s'il te plaît
/s‿il tə plɛ/
The English phrase "pretty please" can be translated into French as s'il te plaît.
s'il te plaît is used as an emphatic interjection to make commands more polite.
Meaning: an emphatic interjection to make commands more polite (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "if it pleases you".
Which one should you use?
To capture the emphatic feeling of the English "pretty please", French speakers often repeat the phrase twice as s'il te plaît, s'il te plaît !
How does it change in a sentence?
The form s'il te plaît uses the informal pronoun te, making it appropriate for use with friends, family or children.
How do you pronounce it?
/s‿il tə plɛ/
Did you know?
- While s'il te plaît is for friends, using s'il vous plaît with a stranger is not just polite but often required to avoid appearing aggressive or rude in French culture.
- The word te in the phrase is a direct descendant of the Latin accusative pronoun 'te', which has remained remarkably stable in its form for millennia.
- In some French dialects and informal speech, s'il te plaît is shortened to s'te plaît or even just stpl in text messages.
Example conversation
Lucas is asking Léa for a bite of her chocolate.
- LucasJe peux goûter ton chocolat, s'il te plaît ?Can I taste your chocolate, pretty please?
- LéaNon, c'est pour mon dessert.No, it's for my dessert.
- LucasAllez, s'il te plaît, Léa !Come on, pretty please, Léa!
- LéaBon, d'accord, prends-en un peu.Fine, okay, take a little bit.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry s'il te plaît, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
