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How to Say ‘A coffee, please.’ in French

Un café, s'il vous plaît.

uhn kah-fay seel eel voo pleh

[uhn kah-fay seel eel voo pleh]

Phrase Breakdown

Un café,

uhn kah-fay

A coffee,

'Un' is a nasal vowel. The é in 'café' is a clear 'ay' sound.

Example

Un café et un croissant.

A coffee and a croissant.

Words in this phrase

Un

[uhn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Un casque est important pour le roller.

A helmet is important for inline skating.

café

[kah-fay]

coffee

A coffee; in networking, it often suggests an informal conversation over coffee.

Example

Un café après le salon permet de continuer l'échange.

A coffee after the fair allows the conversation to continue.

s'il vous plaît.

seel eel voo pleh

please.

The polite form of 'please', said as 'seel-voo-pleh'.

Example

L'addition, s'il vous plaît.

The bill, please.

Words in this phrase

s'

[seel]

if

Part of the fixed polite expression s'il vous plaît, literally if it pleases you.

Example

S'il vous plaît, confirmez la réservation.

Please confirm the reservation.

il

[eel]

it

In il y a, il does not refer to a person; it is part of the expression meaning “there is/there are.”

Example

Est-ce qu'il y a un parking sur place ?

Is there parking on site?

vous

[voo]

you

Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous aimez le film?

Do you like the movie?

plaît

[pleh]

pleases

From plaire, to please; part of the expression meaning please.

Example

S'il vous plaît, cela me plaît beaucoup.

Please, I like that very much.

Related guides

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.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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