après vous
/a.pʁɛ vu/
The English phrase "after you" can be translated into French as après vous.
après vous is a polite invitation for another person to go first. It is commonly used in social etiquette, such as when holding a door open or allowing someone to pass in a queue.
Meaning: polite invitation for another to go first (phrase)
Which one should you use?
après vous is the formal version of the phrase, while après toi is the informal version. Use après toi instead of après vous when speaking to a friend, a child or someone you address with tu.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.pʁɛ vu/
Did you know?
- The word vous in après vous shares a common Proto-Italic ancestor with the Russian word вы (vy), linking these distant languages through an ancient shared root for the second-person plural.
- While après vous is used for doors and queues, French etiquette often dictates that the man should step aside to let the woman pass first in social settings.
- The word vous used in this polite phrase is actually the plural form of 'you', and using it for a single person is a specific linguistic act of respect called 'vouvoiement'.
Examples in context
- Ils sont après vous.They're after you.This sentence shows the use of après vous in a context meaning "after you".Tatoeba #7995999 by Aiji, translation #2243568 by CK
- Qui se trouve après vous ?Who's after you?This sentence demonstrates a question regarding who is après vous.Tatoeba #8441997 by sacredceltic, translation #2254902 by CK
- Je suis parti juste après vous.I left right after you.This sentence shows the phrase used to indicate temporal sequence regarding après vous.Tatoeba #11927871 by lbdx, translation #9201065 by CK
- Puis-je entrer? / Oui, bien sûr. Après vous.May I come in? / Yes, of course. After you.
- Permettez-moi de vous aider. / Je vous en prie, après vous.Allow me to help you. / I insist, after you.
- Tu veux prendre le dernier morceau de gâteau? / Non, merci. Après toi!Do you want to have the last piece of cake? / No, thanks. After you!
- Je te laisse passer devant. / Ah, merci! Je t'en prie, après toi.I'll let you go first. / Ah, thank you! After you, please.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are at the entrance of a restaurant.
- LucasAprès vous, Léa.After you, Léa.
- LéaMerci, Lucas.Thank you, Lucas.
- LucasDe rien.You're welcome.
- LéaOn y va ?Shall we go in?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “after you” translations and entries après vous, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries après, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
