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How to Say ‘Please’ in French

S'il vous plaît

s eel vooh pleh

[s eel vooh pleh]

💬 Usage Tip: [S'il] is a shortened form of [si il], and it only appears joined like this before [il]. [Vous] makes this the polite/default way to say [please] to adults you don't know well.

🇫🇷 In France: In France, [s'il vous plaît] is used a lot and can sound necessary rather than extra-polite. Leaving it out in requests can come across as abrupt.

Phrase Breakdown

S'

[s]

Please

A polite way to ask for something.

Example

"S'il vous plaît", passez-moi le sel.

"Please", pass me the salt.

il

[eel]

Please

A polite way to ask for something.

Example

"S'il vous plaît", passez-moi le sel.

"Please", pass me the salt.

vous

[vooh]

Please

A polite way to ask for something.

Example

"S'il vous plaît", passez-moi le sel.

"Please", pass me the salt.

plaît

[pleh]

Please

A polite way to ask for something.

Example

"S'il vous plaît", passez-moi le sel.

"Please", pass me the salt.

Guides for French learners

The Best App to Learn French: An Honest ComparisonDuolingo, Babbel, Pimsleur, Busuu, italki and PrettyFluent compared for learning French: what each is best at, how you pay, and which fits your goal.French Conversation for Beginners: 5 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseFive short French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.

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