un moment s'il vous plaît
In French, "one moment please" is said as un moment s'il vous plaît.
This phrase is a polite request for someone to wait for a short period of time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of un (one), moment (moment) and s'il vous plaît (if it pleases you).
Which one should you use?
You can often use un instant s'il vous plaît interchangeably with un moment s'il vous plaît to request a very brief wait.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can use more formal variations such as Un instant, s'il vous plaît. or Un moment, je vous prie. If you are speaking to a friend, a child or someone you address with tu, use the informal un moment s'il te plaît.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the request more direct and complete, you can add the imperative verb attendez (wait) at the beginning, resulting in attendez un moment s'il vous plaît.
Did you know?
- While moment comes from the Latin 'mōmentum', the word originally referred to the movement of a scale or a small tipping motion rather than a period of time.
- While s'il vous plaît is the standard polite form, the more formal je vous prie literally translates to 'I pray you', reflecting a historical tradition of extreme deference.
Examples in context
- Un moment s'il vous plaît.One moment please.
- Attendez, un moment s'il vous plaît.Wait, one moment please.
- Un moment s'il vous plaît, je cherche mes clés.One moment please, I am looking for my keys.
Example conversation
Nathan is asking Léa for a document at the office.
- NathanLéa, avez-vous le rapport pour moi ?Léa, do you have the report for me?
- LéaUn moment s'il vous plaît, je le cherche.One moment please, I am looking for it.
- NathanD'accord, je vous attends ici.Okay, I will wait for you here.
- LéaLe voilà, Nathan. Tenez.Here it is, Nathan. Here you go.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries moment, un, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
