Reply SIL Vous Plait

[SciFiRocker]

RSVP = Reply SIL Vous Plait...
Which is French for please.

RSVP means reply please.

Aibu that you DO NOT IGNORE A PARTY INVITATION!

(Rant over)

I think it’s literally “IF you please”

And whoever didn’t reply to you obviously didn’t.

Aaaarrrrgh! Just say yes or no. It’s surely not difficult?!

Literal meaning is not the same as what the actual intended meaning is in normal usage.

Yes they should reply. Annoying when they don’t.

Isn’t is repondez not reply? And s’il vous plait = if you please?
So reply if you please.

But yes it’s bloody annoying when people don’t reply

It's repondez s'il vous plait
Why would one word be in English and the others in French?

It loosely translates in the town i find myself in to "completely ignore this piece of paper until 5 mins before, turn up unannounced and act offended when your darling child cannot join in an activity because it's been cancelled due to lack of interest"

We handed out twenty invites for dd’s party, had 11 responses of yes or no. The other 9 just haven’t bothered and it’s so rude!

Can't you put - if x is going to come please tell us by x - doesn't quite say you are about if you don't reply but it is a polite order I think

Fortunately the French Repondez and E Reply are both R's.
How about TMIYC (Tell me if you are coming) or something else?
RYB Reply You B* (fill your own in here).

Yes it's very annoying but, sometimes, if the invites were handed to the children, they're still lying in the bottom of their bags. The parents not having any idea of them!

I don't think the problem is misinterpreting the French language, although thanks for clearing up what s'il vous plait means

Everyone knows what the RSVP means, they're just choosing to ignore it. Very annoying for you because you have to chase people up if you need to know numbers.

Huh. I always thought using the French was just a fancy way of saying "respond please" - not "if you please" (the literal translation). I'm pretty sure when a French person says "s'il vous plait" they don't mean only IF you WANT to. They mean "please". As in please, just like we'd use it: "Please send the invoice" (not only send the invoice if you want to). A polite way to request something.

Perhaps people should just say "Respond Please".

Party invitation?

Chance would be a fine thing!

^~sobs quietly into third GnT of the morning~*

Everyone knows what the RSVP means

I don't know. I've seen vociferous arguments where people say it means only contact if you're coming, and others only if you're not!!! And the latter to seem to honestly believe that. I can at least understand the first interpretation (if I still think it's wrong), but the second makes no sense whatsoever.

Some people say it means only contact if you're coming Oh for goodness sake, why don't they Google it if they're not sure? It means Respond Please.
What has happened to good manners? Are people really so flat out busy that they can't take some time to acknowledge an invitation? It's so easy with social media these days to reply. I don't get it.

With a formal invitation, you reply either way; that you will come or that you can’t. If there is no response, it is entirely acceptable for the host to assume you are not coming if numbers for catering are critical for the size of venue and fire regs.

Literal word for word translations between languages often 'fail' in some respect.
RSVP means 'Respond please' which implies that they want an answer whether you are or are not (coming).
I blame the dropping of languages in so many schools.
Mind you this will become academic once Brexit hits.

Well, if you think about it, 'please' just means 'pleas' as in - begging.

So it could be 'reply, I'm begging you.'

Completely feel for you.

Some people are rude self-absorbed f***s.

If the thing is a small number and you need to book somewhere I hate having to chase people or you just find out if you happen to bump into them and ask. Or people who resond one hour beforehand(!) Parents act rudely then wonder a year later why their kid's not invited. I find these are the ones who don't tend to hold parties themselves.

And don't get me started on adult parties with the 'maybe I'll come, maybe I won't' respones.............

Wouldn't it be easier to just write "please reply, stating if you are coming or not", rather than an acronym of a foreign phrase that is open to interpretation?

Are there no pedantic multilinguists out there to help with this one and the origins of 'English' and the acquisition of French, German and many other words and phrases?

I don’t think you can rely on people knowing the rules of polite behaviour.
The only way you can get round it is to explicitly ask, “please let reply by date so that I can confirm numbers.”

So junk the faux French and add a neat, unambiguous line or 2 in English

"Please reply with a yes please or a no thanks. If you don't I will assume nobody is coming, will cancel the party and have one snivelling 5 year old crying that she has no friends. DO NOT BE THAT PARENT!!"

And s’il vous plait = if you please?

Sorry, not quite. Literally:

if (si) it (il) you (vous) pleases (plâit)

I know, should really be in Pedants Corner!

The French use: s'il vous plait (or s'il te plait) the way we say "Please"
The litteral traduction is irrelevant. Even a French toddler will say "s'il te plait".

YANBU to be annoyed by people not replying to invitations. It's rude, but there are not many solutions unfortunately.
People shouldn't even need to see a RSVP on something to think about replying! RSVP is good for dates, not for the common sense of letting someone know if you are coming or not.