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How to Say ‘To go, please.’ in French

À emporter, s'il vous plaît.

ah ahn-por-TAY seel eel voo pleh

[ah ahn-por-TAY seel eel voo pleh]

🇫🇷 In France: Adding s'il vous plaît to even a one-word answer is the normal, polite way to order in France. Leaving it off can come across as curt.

Phrase Breakdown

À emporter,

ah ahn-por-TAY

To take away,

Say 'a an-por-té'. The final r is silent.

Example

Un sandwich à emporter.

A sandwich to take away.

Words in this phrase

À

[ah]

to

Used with infinitive verbs to indicate purpose.

Example

Elle commence à chanter.

She begins to sing.

emporter

[ahn-por-TAY]

to take away

Verb meaning to take with you; used for takeaway orders.

Example

Je voudrais emporter mon sandwich.

I'd like to take my sandwich away.

s'il vous plaît.

seel eel voo pleh

please.

Polite 'please': 'sil vou plè'.

Example

Un thé, s'il vous plaît.

A tea, 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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