What are characteristics of French that are unique or different from English and/or other languages?
Unlike in English, every noun in French has a gender (i.e., masculine or feminine). This affects every element of the sentence that is in relation with it (article, adjective, etc.). The form of address (direct or indirect) is dictated by how formal a tone is appropriate for the document. Typically, but not always, an official document will use the more formal indirect address (“infinitive”) to give instructions to the reader. A text vying for a more casual or personal feel will employ the direct address (“imperative”). In this case, a further distinction needs to be made between the familiar “tu” and the more distant “vous.” And there is always the thorny issue of measurement units. A vast majority of the documents written in English use the imperial units, which have no significance in countries that have adopted the International System of Units (i.e., the metric system). It is therefore imperative to produce equivalents in an understandable, reasonable, and, most importantly, accur
