Je vous tiendrai au courant
The English phrase "I will keep you updated" can be translated into French as Je vous tiendrai au courant.
This phrase is used to make a promise to provide someone with new information about a situation as it develops. You can also use Je vous donnerai des nouvelles to mean "I will give you news/updates".
Which one should you use?
While the future tense Je vous tiendrai au courant is a formal promise, it is very common in spoken French to use the present tense Je vous tiens au courant to express the same intent.
How does it change in a sentence?
The choice between vous and te depends on who you are addressing: use Je vous tiendrai au courant when addressing a person formally or when addressing a group of people, and use Je te tiendrai au courant when speaking to a friend or someone you address with tu.
Did you know?
- While au courant is the standard idiom, you can also use au jus in very casual slang, which literally means 'in the juice'.
- The word courant is the present participle of the verb courir, meaning 'to run'. Literally, the phrase suggests keeping someone in the 'running' stream of information.
- The word vous in this phrase is a linguistic relative of the Russian word вы (vy), which also serves as a formal second-person pronoun.
Examples in context
- Je vous tiendrai au courant de la situation.I will keep you updated on the situation.
- Dès que j'ai des nouvelles, je vous tiendrai au courant.As soon as I have news, I will keep you updated.
- Ne vous inquiétez pas, je vous tiendrai au courant.Don't worry, I will keep you updated.
Example conversation
Gabriel is telling Chloé about a project at work.
- GabrielLe projet avance, mais c'est compliqué.The project is moving forward, but it is complicated.
- ChloéD'accord, tenez-moi au courant quand ça change.Okay, keep me updated when things change.
- GabrielJe vous tiendrai au courant, Chloé.I will keep you updated, Chloé.
- ChloéMerci beaucoup, Gabriel.Thank you very much, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries courant, je, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
