Hello everyone, bonjour à tous, and welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This is episode number 181, numéro 181. Today, you’ll learn how to say “please” in French — pretty essential word if you’re an absolute beginner. 😊
Before we start the lesson, as always, if you're new here — welcome! Make sure to grab your lesson’s cheat sheet so you can follow along and see how the words are written. This is a short and straightforward episode, so no exercises today.
Alright, let’s get into it — let’s see two ways to say “please” in French, depending on who you’re talking to and how formal the situation is.
1. S’il te plaît (Please)
Use this in informal situations, or when you're speaking to someone you know — like a friend, a colleague, or a family member.
Repeat after me: S’il – te – plaît
Literally, it means: If it pleases you.
Let’s see some examples:
Ferme la porte, s’il te plaît. (Close the door, please.)Est-ce que tu peux me passer le sel, s’il te plaît ? (Can you pass me the salt, please?)2. S’il vous plaît (Please)
Now, use this version in formal situations, or with anyone you don’t know very well— or with anyone you would address with “vous.” And if you’re not sure whether to use tu or vous, check out episode 48 of the podcast. I’ll linked it in the transcript.
Repeat after me: S’il – vous – plaît
Let’s see some examples:
Un café, s’il vous plaît. (A coffee, please.)Remplissez ce formulaire, s’il vous plaît. (Fill out this form, please.)Ok, quick recap!
To say “please” in French:
S’il te plaît – for informal situations, or with someone you knowS’il vous plaît – for formal situations or with people you dont knowEt voilà, that’s the end of today’s lesson — short and sweet! I hope you enjoyed it. I’ll chat with you in the next episode. À bientôt.