# Saying 'Please, Please, Please!' In French? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2021, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734 "2021-04-25T08:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/21 "2021-04-26T06:47:41Z")
Come to think of it, when elided in normal rapid speech, a phrase like “S’il vous plaît” or “Je vous en prie” isn’t that much of a mouthful for a native French-speaker. Criminal to criminal, for example, it might sound more like “T’en prie! T’en prie!” - or be some other formulation altogether (“Non, putain!”…?) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/22 "2021-04-26T18:57:13Z")
In Quebec, ”je t’en prie” can sound as brief as “shtpree”. That’s a very good point. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2021, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/23 "2021-04-27T06:06:37Z")
Also I might as well ask (instead of starting a new thread), how do you say _I do_ in French? Because French doesn’t have anywhere near the amount of auxiliary verbs as English does. No one does. For example, when two people are about to be wed in France, what do they say? (Oh, and BTW, as a Catholic I should point out the Catholic version of the wedding ceremony has the couple saying _‘I will’_. So how do they say that too, I’ll ask.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2021, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/24 "2021-04-27T06:29:47Z")
I believe in French the marriage ceremony requires the prospective spouses to say ‘Je veux’ (I want). See for example [L'échange de consentement : le "Oui"](https://croire.la-croix.com/Definitions/Sacrements/Mariage/L-echange-de-consentement-le-Oui) ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/25 "2021-04-27T14:10:57Z")
Perhaps it varies in context? The most common time I hear anyone saying ‘please, please, please’ is a child begging for something – a treat, being allowed to stay up later, something like that. So maybe the kid would say the French version of repeating whatever the desired treat is (“I want a cookie! A cookie! A cookie!” or “Let’s go to the park” or “Don’t want to go to bed!”) Otherwise it’s just an adult making it clear he really, really wants something. So phrases like “I really want it” or “I need it!” instead of just please? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/26 "2021-04-29T04:33:48Z")
I might as well also ask another thing that has vexed me for a while. How do you say _look_ and _tell_ in French? And can you? Because think about it. They are not at all the same as _see_ and _say_. But rather they are a specialized form of it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/27 "2021-04-29T05:51:24Z")
You can say regarder, dire (vs. voir, énoncer, etc. ) Anyway, what was the original sentence? You are never going to get far trying to translate individual words in isolation ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/28 "2021-04-29T06:16:23Z")
“Look” is usually “regarder”. “Tell” could be “raconter”. Both (in both English and French) are more active than “see/voir” and “say/dire”. But it all depends on context and the exact shade of meaning you’re trying to convey. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/29 "2021-04-29T06:36:58Z")
@DPRK I can’t think of an exact sentence. But I am talking about the specialized meaning the words have, independent of see and say. I will of course monitor this thread (as I would do anyways) to see if that’s not enough. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/30 "2021-04-29T06:54:10Z")
Look, as in ‘Look!’ might be ‘Regarde’, or possibly ‘Vois-là’’, but I’m not entirely sure (not a native speaker). This in contrast to the general See (Voire) Tell, as in ‘Do tell!’ would be ‘Dis-moi’ (tell me) or so. ‘Can you tell him…’ would also be ‘Ditez-lui’ or so. To tell a story is ‘raconter’. This in contrast to speak (parler). I believe ‘say’ would also often be translated as ‘dire’. What would be a common sentence with ‘say’? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/31 "2021-04-29T08:34:23Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > But I am talking about the specialized meaning the words have, independent of see and say. I’m not quite sure what you’re looking for. Words can have several meanings depending on how they’re used in any given context. Any good dictionary will distinguish the different meanings, ideally with example sentences to show how they’ve been used. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/32 "2021-04-29T11:39:32Z")
@PatrickLondon I really don’t see the problem. You fellow posters seem to realize what I am getting at just fine. Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/33 "2021-04-29T12:30:08Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I’m not quite sure what you’re looking for. I guess “to see in a directed manner” for “look” vs plain “see” and “to communicate information” for “tell” vs “say.” ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/34 "2021-04-29T12:57:31Z")
Well that would indeed be “regarder” rather than “voir” and “raconter” rather than "dire’ - in most circumstances. But “raconter” implies telling a whole story rather than stating a simple fact: you’d still say “Dis-moi que tu m’aimes” for “Tell me that you love me”, but perhaps “Raconte-moi comment tu m’aimes” for “Tell me how [much] you love me”. You could say “Voilà!” for “Look at that!” if you wanted to emphasise a surprise, say, but “Regarde(-moi) ça!” for “Take a [good long] look at that”. There isn’t a 1:1 relationship from one language to another. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/35 "2021-04-29T13:10:59Z")
C’est le geste qui compte, n’est-ce pas? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734/36 "2021-04-29T13:41:20Z")
MISSED EDIT WINDOW: Which translates, of course, as _It’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?_ It’s not just a quip and a joke. Because it literally translates as _It’s the gesture that counts, is it not?_ (cf. what @PatrickLondon just said) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-please-please-please-in-french/940734.md?page=1)