President, I will take care of everything right now. “Madam President, I will take care of everything immediately.”

Ma'am

The American version of addressing a lady older than middle age or elderly, Lately also found in British speech.

I am very sorry, ma’am, I will open the window, it is very hot here. “I’m very sorry, ma’am, but I’ll open the window, it’s very hot in here.”

In the police and army structures, this is how they begin a dialogue with a female officer, regardless of her age.

Ma'am, the victim cannot hear us! “Ma’am, the victim can’t hear us!”

Mrs. [ˈmɪsɪz]

During a dialogue with a married woman. The husband's last name must be mentioned after the word.

I have always enjoyed meeting with you, Mrs. Smellow. “I have always enjoyed meeting you, Mrs. Smellow.”

As with Mr., there are times when Mrs. call the lady's full details. This is permitted in purely official applications, if it is necessary to emphasize the high position of women in society.

Mrs. Agnes de Torro, your husband is waiting for you in the hall. – Madam Agnes de Torro, your husband is waiting for you in the hall.

Miss

Miss is a polite address used at the beginning of a conversation with a girl or young woman if she is assumed to be single.

Miss without last name it is said when a female stranger is clearly too young for marriage, or she does not have a wedding ring.

Would you be so kind, miss, to show me your customs entry? - Be so kind as to show me your customs declaration, miss.

Miss with last name– the young lady is known to the speaker; she is definitely not officially married.

Miss Brane, will you come to our party tonight? - Miss Brain, will you come to our party tonight?

Miss with name– when talking to a teenager or little girl.

Miss Elisa, aren’t you ashamed? Your dress is messy! “Miss Eliza, aren’t you ashamed?” Your dress is stained!

Miss is a polite address to a teacher, customary in England.

Miss and further name is also a standard polite address accepted in Great Britain for a teacher, and her marital status and age are unimportant. It is worth explaining why this is so. Once upon a time in English schools They tried to hire only single women, citing the fact that they would not miss classes due to their children’s illness or be distracted by family problems. A long time ago, this rule did not work, but addressing a female teacher was firmly entrenched in speech in this version.

Miss Jane, I am sorry I didn’t write my composition yesterday... - Miss Jane, I’m very sorry, I didn’t write my composition yesterday...

Ms.

It should not be confused with the previous word, and it is pronounced differently, with ringing sound at the end.

Nowadays this is a common polite way of addressing women in business conversations. Next comes the lady's last name.

Ms. Belmire, you will be appointed to the next working group. – Ms. Belmir, you will be assigned to the next working group.

This word is used every day in business and eliminates the need to guess the marital status of the person addressed. You can start a dialogue this way unless the woman herself corrects and clarifies that she would like to hear herself addressed differently.

Ms. Akhad, I fully support your remarks. – Madam Ahad, I fully support your amendments.

This is interesting! The word appeared in English language in the middle of the 20th century, activists of feminist movements were the first to insist on its use. By this they emphasized their equality with the stronger half of humanity and denied the obligation of marriage for themselves.

We hope that now, after reading this article, you will no longer have a question about what the difference is between Miss and Mrs., and you will know exactly how to politely address a stranger in a given situation.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Natalya Glukhova

Articles in French(Les Articles)

28/05 2017

Good afternoon friends! Today I will tell you about articles in French. Back in the 18th century 19th centuries French was considered the most romantic language in Russia. This is due not only to culture, but also to the unusual pronunciation of words and expressions in the language.

Guttural sounds and articles in French add piquancy and some peculiarity to speech. There are no such parts of speech in Russian, therefore in modern world foreign language learners often omit this grammatical form, but this is completely in vain. After all, these little words have a very big meaning. Let's get to know them better.

All articles can be divided into three main groups: definite, indefinite and partial. Each of them has its own meaning and rules of use. Each group contains several words used before nouns.

From this article you will learn:

From context

The most frequently used article is the definite article (Articles definis). It can usually be found in stories, because its use depends on the meaning of the text. Such particles are placed before words denoting objects that have already been discussed before.

In this way, the speaker shows that he is referring to the very thing that was mentioned earlier. Such a particle can also be used with one-of-a-kind objects. For example: la Terre - Earth.
There are three grammatical types of Articles definitions:

An illustration with examples will help you quickly remember these particles:

Remember that the abbreviation L' can only be used before silent h and before vowels. If the preposition a is in front of le/les, then they merge into fused articles au/aux. This is reflected in the table below.
Except in cases related to the rule, you should select Articles defines when you are talking about:

1. Dates: le 10 mars – March 10.
2. Geographical names: Les Alpes - Alps.
3. Colors: le rouge – red.
4. The same rule applies to the use of articles with names of countries: la Bretagne. - Britain.

