une eau, s'il vous plaît
To say one water please in French, say une eau, s'il vous plaît.
This short request orders a single serving of water, for example at a bar or restaurant. To ask for a glass of water in a full sentence, say Je voudrais un verre d'eau, s'il vous plaît, meaning I would like a glass of water, please.
Which one should you use?
Another polite question is Pourrais-je avoir un verre d'eau, s'il vous plaît?, could I have a glass of water, please. With friends you can switch to s'il te plaît, as in Est-ce que je peux avoir un verre d'eau, s'il te plaît?
How does it change in a sentence?
une is used because eau is a feminine noun.
Did you know?
- You can get a 'carafe d'eau' (a pitcher of tap water) for free in French restaurants, whereas une eau usually implies a paid bottled water.
- If you look at the word vous used in the phrase, it is a cognate of the Russian word вы (vy), which is also used for formal or plural 'you'.
- In France, if you order une eau, the waiter will likely ask if you want plate (still) or gazeuse (sparkling) because both are common.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are at a cafe.
- LucasBonjour ! Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?Hello! What would you like?
- ManonUne eau, s'il vous plaît.One water, please.
- LucasC'est tout pour vous, Manon ?Is that all for you, Manon?
- ManonOui, merci beaucoup.Yes, thank you very much.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eau, une, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
