Basic requests and instructions | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entrez, s'il vous plaît.

   Please come inside.

   Entrez

   Come in

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Entrez is the imperative form of entrer (“to enter”) used with vous. In this utterance it means “come in” or “enter.” The same form can address one person formally or more than one person; the sentence does not identify which. For reusable practice: Entrez ici. — “Come in here.” s'il vous plaît is the conventional French expression for “please.” It is a polite addition to a request and does not change the action expressed by Entrez. Together, Entrez, s'il vous plaît. forms a polite request: “Please come inside.”

2. Asseyez-vous ici, s'il vous plaît.

   Please sit here.

   Asseyez-vous

   sit down

   ici

   here

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Asseyez-vous is the polite or plural imperative of s'asseoir, meaning “sit down.” The pronoun vous is part of the reflexive construction: s'asseoir becomes asseyez-vous in this imperative form. This form addresses one person politely or more than one person; it is not simply an ordinary present-tense statement. A useful contrast is Assieds-toi for addressing one person informally. ici means “here.” It is an invariable place adverb, so it does not change with the person or number of the people addressed. For example, Attendez ici means “Wait here.” s'il vous plaît is the standard polite expression “please.” It can accompany a request or command, as in Entrez, s'il vous plaît (“Please come inside”). Together, Asseyez-vous gives the requested action, ici specifies the place, and s'il vous plaît makes the imperative polite: “Please sit here.”

3. Attendez ici, s'il vous plaît.

   Please wait here.

   Attendez

   wait

   ici

   here

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Attendez means “wait” here. It is the imperative of attendre (“to wait”) addressed to vous: this form can address one person politely or more than one person. The informal singular imperative is attends. Example: Attendez une minute. — “Wait a minute.” ici means “here,” marking the place where the waiting should happen. It contrasts with là (“there”) when a different location is intended. Example: Restez ici. — “Stay here.” s'il vous plaît is the standard polite expression “please.” In this fixed sentence it softens the request; it is a set expression rather than a separate command about pleasing someone. S'il te plaît is the corresponding form used with informal singular tu. Together, the imperative Attendez, the location ici, and the polite request marker s'il vous plaît produce: “Please wait here.” The same reusable pattern is [imperative] + [place or other detail] + s'il vous plaît, as in Regardez ici, s'il vous plaît. — “Please look here.”

4. Regardez ici, s'il vous plaît.

   Please look here.

   Regardez

   look

   ici

   here

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Regardez means “look” here. It is the imperative of regarder (“to look”), using the vous form. This form can address one person politely or several people; the form alone does not identify which. Compare Regarde !, the singular familiar imperative for one person. Example: Regardez cette image. — “Look at this picture.” ici means “here,” referring to the place intended in the situation. It is a location adverb and does not change for person or number. Example: Attendez ici. — “Wait here.” s'il vous plaît is the fixed French expression “please.” It makes the request polite; learn it as a reusable expression rather than treating it as a literal condition in this sentence. It also appears with other requests, such as Écoutez attentivement, s'il vous plaît. — “Please listen carefully.” Together, Regardez ici gives the request “look here,” and s'il vous plaît adds politeness: “Please look here.”

5. Écoutez attentivement, s'il vous plaît.

   Please listen carefully.

   Écoutez

   listen

   attentivement

   carefully

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Écoutez is the imperative of écouter (“to listen”) for vous. It can address one person politely or several people. The imperative gives a direct request or instruction; the subject pronoun is normally omitted here. Example: Écoutez-moi. — “Listen to me.” attentivement means “carefully” or “attentively.” It is an adverb describing how the listening should happen. It is related to the adjective attentif / attentive (“attentive”), but the observed form itself is the adverb. Example: Lisez attentivement. — “Read carefully.” s'il vous plaît is the established French expression for “please,” used to make a request polite. In this expression, vous is the polite singular or plural form of “you.” Example: Fermez la porte, s'il vous plaît. — “Please close the door.” Together, the imperative Écoutez, the manner adverb attentivement, and the polite-request expression s'il vous plaît produce: “Please listen carefully.”

6. Parlez lentement, s'il vous plaît.

   Please speak slowly.

   Parlez

   speak

   lentement

   slowly

   s'il vous plaît

   please

   More detail

   Parlez is the imperative form of parler (“to speak”) for vous. It can address more than one person or one person addressed with the formal vous; the form itself does not identify which of these applies. Compare parle for the informal singular imperative and parlez for the vous form. Example: Parlez plus fort. — “Speak louder.” lentement is an adverb meaning “slowly.” It describes how the speaking happens. It is related to the adjective lent (“slow”): lent describes a noun, while lentement describes an action. Example: Marchez lentement. — “Walk slowly.” s'il vous plaît is a conventional expression meaning “please.” It is used to make a request courteous. The form vous is part of this fixed expression here; it does not by itself identify a particular person beyond the person or people being addressed. Example: Attendez, s'il vous plaît. — “Please wait.” Together, the imperative Parlez, the manner adverb lentement, and the request expression s'il vous plaît produce: “Please speak slowly.”