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Questions & Answers about Ferme le robinet, s'il te plaît.
Why is it Ferme and not Fermez or Fermer?
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).
When would I say Fermez le robinet, s’il vous plaît instead?
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.).
Can I mix registers, like Fermez …, s’il te plaît?
No. Keep them consistent:
- Informal: Ferme …, s’il te plaît.
- Formal/plural: Fermez …, s’il vous plaît.
What does s’il te plaît literally mean, and what’s with the apostrophe?
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).
Do I have to write the circumflex in plaît?
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.
Why is it le robinet and not ton robinet?
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.
What gender is robinet, and why does it matter?
Robinet is masculine: le robinet, un robinet, ce robinet. If you replace it with a pronoun, use le (direct object): Ferme-le.
How do I pronounce the sentence?
- 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.
Do I need a comma before s’il te plaît? What about the exclamation mark?
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.)
Can I put s’il te plaît at the beginning?
Yes: S’il te plaît, ferme le robinet. It’s equally natural.
How do I say “Close it, please” with a pronoun?
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.
What’s the negative imperative of the original sentence?
Ne ferme pas le robinet, s’il te plaît.
Is Coupe l’eau or Ferme l’eau also correct?
- 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.
Any special rule about the missing -s in the tu imperative of -ER verbs?
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.)
What’s the difference between ferme, fermer, and fermé?
- ferme: imperative (Close!)
- fermer: infinitive (to close)
- fermé: past participle/adjective (closed)