🙏La politesse
S'il vous plaît, merci, pardon — et jusqu'où être formel.
12 concepts
Les colonnes suivent les langues activées en haut. Le genre après le mot (m/f/n) ; l'API en dessous ; les notes, variantes et origines encore en dessous — rien n'est caché.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
please phrase | please Used far more often than its equivalents — leaving it out sounds rude in English. | s'il vous plaît also: s'il te plaît (informal) 'If it pleases you.' Abbreviation SVP / STP. | por favor Spanish uses it less; politeness lives in the verb form (¿me pones…?) and tone. |
thank you phrase | thank you also: thanks, cheers (UK), ta (UK) | merci also: merci beaucoup, merci bien From Latin merces 'reward/mercy'. Non merci = no thanks. | gracias also: muchas gracias, mil gracias |
you're welcome phrase | you're welcome also: no problem, not at all, no worries (AU/UK), my pleasure | de rien also: je vous en prie (formal), je t'en prie, avec plaisir 'Of nothing.' Je vous en prie is the polite default in shops. | de nada also: no hay de qué, a ti / a usted 'Of nothing.' |
sorry (apology) phrase | sorry also: I'm sorry, I apologise, my bad (informal) The British say it for apologies, for 'excuse me', for 'pardon?', and when someone else bumps into them. | pardon also: désolé(e), je suis désolé(e), excusez-moi Pardon for small bumps; désolé for real apologies. | perdón also: lo siento ('I feel it' — real regret), disculpa / disculpe Perdón for bumps; lo siento for bad news and real apologies. |
excuse me (attention / passing) phrase | excuse me To get attention or pass by. 'Sorry?' or 'Pardon?' to ask for a repeat. | excusez-moi also: pardon, s'il vous plaît (to call a waiter) Pardon? = could you repeat? 'Excuse-moi' to someone you tutoie. | perdone also: disculpe, oiga ('hear!' — to call someone), con permiso (to pass) ¿Cómo? / ¿Perdón? to ask for a repeat. |
hello interjection | hello also: hi, hey, good morning / afternoon / evening | bonjour also: bonsoir (from ~6pm), salut (informal — also 'bye'), coucou (very informal) Say it before ANY interaction — skipping bonjour in a shop is the classic foreigner's offence. | hola also: buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches, buenas (informal) Silent h. Buenos días until lunch, buenas tardes until dark. |
goodbye interjection | goodbye also: bye, see you, take care, cheers (UK) Contraction of 'God be with you'. | au revoir also: salut (informal), à plus (tard), à bientôt, bonne journée 'Until the re-seeing.' Adieu is for forever. | hasta luego also: adiós, chao / chau, hasta mañana, nos vemos Adiós is fine but a touch final; hasta luego is the everyday one. |
the formal 'you' pronoun | you English lost the distinction (thou fell out of use ~1700). Politeness lives in modals and hedges: would you mind, could you possibly… | vous also: tu (informal) Vouvoyer / tutoyer are verbs. Vous to strangers, elders, at work (until told otherwise). Takes the plural verb form. | usted also: tú (informal), vos (Argentina etc.) Contraction of vuestra merced, 'your grace'. Takes the 3rd-person verb. Latin America uses it more; Spain tutea freely. |
cheers (toast) interjection | cheers also: bottoms up In the UK also = thanks, and bye. | santé also: à votre santé, à la tienne, tchin-tchin Look people in the eye as you clink — or seven years of bad sex, says the superstition. | salud also: chinchín, ¡arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro! |
bless you (after a sneeze) interjection | bless you also: gesundheit (US, borrowed) | à tes souhaits also: à vos souhaits (formal) 'To your wishes.' Second sneeze: à tes amours. | salud also: Jesús (Spain, older) Same word as the toast. |
enjoy your meal phrase | enjoy your meal also: bon appétit (borrowed), dig in, tuck in (UK) English has no native phrase — which is why it borrowed the French one. | bon appétit Said by everyone at the table, and by waiters. | que aproveche also: buen provecho, ¡a comer! 'May it benefit (you).' Said even to strangers eating nearby. |
nice to meet you phrase | nice to meet you also: pleased to meet you, how do you do (very formal, old) | enchanté(e) 'Enchanted.' Agrees with the speaker: enchantée if you're a woman. | encantado/a also: mucho gusto, un placer Agrees with the speaker. Mucho gusto is the Latin American default. |