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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: This is the interviewer or manager inviting you to sit. In a formal French meeting it's polite to wait for this rather than taking a chair yourself.

Phrase Breakdown

Asseyez-vous,

ah-seh-yay voo

Sit down

A formal imperative of 's'asseoir'. Say 'a-say-YAY voo'.

Example

Asseyez-vous ici.

Sit down 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]

you

Formal or plural 'you', attached by a hyphen after the verb in an inverted question.

Example

Avez-vous une table libre ?

Do you have a free table?

je vous en prie.

zhuh voo ahn PREE

please

Here it means 'please', as a polite invitation. Link 'vous en' with a Z sound.

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]

(part of 'je vous en prie')

Pronoun used in the polite set phrase meaning 'please' or 'you're welcome'.

Example

Merci ! — Je vous en prie.

Thank you! — 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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