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How to Say ‘Please’ in French

S'il vous plaît

seel eel voo pleh

[seel eel voo pleh]

💬 Usage Tip: This is the polite form for strangers and staff. With friends you'd say s'il te plaît instead.

Phrase Breakdown

[seel]

Part of the fixed polite expression s'il vous plaît.

Example

S' il vous plaît est une formule polie.

S'il vous plaît is a polite expression.

[eel]

A subject pronoun meaning "it" or sometimes "he." In weather expressions like "Il fait beau," French uses "il" where English says "it."

Example

Il fait beau ce matin.

It is nice out this morning.

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

plaît

[pleh]

pleases

Verb form from 'plaire.' In the full expression it contributes to the meaning 'please.'

Example

Le mot plaît est très fréquent dans la formule polie.

The word 'plaît' is very common in the polite expression.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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