Generally speaking, "tu" is the familiar form of address used with family, friends, and minors. "Você" indicates distance without deference, and tends to be used between people who are, roughly, social equals. "O senhor" / "a senhora" (literally "the sir / the madam") are the most ceremonious forms of address. English speakers may find the latter construction akin to the parliamentary convention of referring to fellow legislators in the third person (as "my colleague", "the gentleman", "the member", etc.), although the level of formality conveyed by "o senhor" is not as great. In fact, variants of "o senhor" and "a senhora" with more nuanced meanings such as titles as "o professor" ("the professor"), "o doutor" ("the doctor"), "o colega" ("the colleague") and "o pai" ("the father") are also employed as personal pronouns. In the plural, there are two main levels of politeness, the informal "vocês" or "vós" and the formal "os senhores" / "as senhoras".