How to Say ‘Please’ in French
S'il vous plaît
seel eel voo pleh
[seel eel voo pleh]
💬 Usage Tip: [S'il] is a fixed contraction of [si le], so it stays joined like this in [s'il vous plaît]. Learn the whole chunk as one polite formula.
Phrase Breakdown
S'
[seel]
if
Part of the fixed polite expression 's'il vous plaît,' literally beginning with 'if'.
S'il vous plaît, un café colombien.
Please, a Colombian coffee.
il
[eel]
he
In this expression, 'il' is part of the fixed phrase 's'il vous plaît' and is not translated literally in everyday use.
S'il vous plaît, je voudrais voir les grains disponibles.
Please, I would like to see the available beans.
vous
[voo]
you
The formal or plural 'you'; here it is part of a polite expression addressed to staff.
S'il vous plaît, vous avez un café d'Éthiopie ?
Please, do you have an Ethiopian coffee?
plaît
[pleh]
please
From 'plaire' meaning 'to please'; in this fixed phrase it means 'please'.
S'il vous plaît, un mélange maison pour moi.
Please, a house blend for me.
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