When learning any language, the word please is one of the first important words on everyone’s list, alongside thank you and hello. This hardworking word serves a multitude of purposes: it is used to be polite, to make requests, to soften direct orders, and to express acceptance. Especially with the varying levels of formality in French, knowing a few options for how to say please in French is an indispensable skill.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to say please in French. We’ll learn the different expressions for different contexts, and we’ll see how to use them. So, if you please, let’s go!

General politeness

We’ll start off with the classic s’il vous plaît, since it’s the most common and versatile French please, along with its less-formal counterpart s’il te plaît.

S’il vous plaît

One of the most common ways to say please in French is s’il vous plaît. The expression s’il vous plaît can be used at the beginning or end of a clause. Since it’s addressed to vous, it’s suitable in any formal situation, or when speaking to a group of people

The phrase s’il vous plaît in French is a bit grammatically complex: let’s break it down word by word to understand its literal meaning. The first word is si, meaning if, which is contracted to s’ since it precedes a vowel. Il is the third-person impersonal subject pronoun, meaning it. Plaît is the conjugation of the verb plaire, which means to please, conjugated to il, so il plaît means it pleases. Vous is the direct object pronoun meaning you or to you. So taken together, s’il vous plaît translates as if it pleases you or even if it is pleasing to you.

Keep in mind that the accented î is required on plaît, even though it is often misspelled as “s’il vous plait.” The three-syllable expression is also often misspelled by English speakers, with incorrect phonetic spellings such as “si vu ple,” “si vu play,” “si vous play,” “si vou plait,” or “si vous play.”

There’s a standard abbreviation for s’il vous plaît which is quite common, however, so you can easily just get away with writing svp! This is especially useful as a French texting abbreviation to avoid writing out the full phrase.

• S’il vous plaît, faites attention pendant la présentation. – Please, pay attention during the presentation.

• Passez-moi le sel, s’il vous plaît. – Pass me the salt, please.

S’il te plaît

A slightly less formal way to say please in French is s’il te plaît. This phrase is very similar to s’il vous plaît, with the only difference being the direct object pronoun. The direct object pronoun te is used in informal situations, such as speaking to a friend or family member. Nonetheless, the actual use of s’il te plaît is less common, as even friends often still address each other with s’il vous plaît. The texting abbreviation for s’il te plaît is stp.

• S’il te plaît, prête-moi ton crayon ! – Please, lend me your pencil!

Sometimes, in very informal situations, you can completely drop the pronoun il and say s’te plaît. This phrase should only be used with people you know well. It’s essentially the French version of the phrase pretty please.

• Papa, tu peux venir, s’te plaît ? – Dad, can you come here, pretty please?

Politely requesting

In some cases, you may want to amp up the politeness in a request by saying more than just please. In English, you can do this by phrasing your request in the conditional using could or would. We can do the same in French. The phrases we’ll see in this section are often combined with other polite expressions, whether with the standard s’il vous plaît or with another polite request phrase.

Pourriez-vous, Pourrais-tu

The conditional expressions pourriez-vous and pourrais-tu both mean could you or would you, and can be used alongside other polite request expressions like s’il vous plaît to make the request as polite as possible.

• Pourriez-vous m’indiquer où se trouve la gare, s’il vous plaît ? – Could you tell me where the train station is, please?

Note that you may occasionally see this phrase without inversion as est-ce que vous pourriez or est-ce que tu pourrais. The inverted version is considered slightly more formal.

Bien vouloir

The expression bien vouloir is built on the French verb vouloir and translates literally as to want well, but more idiomatically means to be willing to do [something]. Bien vouloir can be used in the present tense, the conditional, or even the imperative, with translations ranging from a simple please or could you to would you mind. This expression can also be used in the infinitive when combined with other politeness phrases, as we’ll see further on.

• Les derniers à entrer, veuillez bien fermer la porte derrière vous. – The last to enter, please close the door behind you.

• Tu veux bien me donner une feuille à rouler ? – Would you mind giving me a rolling paper?

Je vous en supplie, Je t’en supplie

The phrase je vous en supplie and its informal form je t’en supplie are used to make an urgent or desperate (but still polite) request. It translates to I implore you or I beseech you in English. Be careful when using this phrase, as it’s quite intense and not to be used for just any request!

