In our previous lesson, we discussed ways to make a friendly and polite request in various situations in French. There is yet another level of formality that requires more sophisticated language, often in the form of set expressions and polite formulas, which we are going to explore in this lesson. 

In addition to the more common ways of saying “please” in French—the informal s'il te plaît and the formal s'il vous plaît—there are yet more formal equivalents of “please." One of them is je vous prie (literally, "I pray you"). As Nelly points out in her video, this kind of “please,” je vous prie, almost sounds too impersonal in a restaurant setting:

Pourrais-je avoir le menu, je vous prie ?

Could I have the menu, please?

Caption 41, Français avec Nelly Alternatives to "je veux" - Part 2

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You are more likely to hear je vous prie in a more formal situation such as in a courtroom, like the judge in this video uses it: 

Asseyez-vous, je vous prie.

Sit down, please.

Caption 54, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Détournement d'argent dans le couple ? - Part 1

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In the same video, another judge uses an even slightly more formal expression, veuillez (the imperative form of vouloir, “to want”). The two phrases are pretty much interchangeable, as both are impersonal, although you could argue that veuillez is more of a direct command while je vous prie is more of an invitation:

Veuillez vous asseoir.

Please take a seat.

Caption 24, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Détournement d'argent dans le couple ? - Part 1

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It is also possible to combine these two ways of saying “please” in the same sentence. In English, we tend to avoid such repetition, but the second "please," je vous prie, tacked on at the end softens the tone of the request:

Baptiste, veuillez vous présenter à la barre, je vous prie.

Baptiste, please take the stand.

Caption 31, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Volé par sa belle-mère ? - Part 6

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On the other hand, when starting a sentence with je vous prie, it has the opposite effect! In the context of this video, where an employee in trouble is asking his boss for forgiveness, je vous prie sounds more like an urgent plea:

Je vous prie de m'excuser.

Please forgive me.

Caption 9, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma collègue veut ma place - Part 8

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The expression je vous prie de + infinitive can also express an order, an official request to comply with the rules. In this episode of our Zooriginaux series, the officious penguin is asking the lion Sir Tigris to get out or else. So in this case, je vous prie de translates as “I’m asking you to,” said in a firm tone of voice:

Je suis désolé, Sir Tigris, mais le règlement interdit de déranger les artistes. Je vous prie donc de sortir.

I'm sorry, Sir Tigris, but the rules forbid disturbing the artists. So I'm asking you to please get out.

Captions 24-26, Les zooriginaux 6. Tiger Minor - Part 2

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Incidentally, do not confuse je vous prie with je vous en prie, which means something entirely different. It is the formal equivalent of de rien (you're welcome):

Merci infiniment. -Je vous en prie, merci. -À très bientôt.

Thanks a million. -You're welcome, thank you. -See you very soon.

Caption 78, Le Mans TV Mon Village - Malicorne - Part 4

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All the expressions mentioned so far can be used in writing or in formal speech, but there are some formal instructions only found in writing. You may have come across public signs starting with the very impersonal expression prière de (literally, "prayer to"). This expression often features on public signs, notices, and official documents. Since there is no direct translation, its meaning will become clear with an example. If you ever see the road sign Prière de ne pas stationner, it is in your interest to understand it if you want to avoid a parking ticket! 

Prière de ne pas stationner. Emplacement reservé.

No parking. Reserved parking.

There is another public sign that you might like to take heed of: il est interdit sous peine d’amende (it is forbidden under penalty of a fine). In this video, Daniel Benchimol reads the long list of rules on a sign in a public park:

Il est interdit donc sous peine d'amende de marcher sur les pelouses et massifs

So it is forbidden, under penalty of a fine, to walk on the lawns and flowerbeds

Captions 34-35, Voyage en France Soissons - Part 2

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Likewise, it is best not to ignore the words défense de + infinitive, forbidding you to perform certain actions, unless you are willing to break the law. Now that smoking has fallen out of favor in France, you may come across more "No Smoking" signs in cafés:

Défense de fumer

No smoking

There is yet another form of request that is extremely impersonal, the formula ne pas + infinitive. The verb addresses no one in particular and, as in prière de and défense de, remains in the infinitive form instead of the imperative mood used for commands. In the context of this song, the use of the infinitive is a plea for help, as the singer is asking people to stop being indifferent to the plight of starving children in drought-stricken East Africa:

Ne pas les laisser dans l'indifférence et l'oubli

Don't leave them in indifference and neglect

Caption 59, Lesieur Des Ricochets

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Now you know that there is more than one way of saying “please” in French, ranging from very friendly to formal and impersonal. And you are now aware that some formal instructions only appear in writing. Don't fret too much over the differences between some of these expressions, as they are often subtle and subjective. Just be mindful of the level of the formality of a situation and remain respectful when making a request or receiving a request. Merci de bien vouloir consulter les vidéos sur Yabla (please watch our Yabla videos) to help you navigate the nuances and differences in formal language. Thank you for reading!

