How to Say “Please” in French

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s'il vous plaît
/s‿il vu plɛ/formal
In French, the phrase for "please" is s'il vous plaît. Wiktionary also lists s'il te plaît and prière de.
Meaning: interjection to make a polite request (intj)

Ways to say it

“please” in French
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

The interjection s'il vous plaît is the most common way to say "please" in formal settings. Its informal counterpart is s'il te plaît, which is used when addressing individuals with whom you are familiar. You may also see the abbreviation stp used in text messages, chats and casual conversations to represent s'il te plaît. For more polite requests in formal contexts, you can use Pourriez-vous to mean "could you please" or "would you mind".

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?

S'il vous plaît is the formal version, while s'il te plaît is the informal version. The phrase prière de is a formal way to say "please" that is specifically used in written instructions or notices and must be followed by an infinitive.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

S'il vous plaît is the formal form, while s'il te plaît and its abbreviation stp are used in informal situations. Prière de is also a formal option.

Related words

To make happy or satisfy (verb): plaire.

How does it change in a sentence?

When using the formal phrase prière de in notices, it must be followed by an infinitive verb.

How do you pronounce it?

/s‿il vu plɛ/

What mistakes should you avoid?

Avoid omitting the il part. Do not say si vous plaît instead of the correct s'il vous plaît.

Did you know?

  • The word vous is related to the Russian word вы, which also serves as a second-person pronoun.
  • The word prière in the formal phrase prière de shares the same root as the English word 'prayer'.

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
  • Pourriez-vous m'aider, s'il vous plaît?
    Could you help me, please?
  • Excusez-moi, pourriez-vous m'indiquer le chemin, s'il vous plaît?
    Excuse me, could you please tell me the way?
  • Est-ce que tu peux me rendre un petit service, s'il te plaît?
    Could you do me a favor, please?
  • Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.
    I would like a coffee, please.
  • Est-ce que je peux emprunter ton stylo pour une seconde, s'il te plaît?
    Can I borrow your pen for a second, please?
  • 1745 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Léa is ordering a coffee from Nathan at a cafe.

  1. Léa

    Un café au lait, s'il vous plaît.
    A coffee with milk, please.
  2. Nathan

    Bien sûr. Voulez-vous un croissant ?
    Of course. Would you like a croissant?
  3. Léa

    Oui, s'il vous plaît.
    Yes, please.
  4. Nathan

    Très bien, je vous apporte ça.
    Very well, I will bring that to you.

Sources

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Frank Elijah
Frank ElijahHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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