• Je vous en supplie, aidez-moi ! – I implore you, help me!
• Donne-moi une autre chance. Je t’en supplie ! – Give me another chance. Pleeeease!

Softening directness

Sometimes you may need to give someone a polite command. To do this in French, use one of the following phrases at the beginning of your command to increase the level of politeness, and in some cases, the level of formality.

Veuillez

The formal veuillez is used at the beginning of a sentence and is followed by an infinitive. Veuillez is the command form of the verb vouloir, meaning to want, so the literal translation is somehow that we’re telling someone to want to do something! Don’t worry though, as this expression translates better as please or kindly in English, and serves to make a polite request or give a polite command. It’s commonly used in professional or official situations and communicates respect for someone’s time and willingness to comply.

• Veuillez trouver le document ci-joint. – Please find the document attached.

• Veuillez éteindre les lumières en quittant la chambre. – Kindly turn off the lights when leaving the room.

Merci de (bien vouloir)

Another formal phrase, merci de, is employed to thank someone in advance for doing something and is followed by an infinitive. It’s often found on official signage and can be used in many of the same situations as veuillez. However, unlike veuillez, the phrase merci de implies gratitude through the use of the word merci, which you probably recognize as thank you in French.

• Merci de ne pas fumer. – Please do not smoke.

• Nous fermons dans un quart d’heure. Merci de vous diriger vers les caisses. – We’re closing in 15 minutes. Thank you for heading to the checkout lanes.

Merci de can be used alongside the polite request phrase bien vouloir to mean thank you kindly for doing something. It’s used to make a very polite request, and functions much the same way as saying please do something.

• Merci de bien vouloir remplir ce formulaire. – Thank you kindly for filling out this form. – Please fill out this form.

Prière de (bien vouloir)

The expression prière de is very similar to the previous one, but without an implication of gratitude. Prière de is commonly found on official signage and translates to please.

• Prière de ne pas entrer sans autorisation. – Please do not enter without permission.

The phrase prière de bien vouloir is used the same way as merci de bien vouloir, but again without the implied gratitude. This expression is often used in professional situations, such as communicating with a superior or client, and translates to please or kindly.

• Prière de bien vouloir nous informer de votre présence à l’événement. – Kindly inform us of your attendance at the event.

Expressing acceptance

There are several ways to say Yes, please! in French. These words or phrases are usually used after the word oui and serve to emphasize polite acceptance.

Volontiers

The word volontiers translates to willingly or gladly, and when used after oui serves to indicate cheerful and eager acceptance of an offer or invitation.

• Tu veux essayer le gâteau ? / Oui, volontiers ! – Do you want to try the cake? / Yes, please!

Avec plaisir

Next, the phrase avec plaisir means with pleasure. It functions the same way as volontiers after the word oui: happy agreement to a proposal.

• Aimerais-tu sortir avec moi ? / Oui, avec plaisir ! – Would you like to go out with me? / Yes, please!

Oui, merci

Wait, doesn’t merci mean thank you? Yes, it does, but when used after oui, as in Oui, merci!, the entire phrase functions the same way as saying Yes, please! in English, while also expressing appreciation.

• Voulez-vous un café ? / Oui, merci ! – Do you want a coffee? / Yes, thanks! – Do you want a coffee? / Yes, please!

Be careful with this response, however, because when used on its own in response to an offer, merci instead has the opposite meaning: no thanks. It’s common enough to include the no, but if it’s omitted then a simple merci implies no. This use is generally accompanied by a gesture to indicate the no, whether just holding up the hand or giving a little wave.

• Voulez-vous un café ? / Merci. – Do you want a coffee? / No thanks.

Conclusion: Please in French

To wrap up, we’ve covered how to say please in French in a wide variety of contexts, from the standard, multifunctional expression s’il vous plaît, to the more niche expressions used to make polite requests, soften direct commands, and express acceptance.

As you encounter different situations that call for heightened levels of politeness, be sure to vary your vocabulary and use the phrase most suited to your scenario. Using these different French please expressions will allow you to navigate social interactions with nuance and grace!