Question 1

Why is it Ferme and not Fermez or Fermer?

Accepted Answer

Because it’s the imperative for addressing one person you know (the informal tu form). For most -ER verbs, the tu imperative drops the final -s: tu fermes (you close) → ferme (close!). Fermez addresses more than one person or is the polite/formal form. Fermer is the infinitive (to close).

Question 2

When would I say Fermez le robinet, s’il vous plaît instead?

Accepted Answer

Use Fermez …, s’il vous plaît when you’re speaking to:
- more than one person, or
- one person formally (someone you don’t know well, a superior, etc.).

Question 3

Can I mix registers, like Fermez …, s’il te plaît?

Accepted Answer

No. Keep them consistent:
- Informal: Ferme …, s’il te plaît.
- Formal/plural: Fermez …, s’il vous plaît.

Question 4

What does s’il te plaît literally mean, and what’s with the apostrophe?

Accepted Answer

Literally: “if it pleases you.” s’ is the elision of si + il → s’il (vowel collision). Note: si only contracts before il/ils. It does not elide before elle/elles (you say si elle, not s’elle).

Question 5

Do I have to write the circumflex in plaît?

Accepted Answer

Both plaît and plait are accepted (the 1990 reform made many circumflexes optional on i/u). plaît with a circumflex is still very common. Pronunciation is the same.

Question 6

Why is it le robinet and not ton robinet?

Accepted Answer

French often uses the definite article for things that are contextually obvious (the faucet we can see/hear). English tends to use “your.” So Ferme le robinet feels natural in French.

Question 7

What gender is robinet, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Robinet is masculine: le robinet, un robinet, ce robinet. If you replace it with a pronoun, use le (direct object): Ferme-le.

Question 8

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Accepted Answer

- Ferme: roughly “fehrm”; final -e is silent, r is uvular.
- le: “luh.”
- robinet: “roh-bee-neh”; final -t is silent.
- s’il te plaît: “seel tuh pleh”; final -t silent; circumflex not pronounced.

Question 9

Do I need a comma before s’il te plaît? What about the exclamation mark?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it’s standard to set off s’il te plaît with a comma: Ferme le robinet, s’il te plaît. In French typography, you normally add a (thin) space before ! and ?: … s’il te plaît ! (People often skip the space in casual typing.)

Question 10

Can I put s’il te plaît at the beginning?

Accepted Answer

Yes: S’il te plaît, ferme le robinet. It’s equally natural.

Question 11

How do I say “Close it, please” with a pronoun?

Accepted Answer

Use the affirmative imperative pronoun order (pronouns after the verb, joined by hyphen): Ferme-le, s’il te plaît. In the negative, pronouns go before the verb and there’s no hyphen: Ne le ferme pas, s’il te plaît.

Question 12

What’s the negative imperative of the original sentence?

Accepted Answer

Ne ferme pas le robinet, s’il te plaît.

Question 13

Is Coupe l’eau or Ferme l’eau also correct?

Accepted Answer

- Ferme le robinet is the standard way to say “turn off the tap.”
- Coupe l’eau means “shut off the water (supply),” often at a valve/main.
- Ferme l’eau is widely heard in Canada/Quebec and understood, but in France it’s colloquial/regional; prefer Ferme le robinet there.

Question 14

Any special rule about the missing -s in the tu imperative of -ER verbs?

Accepted Answer

Yes: the tu imperative normally drops -s (e.g., Parle !, Ferme !), but it keeps an -s before y or en for ease of pronunciation: Vas-y !, Parles-en ! (So, with fermer: Fermes-en ! if followed by en.)

Question 15

What’s the difference between ferme, fermer, and fermé?

Accepted Answer

- ferme: imperative (Close!)
- fermer: infinitive (to close)
- fermé: past participle/adjective (closed)

Ferme le robinet, s'il te plaît.

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