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How to Say ‘Please’ in French

Je vous en prie

zhuh voo ahn PREE

[zhuh voo ahn PREE]

💬 Usage Tip: The same phrase is also a polite "you're welcome" after someone thanks you. It's more formal than de rien "it's nothing".

Phrase Breakdown

Je vous

zhuh voo

I (to) you

Subject 'je' plus the formal object pronoun 'vous'. Say it as one smooth unit: 'zhuh voo'.

Example

Je vous écoute.

I'm listening to you.

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?

en prie

ahn PREE

beg / pray (of it)

'En' is nasal (ahn) and 'prie' sounds like 'pree'. In speech, the 's' of 'vous' links to 'en': 'voo-zahn pree'.

Example

Je t'en prie.

You're welcome (informal).

Words in this phrase

[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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