Chat with boyfriend’s mom about her garden: Asking about her gardening routines

🇫🇷 [Madame] is the normal polite way to address your boyfriend's mother unless she clearly invites first names only. It sounds respectful, not stiff.

🇫🇷 [Bonjour Madame.] is a polite, slightly formal greeting that fits well with a partner's mother, especially early on. In France, starting with [bonjour] matters a lot before moving into conversation.

💬 [Votre] is the [you/your] form for [vous], so it works for one person you're being polite to, not just for several people. You can reuse it the same way in [votre maison], [votre cuisine], [votre jardin].

💬 French often uses [très] right before the adjective: [très beau], [très joli], [très grand]. You can swap the adjective and keep the same pattern.

🇫🇷 Using her name after [Merci] can sound warm in a family setting, but in French people often just say [merci] by itself. Overusing someone's name in conversation can feel less natural than in English.

💬 [J'] only appears joined to the next word before a vowel sound, as in [j'aime]. The full form is [je], as in [je regarde].