How to Say “Can I Have This, Please?” in French

By •
Je peux avoir ceci, s'il vous plaît ?
Je peux avoir ceci, s'il vous plaît ? is the French way to say "can I have this, please?"
This phrase is a polite request used to ask for permission to take or receive a specific object. The word ceci refers to "this", and s'il vous plaît is the standard way to say "please" in French.

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, s'il vous plaît translates to "if it pleases you", making the full phrase "I can have this, if it pleases you?"

Which one should you use?

Pourrais-je avoir cela, s'il vous plaît? translates to "Could I have that, please?" and Est-ce que je peux avoir ça, s'il te plaît? or Je peux avoir ça, s'il te plaît? translate to "Can I have that, please?" in an informal setting.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For a more formal tone, you can use Puis-je avoir ceci, s'il vous plaît? (May I have this, please?) or Pourrais-je avoir cela, s'il vous plaît? (Could I have that, please?). In informal situations, use s'il te plaît instead of s'il vous plaît, such as in Je peux avoir ça, s'il te plaît?

How does it change in a sentence?

To form a formal question, you can invert the verb and the subject to create Puis-je…, whereas the standard, more common way to ask is using Je peux…

What mistakes should you avoid?

In a service context, such as a shop or restaurant, using Je voudrais ceci, s'il vous plaît ("I would like this, please") is often considered more natural and polite than asking Je peux avoir… ("Can I have…").

Did you know?

  • The French verb avoir is an ancient relative of the Latin habēre, which originally meant 'to grab' or 'to take'.
  • While ceci means 'this', it is actually a compound of ce (this/that) and ci, which is a shortened form of ici meaning 'here'.

Examples in context

  • Est-ce que je peux avoir ceci, s'il vous plaît ?
    May I have this, please?

Example conversation

Hugo is at a bakery and points to a pastry.

  1. Hugo

    Je peux avoir ceci, s'il vous plaît ?
    Can I have this, please?
  2. Manon

    Oui, bien sûr, Hugo.
    Yes, of course, Hugo.
  3. Hugo

    Merci beaucoup, Manon.
    Thank you very much, Manon.
  4. Manon

    De rien !
    You're welcome!

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏
Derek Dustin
Derek DustinHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
guest
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Scroll to Top