Breakdown of Rappelle-moi ce soir, s’il te plaît.
s'il te plaît
please
me
me
ce soir
tonight
rappeler
to call back
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Questions & Answers about Rappelle-moi ce soir, s’il te plaît.
What verb form is Rappelle, and why is there no final -s?
It’s the second-person singular imperative of rappeler. For regular -er verbs, the tu imperative drops the final -s: present is tu rappelles, imperative is Rappelle !. (You keep an -s only when the verb is immediately followed by y or en, e.g., Parles-en !, Vas-y !)
Why is there no subject pronoun (no tu)?
French imperatives don’t use subject pronouns. You just use the verb form: Rappelle (tu), Rappelons (nous), Rappelez (vous).
Why is it moi and not me, and why is it after the verb?
In affirmative imperatives, object pronouns go after the verb with hyphens, and me/te change to moi/toi: Rappelle-moi. In negative imperatives, they go before the verb and revert to me/te: Ne me rappelle pas.
What’s the full pattern for pronouns with the imperative?
- Affirmative: verb + hyphen + (le/la/les) + (moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur) + (y) + (en). Example: Donnez-le-moi.
- Negative: ne + (me/te/se/nous/vous) + (le/la/les) + (lui/leur) + (y) + (en) + verb + pas. Example: Ne me le donnez pas.
Is the hyphen in Rappelle-moi required?
Yes. In the affirmative imperative, object pronouns must be attached to the verb with hyphens: Rappelle-moi, Rappelez-nous, Donnez-le-moi.
Does Rappelle-moi mean “call me back” or “remind me”?
By default in everyday speech, rappeler means “to call back (on the phone).” So Rappelle-moi ce soir usually means “Call me back tonight.” To say “remind me,” add what to remind: Rappelle-moi de t’appeler ce soir (Remind me to call you tonight) or Rappelle-moi la date (Remind me of the date).
What’s the difference between appeler and rappeler?
- Appeler: to call. Appelle-moi ce soir = Call me tonight.
- Rappeler: to call again/call back, or to remind. Rappelle-moi ce soir = Call me back tonight (most common reading).
How would I make this formal or plural?
Use vous: Rappelez-moi ce soir, s’il vous plaît.
Can I use a less direct, more polite wording?
Yes, ask with pouvoir or futur: Tu peux me rappeler ce soir, s’il te plaît ?, Est-ce que tu pourrais me rappeler ce soir ?, or Tu me rappelleras ce soir ?
Why is it s’il te plaît and not s’il toi plaît?
Because plaire à quelqu’un takes the clitic indirect object pronoun (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur). The fixed polite formula is s’il te plaît (informal) / s’il vous plaît (formal/plural).
What about the comma before s’il te plaît and word order?
A comma is standard because s’il te plaît is a parenthetical politeness tag: Rappelle-moi ce soir, s’il te plaît. You can also place it first: S’il te plaît, rappelle-moi ce soir.
Are the accents and apostrophes important?
Yes. Write s’il (contraction of si il) and plaît with a circumflex on i: plaît. The 1990 spelling also allows plait, but plaît is still very common. Ce soir has no hyphen.
How do I pronounce the whole sentence?
Roughly: [ʁa.pɛl mwa sə swaʁ, sil tə plɛ]. Notes:
- rappelle: [ʁa.pɛl], final -e weak.
- moi: [mwa].
- ce soir: [sə swaʁ].
- s’il te plaît: [sil tə plɛ]; the final -t in plaît is silent.
Does ce soir mean “this evening” or “tonight”? What if I mean late at night?
Ce soir covers both “this evening/tonight” (the evening period). For late night/overnight, use cette nuit. For example: Rappelle-moi cette nuit if you truly mean during the night (less common).
Could I accidentally say “remember!” by changing the pronoun?
Yes. Rappelle-toi means “remember!” (from the pronominal se rappeler = to remember). Your sentence Rappelle-moi is not pronominal; it’s telling the other person to call you back or remind you.