Now that we have explored various aspects of the French justice system—its courts, procedures, protocols, and some famous trials—let's take a closer look at the most common types of offenses the courts have to deal with and what court rulings are often issued. The French justice system rend (delivers) thousands of jugements (sentences) every year: 

Tous les ans, la justice française rend plus de quatre cent mille jugements en correctionnelle.

Every year, the French justice system delivers more than four hundred thousand sentences in criminal courts.

Captions 21-22, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 1

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Some of these real-life cases have been dramatized in the series Le jour où tout a basculé - À l'audience, where all manner of crimes and misdemeanors are discussed:

Conflits, escroqueries, drames familiaux.

Conflicts, scams, family dramas.

Caption 25, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 1

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In this particular case, a young mother is accused by her lover of une tentative d’escroquerie à la carte bancaire (attempted credit card fraud):

Elle comparaît pour tentative d'escroquerie à la carte bancaire.

She is appearing before the court for attempted credit card fraud.

Caption 42, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 1

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However, the woman claims that she never attempted to escroquer (to scam) anyone and that her credit card was stolen from her:

J'ai jamais tenté d'escroquer qui que ce soit.

I've never attempted to scam anyone.

Caption 63, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 1

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The prosecution has reason to believe that she may have simulé ce vol (simulated this theft) in order to escroquer son assurance (defraud her insurance). This time, the translation of escroquer is the more specific legal term “to defraud”: 

...dans ce dossier, y a de nombreux éléments qui laissent plutôt penser que vous avez simulé ce vol pour ensuite escroquer votre assurance.

...in this case, there are numerous elements that instead lead us to think that you simulated this theft to then defraud your insurance.

Captions 87-90, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 1

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The stakes are high for the accused: if this woman is reconnue coupable (found guilty) she could face five years of prison and forty-five thousand euros d’amendes (in fines). Note the spelling of amendes with an e, not to be confused with amandes (almonds):

Si cette mère de famille est reconnue coupable des faits qui lui sont reprochés, elle encourt cinq années de prison et quarante-cinq mille euros d'amendes.

If this mother is found guilty of the charges that are being made against her, she incurs five years in prison and forty-five thousand euros in fines.

Captions 46-49, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 1

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In a major recent case, the right-wing politician Marine Le Pen has been convicted of another serious type of fraud, le détournement de fonds publics (embezzlement of public funds):

Marine Le Pen et huit autres personnes, huit euro députés ont été reconnus coupables de détournement de fonds publics à hauteur d'environ trois millions d'euros.

Marine Le Pen and eight other people, eight Euro deputies [Members of European Parliament] have been found guilty of embezzlement of public funds amounting to approximately three million euros.

Captions 18-21, France 24 Marine Le Pen reconnue coupable de détournement de fonds publics

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Le Pen was subject to une peine d'inéligibilité (sentence of ineligibility), which prevents her from running for office for the next five years:

Et tout le monde attend de savoir au final si cette peine d'inéligibilité avec exécution provisoire sera ou pas prononcée aujourd'hui à l'encontre de Marine Le Pen.

And everyone is waiting to know in the end whether this sentence of ineligibility with provisional execution will or will not be pronounced today against Marine Le Pen.

Captions 71-74, France 24 Marine Le Pen reconnue coupable de détournement de fonds publics

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Indeed, une peine d’inégibilité or a similar type of ban, such as une interdiction d'exercer (a ban from exercising one’s profession), can seem just as bad as une peine de prison (a prison sentence), a situation in which the doctor in the following video finds himself: 

Car si le tribunal reconnaît le docteur Cujasse coupable, outre une peine de prison, le prévenu encourt une interdiction d'exercer.

Because if the court finds Doctor Cujasse guilty, in addition to a prison sentence, the defendant risks being banned from exercising his profession.

Captions 40-42, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience: Mon chirurgien était ivre - Part 1

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The ultimate peine is la peine de mort (death penalty), which was banned in France in 1981. In his humorous song "Le Crépi" (Stucco), Oldelaf jokingly mentions that though he is not in favor of la peine de mort, he thinks something should be done about people who invent eyesores like stucco:

Franchement je ne suis pas / Pour la peine de mort, mais là / Il faudrait faire quelque chose

Frankly I am not / For the death penalty, but here / We should do something

Captions 29-31, Oldelaf Le Crépi

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Thankfully, misdemeanors are usually discouraged with a simple warning. You may have come across the expression sous peine d’amende (under the penalty of a fine) on public signs such as the one Daniel Benchimol is reading here, which says that it is an offense to walk on grass, a common warning in France. (Incidentally, Parisians are divided over that rule, according to this article.) 

Il est interdit donc sous peine d'amende de marcher sur les pelouses et massifs

So it is forbidden, under penalty of a fine, to walk on the lawns and flowerbeds

Captions 34-35, Voyage en France Soissons - Part 2

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There you have it for our Going to Court series. We hope this glimpse into the legal French system will expand your vocabulary and inspire you to explore our legal series Le jour où tout a basculé - À l'audience. Thank you for reading!

