Donne-moi une allumette, s'il te plaît.

Give me a match, please.

Breakdown of Donne-moi une allumette, s'il te plaît.

• s'il te plaît: please
• moi: me
• donner: to give
• l'allumette: the match

Questions & Answers about Donne-moi une allumette, s'il te plaît.

Why is there a hyphen used in Donne-moi?

In an affirmative imperative (a command or request), French attaches object pronouns to the verb with hyphens. You can’t write Donne moi without the hyphen—it must be Donne-moi, Prête-moi, Montre-nous, etc.

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Why is the pronoun moi used instead of me?

French has two sets of object pronouns:

• Clitic pronouns like me, te, le/la, used in declarative sentences (e.g. Il me donne).
• Disjunctive pronouns like moi, toi, lui/elle, used:
  
  1. After hyphens in affirmative imperatives: Donne-moi.
  2. For emphasis or after prepositions: C’est pour moi.

In an affirmative command you always use the disjunctive form moi (and not me).

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Why is there no “s” at the end of donne? I thought tu-forms usually end in -s.

For regular -er verbs (like donner), the tu form in the present indicative is tu donnes, but the tu form in the affirmative imperative drops that final -s:

• Present indicative: tu donnes
• Affirmative imperative: (tu) donne

Exception: you add the -s back if the verb is followed by en or y (e.g. Vas-y).

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What does s’il te plaît literally mean, and why is it used here?

Literally, s’il te plaît means “if it pleases you.” In everyday speech it simply functions as “please” when making a request. It softens the command and is polite.

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What’s the difference between s’il te plaît and s’il vous plaît?

• s’il te plaît uses the informal pronoun te/tu. You say it to friends, family, or anyone you address with tu.
• s’il vous plaît uses the formal/plural pronoun vous. You say it to strangers, elders, or groups, or whenever you use vous for respect.

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Can I place s’il te plaît at the beginning of the sentence? Or can I drop it entirely?

Yes, you have flexibility:
• At the end: Donne-moi une allumette, s’il te plaît.
• At the beginning: S’il te plaît, donne-moi une allumette.
• In the middle (less common): Donne-moi, s’il te plaît, une allumette.

You can also omit it, but adding it is more courteous.

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How do I know allumette is feminine and takes une?

Unfortunately, the gender of French nouns often must be memorized. However, many nouns ending in -ette are feminine (e.g. la baguette, la fenêtre, la cigarette). When you learn allumette, list it as une allumette in your vocabulary.

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How would I ask for two matches instead of one?

Just change the number and make allumette plural:
Donne-moi deux allumettes, s’il te plaît.

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How would this sentence change if I needed to be formal or talk to more than one person?

Switch to the vous imperative form and use s’il vous plaît:
Donnez-moi une allumette, s’il vous plaît.

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In spoken French, do I announce the hyphen or pause?

No, the hyphen is purely written. You pronounce it smoothly as [dɔn mwa yn a.ly.mɛt si l tə plɛ], with no extra pause where the hyphen is written.