What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb pouvoir (to be able to/may) in its inverted first-person singular form puis-je, and the infinitive commander (to order).
Which one should you use?
Puis-je passer commande, s'il vous plaît? and Serait-il possible de commander, s'il vous plaît? are more formal ways to say "May I place an order, please?" or "Would it be possible to order, please?" For a more casual tone, you can use the informal Est-ce que je peux commander? or Je peux commander? to mean "Can I order?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Puis-je commander ? is very formal. For a common, polite alternative used in restaurants, you can use Je voudrais commander (I would like to order). The forms Puis-je passer commande, s'il vous plaît? and Serait-il possible de commander, s'il vous plaît? are also formal, while Est-ce que je peux commander? and Je peux commander? are informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form puis-je is a specific, highly formal inversion of je peux used exclusively in questions.
Did you know?
- In many French restaurants, the customer does not actually need to initiate the process by asking puis-je commander ? Instead, the server will often approach the table and ask Vous avez choisi ? to signal they are ready to take the order.
- If you use the highly formal puis-je commander ? in a casual bistro, you might sound like a character from a 19th-century novel. In modern settings, this level of formality is usually reserved for luxury hotels or official government letters.
- The word commander is a distant relative of the English word 'command', but its history is actually linked to the Latin 'mandō', which means 'to entrust' or 'to commit to one's charge'.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries commander, CC BY-SA 4.0.
