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How to Say ‘Please, have a seat.’ in French

Asseyez-vous, je vous en prie.

ah-seh-yay voo zhuh voo ahn PREE

[ah-seh-yay voo zhuh voo ahn PREE]

🇫🇷 In France: Wait for this invitation before sitting down in a French interview. Taking a seat on your own can come across as too casual.

Phrase Breakdown

Asseyez-vous,

ah-seh-yay voo

Sit down,

A formal command from 's'asseoir'. Pronounce it 'ah-say-yay voo'.

Example

Asseyez-vous ici.

Sit here.

Words in this phrase

Asseyez

[ah-seh-yay]

sit

Formal plural/passive command to be seated.

Example

Asseyez-vous ici, s'il vous plaît.

Please sit here.

-vous

[voo]

yourself

Reflexive pronoun attached to the imperative.

Example

Asseyez-vous ici.

Sit yourself here.

je vous en prie.

zhuh voo ahn PREE

please (I beg you).

A polite formula that softens the command. Link 'vous' and 'en': 'zhuh voo-zahn pree'.

Example

Entrez, je vous en prie.

Come in, please.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

[ahn]

of it (in set phrase)

Pronoun part of the polite 'you're welcome' expression.

Example

Je t'en prie.

You're welcome.

prie

[PREE]

beg / ask

From 'prier' (to pray, to beg); in polite phrases it means 'I ask you' or 'you're welcome'.

Example

Je vous prie d'entrer.

Please come in.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.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.

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