“Please RSVP”

No, I won’t. Or only after crossing out the “please”.

Because I get annoyed by people abusing language.

“RSVP” is the abbreviation for the French sentence “Répondez s’il vous plaît” which translates as “Please reply”. Therefore, RSVP does not need an additional “please”.

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About Andreas Moser

I am a lawyer in Germany, with a focus on international family law, migration and citizenship law, as well as constitutional law. My other interests include long walks, train rides, hitchhiking, history, and writing stories.
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1 Response to “Please RSVP”

  1. John Erickson's avatar John Erickson says:

    Amen, brother! I’m quite the petrolhead (gearhead for us Yanks), and consume a great deal of information about cars. The latest trend is for advertisers (especially Ford) to proclaim that they don’t just speak “RPMs”, but also “MPGs”. The problem? RPM and MPG are both inherently plural – revolutionS per minute and mileS per gallon. If you don’t know how to use abbreviations common throughout your industry, why should I trust your product? (Which I don’t – I’m a lifelong GM guy. Sorry, Ford lovers! :) )

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