Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| s'il vous plaît | /s‿il vu plɛ/ /s‿ju plɛ/ |
formal |
| s'il te plaît | /s‿il tə plɛ/ /s‿tə plɛ/ |
informal |
| prière de | /pʁi.jɛʁ də/ | with infinitive |
You can use s'il vous plaît as a standalone interjection to make a polite request or to get someone's attention, similar to using "excuse me" in English. The related verb plaire means to make happy or satisfy.
What does it mean word for word?
Both s'il vous plaît and s'il te plaît literally translate to "if it pleases you".
Which one should you use?
The phrase s'il vous plaît is the formal version, while s'il te plaît is the informal version. Additionally, prière de is a formal way to say "please" that must be used with an infinitive verb.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
s'il vous plaît is the formal way to say "please". In informal situations, you should use s'il te plaît. For formal written communication like letters or emails, you might also see veuillez, which translates to "please" or "kindly".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form prière de is used to express a formal request or instruction and is followed by an infinitive verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/s‿il vu plɛ/
Did you know?
- The word prière in the formal phrase prière de shares its roots with the English word 'prayer', as both come from the Latin 'precem'.
- In very formal signage, prière de is frequently used to politely tell people 'please do not' do something, such as 'prière de ne pas fumer' for 'please do not smoke'.
Examples in context
- S'il te plaît !Please.Tatoeba #1142721 by sacredceltic, translation #393357 by shanghainese
- S'il vous plaît !Please!Tatoeba #8304724 by Micsmithel, translation #7825834 by tane
- Vote s'il te plaît.Please vote.Tatoeba #10105756 by Micsmithel, translation #10093654 by Nylez
- Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous, s'il vous plaît, m'indiquer l'heure ?Excuse me, could you please tell me the time?
- 1745 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A customer is ordering a coffee in a cafe.
- ChloéUn café, s'il vous plaît.A coffee, please.
- LucasBien sûr, madame.Of course, madam.
- ChloéMerci beaucoup.Thank you very much.
- LucasJe vous en prie.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “please” translations and entries s'il vous plaît, s'il te plaît, prière de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, prière, s'il vous plaît, te, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
