un café, s'il vous plaît
un café, s'il vous plaît is the French way to say "one coffee please".
This phrase is a polite request used to order a single serving of coffee. You can modify your order by adding descriptors: use noir for black coffee, or specify the size using petit for small, moyen for medium or grand for large. To specify a coffee with milk, you can use the phrases un café au lait, s'il vous plaît or un café crème.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression s'il vous plaît literally translates to "if it pleases you", where s'il vous plaît means "please".
Which one should you use?
If you want coffee with milk, you should specify un café crème or un café au lait rather than just saying un café.
How does it change in a sentence?
In very casual settings or when speaking to someone you know well, you can replace the formal s'il vous plaît with the informal s'il te plaît, as seen in the phrase un café, s'il te plaît.
When do people say it?
In a French café, ordering un café typically implies a single shot of espresso unless you specify otherwise.
Did you know?
- The French word café was borrowed from the Italian 'caffè', which itself came from the Ottoman Turkish 'kahve' and the Arabic 'qahwa'.
- While un café au lait and un café crème both mean coffee with milk, the latter is more typically associated with the specific style served in traditional French brasseries.
Examples in context
- Un café, s'il vous plaît.One coffee, please.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase un café, s'il vous plaît.Tatoeba #8982406 by Micsmithel, translation #13205343 by glossboss
- Un café, s'il vous plaît, et un croissant.One coffee please, and a croissant.
- Juste un café, s'il vous plaît.Just one coffee please.
Example conversation
At a small Parisian cafe in the morning.
- LéaBonjour, un café, s'il vous plaît.Hello, one coffee please.
- HugoBien sûr, tout de suite.Of course, coming right up.
- LéaMerci beaucoup, monsieur.Thank you very much, sir.
- HugoJe vous en prie.You're welcome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries café, un, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
