if you please
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.58 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see if, you, please.
Example Sentences
- "1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 4: The engine-burglar, The engine-driver and fireman did not see her. They were leaning out on the other side, telling the Porter a tale about a dog and a leg of mutton. "If you please," said Roberta--but the engine was blowing off steam and no one heard her. "If you please, Mr. Engineer," she spoke a little louder, but the Engine happened to speak at the same moment, and of course Roberta's soft little voice hadn't a chance."
- "Say you ſo, Sir, why then you are oblig’d to me for telling your fortune beforehand; you may avoid it if you pleaſe; I have giv’n you warning."
- "I will, if you please, go and see him to-day. And I will ask him to call upon you to-morrow morning."
- "“I don’t care about remarks; I don’t care what people think.” / “You don’t care if you please or displease, perhaps, but to give a joy is something; won’t you?”"
- "‘My king,’ frothed Keimdal, ‘I must object!’ / ‘Object if you please. Then do as I tell you.’"
Etymology
The construction is unusual since the infinitive to please originally meant only “to satisfy”, not “to be satisfied”. One solution entails interpreting you as an object pronoun and please as a verb in the third-person singular subjunctive, such that if you please actually meant if it may please you. The according constructions if thee please, if him please, if them please, etc., are indeed attestable. However, if this approach is correct, the reinterpretation of the pronoun as the subject of the phrase must be very old as we also find if thou please and so on. A second hypothesis construes "if you please" as an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it pleases you which is a calque of French s'il vous plaît. Alternatively, if you please may be a bastardization of if you'd please, which is an abbreviation of if you would please be so kind, wherein please constitutes an adverb, not a verb.