Although this lesson is about peine (pain), it need not be painful. There are a variety of expressions using the word whose meaning does not involve “pain.” Let's explore both the painful aspects of the word peine and the idiomatic expressions derived from it. 

We'll start with the primary meaning of peine, the English cognate “pain.” In the song below, from the musical Pour la peine, set during the French Revolution, the word peine is part of the refrain depicting the turmoil of the times. Note that unlike "pain" in English, peine only refers to emotional pain or mental suffering in French: 

Au nom des larmes qui nous désarment,

In the name of the tears that disarm us,

on doit pouvoir changer l'histoire pour la peine

we must be able to change history for the pain

Caption 24, 1789: Les Amants de la Bastille - Pour la peine

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In another part of the song, we come across a synonym of peine, douleur, which can refer to both emotional pain and physical pain. In this context, the word douleur means “sorrow”: 

On veut des rêves qui nous soulèvent,

We want dreams that lift us up,

on veut des fleurs à nos douleurs

we want flowers for our sorrows

Caption 7, 1789: Les Amants de la Bastille - Pour la peine

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In any case, do use the word douleur, not peine, to describe physical pain, as in douleurs dentaires (dental pains):

Je connais ce que c'est ces douleurs dentaires.

I know what those dental pains are like.

Caption 21, Le saviez-vous? - Conversation entre étrangers

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Going back to psychological pain, the word peine encompasses a range of feelings. For example, the expression faire de la peine (literally, to “make pain”) means to cause pain/sorrow or to elicit compassion and pity. In the video below, we know from the context that the speaker feels sorry for the person, in a compassionate way:

Elle me fait de la peine.

I feel sorry for her.

Caption 6, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Notre appartement est hanté

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However, there is a fine line between compassion and pity. In a less charitable context, one might say tu me fais de la peine (I pity you), showing utter contempt: 

T'es vraiment pitoyable mais tu fais vraiment de la peine.

You're really pathetic, but I really pity you.

Caption 6, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Espion dans l'immeuble

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Faire de la peine is a tricky construction that involves the use of indirect object pronouns (me, te, lui, nous, vous), which you can learn more about in this lesson. When you come across these, as in te fait de la peine in the video below, you may want to first consider the literal meaning (“is causing you pain”) to get at the true meaning ("is upsetting for you") dictated by the context:

Je... je sais que ce que je te demande te fait de la peine

I... I know that what I'm asking you is upsetting for you

Caption 31, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Mon histoire d'amour est impossible

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So, pay close attention to those personal pronouns! 

Je te fais de la peine. 

I hurt your feelings. 

 

Tu me fais de la peine.

You’re upsetting me.

You may need to turn the sentence around to understand the meaning, as we did earlier:

Elle me fait de la peine.

I feel sorry for her. (Literally, "she's causing me pain.")

Peine can also have the sense of “trouble / effort”:

C'est pas la peine.

It's not worth the trouble. / It's not worth it.

Caption 77, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Mon père s'oppose à ma passion

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Likewise, peiner, the verbal form of peine, means “to struggle”:

Sabine peine à se débarrasser de Gabriela.

Sabine is struggling to get rid of Gabriela.

Caption 33, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple

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You can use either peine or peiner to express trouble or difficulty:

Il marche avec peine.

He walks with difficulty.

 

Il peine à marcher.

He struggles to walk. / He has trouble walking.

Another variation here would be to use the expression à peine (barely / hardly):

Il peut à peine marcher.

He can barely walk.

On the other hand, it is of course possible to perform a task sans peine (without difficulty):

Mais lorsque Cendrillon entra sans peine avec son pied dans la chaussure...

But when Cinderella inserted her foot in the shoe without difficulty...

Caption 49, Contes de fées - Cendrillon

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But if you switch the preposition sans (without) to sous (under), the meaning will totally change!

J'ai fait pression sur Baptiste

I put pressure on Baptiste

pour qu'il porte plainte contre Florence

so he would lodge a complaint against Florence

sous peine de couper les ponts

under the threat of cutting off the bridges [all contact]

Captions 43-45, Le Jour où tout a basculé - À l'audience - Volé par sa belle-mère ?

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In a legal context, sous peine de means “under penalty of”:

Il est interdit donc sous peine d'amende

So it is forbidden, under penalty of a fine

Caption 34, Voyage en France - Soissons

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And then there's the ultimate punishment, la peine de mort (the death penalty). According to humorous singer Oldelaf, even the most minor offenses merit la peine de mort:

La peine de mort

The death penalty

Pour les mamies avec les cheveux tout violet

For grannies with completely purple hair

Captions 45-46, Oldelaf - La peine de mort

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Thankfully, making mistakes while learning French is allowed at Yabla and will not incur any peine (pain or penalty). We hope this lesson en valait la peine (was worth it). Merci d’avoir pris la peine de lire tout ça! (Thank you for taking the trouble to read all this!)