How to Say ‘Please?’ in French
S'il vous plaît ?
seel eel voo pleh
[seel eel voo pleh]
💬 Usage Tip: [S'il vous plaît] literally means "if it pleases you," but use it as a fixed polite chunk for "please." The final [t] in [plaît] is silent.
Phrase Breakdown
S'
[seel]
if
Part of the fixed polite expression s'il vous plaît, literally starting with 'if'.
S'il vous plaît, attendez une minute.
Please wait a minute.
il
[eel]
he
In the fixed phrase s'il vous plaît, il is not translated literally word-for-word in modern English.
S'il vous plaît, ouvrez la porte.
Please open the door.
vous
[voo]
you
Formal or plural 'you'; in this phrase it helps form a polite request.
S'il vous plaît, arrêtez-vous ici.
Please stop here.
plaît
[pleh]
pleases
From plaire, 'to please'; in s'il vous plaît the whole phrase means 'please'.
S'il vous plaît, pouvez-vous avancer un peu ?
Please, can you move forward a little?
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