🤫🙏

How to Say ‘Quiet, please!’ in French

Silence, s'il vous plaît !

see-LAHNSS seel eel voo pleh

[see-LAHNSS seel eel voo pleh]

💬 Usage Tip: S'il vous plaît is the polite "please" for a group or a stranger. Between friends it becomes s'il te plaît.

🇫🇷 In France: Teachers address the whole class with vous, so this is a standard classroom call. It's firm but not rude.

Phrase Breakdown

Silence,

see-LAHNSS

Silence / Quiet

Say 'see-lahns' with a nasal 'en' sound. Stress falls lightly on the last syllable, then pause.

Example

Silence dans la classe !

Quiet in the classroom!

Words in this phrase

Silence

[see-LAHNSS]

silence / quiet

Noun, often said alone by teachers to ask for quiet.

Example

Le silence est important en classe.

Silence is important in class.

s'il vous plaît !

seel eel voo pleh

please (formal/plural)

This is a fixed polite expression: 'seel voo pleh'. The 't' of 'plaît' is silent.

Example

Un café, s'il vous plaît !

A coffee, please!

Words in this phrase

[seel]

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.

[eel]

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.

Guides for French learners

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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