Learn French: Excusez mon ami, s'il vous plaît.

Excusez mon ami, s'il vous plaît.

Excuse my friend, please.

Breakdown of Excusez mon ami, s'il vous plaît.

to excuse, to forgive

Questions & Answers about Excusez mon ami, s'il vous plaît.

Why does Excusez end in -ez?

This is a command using the formal or plural "you" (vous). If you were speaking to a single friend or a child, you would use the informal "you" (tu) form instead: Excuse.

Does mon ami mean "friend" or "boyfriend" here?

It usually just means "my friend". While context can sometimes make it mean "boyfriend", French speakers typically say mon petit ami for "my boyfriend" and ma petite amie for "my girlfriend" to avoid confusion.

What do the words in s'il vous plaît actually mean?

It is the standard French phrase for "please", but it literally translates to "if it pleases you". It breaks down into si (if) + il (it) + vous (to you) + plaît (pleases). The si drops its i and becomes s' because the next word starts with a vowel.

Could I say s'il te plaît instead?

Yes, but only if you also change the first word! S'il te plaît is the informal "please" used with people you call tu. Because this sentence starts with the formal Excusez, you must use the matching formal "please": s'il vous plaît. If you wanted to be informal, the whole sentence would be: Excuse mon ami, s'il te plaît.