un croissant, s'il vous plaît
The English phrase "one croissant, please" is translated into French as un croissant, s'il vous plaît.
This phrase is a polite request used to order a single croissant from a server or shopkeeper. You can also use it by adding a greeting, such as Bonjour, un croissant, s'il vous plaît (Hello, one croissant, please) or by specifying the type of croissant, such as Bonjour, un croissant au beurre, s'il vous plaît (Hello, one butter croissant, please).
What does it mean word for word?
The polite closer s'il vous plaît literally translates to "if it pleases you".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are two ways to say this depending on who you are addressing. Un croissant, s'il vous plaît is the formal version. Un croissant, s'il te plaît is the informal version, which is used with friends or family.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word un is the masculine singular indefinite article used because croissant is a masculine noun.
Did you know?
- Though now a symbol of France, the croissant's ancestor is the kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread from Austria that predates the French version.
- In France, it is considered impolite to order your croissant without first saying Bonjour to the shopkeeper, as jumping straight to the request can be seen as aggressive.
- The word croissant is actually the present participle of the verb croître, meaning 'to grow' or 'to increase'. This describes the 'crescent' shape of the pastry, much like a growing moon.
Examples in context
- Je voudrais un croissant, s'il vous plaît.I would like one croissant, please.
Example conversation
Lucas is ordering breakfast at a local bakery.
- LucasBonjour, un croissant, s'il vous plaît.Hello, one croissant, please.
- ManonTrès bien, ce sera tout ?Very well, will that be all?
- LucasOui, merci beaucoup.Yes, thank you very much.
- ManonDe rien, bonne journée !You're welcome, have a nice day!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries croissant, un, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
