Learn French: La carte, s'il te plaît.

La carte, s'il te plaît.

The menu, please.

Breakdown of La carte, s'il te plaît.

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Questions & Answers about La carte, s'il te plaît.

Why does this say la carte instead of le menu?

In French restaurants, la carte refers to the full menu where you can order individual items. The word le menu actually refers to a set meal or fixed-price meal where you get multiple courses for a single price. Outside of a restaurant, la carte can also mean the map or the card.

Why use s'il te plaît instead of s'il vous plaît?

s'il te plaît is the informal way to say please, used when speaking to a friend, family member, or someone your own age. You might say this to a friend at the table to pass the menu. If you were asking the waiter, you would use the formal version: s'il vous plaît.

What does s'il te plaît literally translate to?

It literally translates to if it pleases you. It is a combination of s'il (if it), te (to you, informal), and plaît (pleases).

Why is there an apostrophe in s'il?

It is a contraction of si (if) and il (it). In French, when the word si is followed directly by il, the letter 'i' is dropped to make it easier to say, creating s'il.