tu habites quelque part
You live somewhere in French is tu habites quelque part, a statement that a person resides in a particular place.
tu habites quelque part is said to one person you know well, such as a friend or family member.
What does it mean word for word?
tu means you, habites means live and quelque part means somewhere, built from quelque, some and part, place.
Which one should you use?
vous habitez quelque part is used with strangers, in formal situations or when speaking to more than one person.
How does it change in a sentence?
habiter is the standard verb for living in a place. It changes with the subject, giving habites with tu and habitez with vous.
Did you know?
- The choice between tu and vous is so culturally significant that failing to use vous with a stranger can be perceived as a deliberate social insult.
- In France, the choice between tu and vous can be so fraught that a process called tutoiement occurs when two people explicitly agree to switch to the informal form.
- The verb habiter comes from the Latin habitare, which is also the root of the English word 'habitat'.
Examples in context
- J'habite à Nice. Et toi ?I live in Nice. And you?
- Où rêves-tu de vivre ?Where do you dream of living?
- Tu habites quelque part près d'ici ?Do you live somewhere near here?
- Je sais que tu habites quelque part en France.I know that you live somewhere in France.
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking about their childhoods.
- LucasJe me souviens que tu habites quelque part à Lyon.I remember that you live somewhere in Lyon.
- EmmaNon, je n'y habite plus depuis deux ans.No, I haven't lived there for two years.
- LucasAh bon ? Où es-tu maintenant ?Oh really? Where are you now?
- EmmaJ'habite maintenant à Paris.I live in Paris now.
