How to Say ‘Please’ in French
S'il vous plaît
seel eel voo pleh
[seel eel voo pleh]
💬 Usage Tip: The go-to polite phrase. Literally it's closer to "if it pleases you." A little long, but very useful.
🇫🇷 In France: Politeness formulas matter a lot in French. Adding s'il vous plaît makes requests sound much warmer and smoother.
Phrase Breakdown
S'
[seel]
if
Part of the fixed polite expression s'il vous plaît, literally if it pleases you.
S'il vous plaît, notez que S' commence cette expression polie.
Please note that S' begins this polite expression.
il
[eel]
he
In this phrase, il is part of the fixed expression s'il vous plaît rather than a literal he in everyday meaning.
Dans S'il vous plaît, il fait partie d'une formule polie.
In please, il is part of a polite formula.
vous
[voo]
you
The formal or plural form of you, used here for politeness.
Je vous remercie après la réservation.
I thank you after the booking.
plaît
[pleh]
pleases
From plaire, to please; in this set phrase it helps mean please.
Plaît apparaît dans l'expression polie S'il vous plaît.
Plaît appears in the polite expression please.
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