How to Say ‘Please’ in French
S'il vous plaît
seel eel voo pleh
[seel eel voo pleh]
🇫🇷 In France: In France, [s'il vous plaît] works well when asking for something, but you do not need to tack it onto every sentence. Once or twice in a reservation call sounds natural; repeating it constantly can feel stiff.
Phrase Breakdown
S'
[seel]
if
Part of the polite expression s'il vous plaît; literally begins with 'if'.
S'il vous plaît, pouvez-vous préparer un dessert spécial ?
Please, can you prepare a special dessert?
il
[eel]
he
In this fixed polite phrase, il is part of the expression and not translated separately in natural English.
S'il vous plaît, une table discrète serait idéale.
Please, a discreet table would be ideal.
vous
[voo]
you
Formal or plural 'you'; here it is part of a polite formula.
S'il vous plaît, gardez la surprise secrète.
Please, keep the surprise secret.
plaît
[pleh]
please
From plaire, in this phrase it helps form the polite expression 'please'.
S'il vous plaît, ajoutez une bougie sur le gâteau.
Please, add a candle on the cake.
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