It's simple, isn't it? Well, then let's move on.

We don’t know - we don’t determine

If we are talking about a subject for the first time in a conversation or you do not know who or what exactly you are talking about, and do not specify it, then you need to use the indefinite article - Articles indefinis.

There are also three of these particles and their use depends on the grammatical characteristics of the noun.

For example, when you talk about a dog, without meaning any specific one, but only pay attention to the gender or quantity:

If you are talking about something or someone and talking about them for the first time in your story, then you also use indefinite particles. Later in your story, when naming these objects or people, you will already use the particle Le/La/Les.

There are cases when Articles indefinis is replaced by the preposition de:

• In negatives, except être: Noous n’avons pas de hareng. (We don't have herring).
• If before a noun plural is an adjective or quantitative adverb: Ils ont de grandes chambres. (They have big rooms).

In addition, choose the indefinite article when you want to say a phrase with phrases c’est/ ce sont. C'est un livre. This is a book.

Partial articles are formed by adding de to definite particles. At the same time, note that in some cases de merges with le and the result is a merged du. Similarly, a merged des is obtained.

Consider the table below. It will help you better remember the uses and changes of partial articles:

Special Expressions

There are times when you do not need to use any of the listed articles:

1. Possessive pronouns or demonstrative pronouns replace the article: Ceci est ma plume. - This is my pen.
2. Words denoting profession, activity, position and nation: Il est américain - He is an American.
3. Seasons are also used without particles: l'hiver. - Winter.
4. From the names of the cities: Je vis à Moscow. - I live in Moscow.

There is no part of speech similar to articles in the Russian language. But if regularly

As we already mentioned, there are several types of articles in French. We have already discussed certain and indefinite articles, continuous article. Today we will talk about the French partial article or article partitif.

At first glance, article partitif is similar to a continuous article, but their use in speech is completely different.

How to recognize a partial article?

So, let's begin. The partial article in French for the masculine gender has the form du, for women – de la. If the article stands before a word beginning with a vowel or silent h, then, regardless of gender, it takes the form de l': du café, de la crème, de l’eau.

Masculin – du: du pain, du fromage, du sucre.

Féminin – de la: de la farine, de la mer.

Voyelle ou h muet – de l’: de l’eau, de l’huile.

In the cafe: examples of using the partial article

Now let's look at the cases of using the partial article in French. L'article partitif is used:

before a noun that denotes a substance, when the quantity of this substance is not indicated:

• Il a acheté dubeurre, du sucre, du sel, de l’eau minérale, de l’huile, du pain, de la - Heboughtoils, sugar, salt, mineralwater, vegetableoils, of bread, flour.
• As-tu de l'argent? - Do you have money?

before a noun that expresses an abstract concept (abstract nouns), indicating that this concept is not taken in its full scope, but we are talking about a specific manifestation of such a general concept:

• Cette femme a ducourage (de la patience, de la modestie). - (literally.) This woman has courage (patience, modesty).
• Nous manquons de la patience. - UsNotenoughpatience.

before a noun that expresses a natural phenomenon (usually in combination with the verbs avoir and faire):

• Il fait du vent - Windy.
• Il fait du soleil – Sunny.
• Il y a du brouillard - Fog.

in combination with the verb faire - to do when meaning being busy with something:

• Il fait du sport - He plays sports.
• Elle fait de la politique - Sheis engagedpolitics.
• Ils font de la musique - Theyare engagedmusic.

Please note that after a verb in the negative form the partial article is not used, but is replaced by the preposition de:

• Elle n'a pas acheté de pain - SheNotboughtof bread.

What do we eat for breakfast: use the partial article

Now, to better understand and consolidate the use of partial articles in speech, do the following exercise. Choose the correct partial article – du, de la, de l’:

• Josephine voudrait…eau minérale.
• On veut…bière irlandaise.
• Est-ce que vous buvez…vin blanc seulement?
• Est-ce que tu bois…lait ou…jus d’orange?
• Marie mange …poulet et …frites.
• Michel veut …laitue dans son hamburger.
• Mon père boit toujours…alcool le samedi soir au soup.
• José mange …petits pois avec son sandwich au poulet.
• Nous commandons souvent …poisson au restaurant.
• Les enfants commandent... liqueurs douces sans alcool chez McDonald.

That's all about the partial article. We wish you good luck!