Learn French: Fermez la porte, s'il vous plaît.

Fermez la porte, s'il vous plaît.

Close the door, please.

Breakdown of Fermez la porte, s'il vous plaît.

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Questions & Answers about Fermez la porte, s'il vous plaît.

Why does the verb end in -ez here?

Fermez is the command (imperative) form of the verb fermer (to close). To tell someone to do something using the formal or plural you (vous), you use the same form as the present tense (vous fermez), but you drop the word vous.

Where is the word for you before the verb?

In French, just like in English, we drop the subject pronoun when giving a command. So instead of saying Vous fermez la porte (You are closing the door), you just say Fermez la porte (Close the door).

Could I use the familiar tu form and say Ferme la porte instead?

Yes, if you are talking to a friend, family member, or child. But if you do that, you also need to change the please at the end to match. You would say Ferme la porte, s'il te plaît. Since this sentence uses the formal s'il vous plaît, the verb must be the formal fermez.

What exactly does s'il vous plaît mean word-for-word?

It translates to please, but literally it means if it pleases you (si = if, il = it, vous = to you, plaît = pleases). This is why it has the word vous in it and perfectly matches the formal command fermez!