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French Phrase

Demande au comptoir, s'il te plaît.

/də.mɑ̃d o kɔ̃.pwaʁ si l tə plɛ/
Meaning"Ask at the counter, please."
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Meaning

Literally, ‘Ask at the counter, please.’ It is a polite way to tell someone to go to the service counter and make a request, often used in shops, banks, or travel settings.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you want to give a friendly, yet courteous, instruction to a single person to approach the counter and ask for something—e.g., a ticket, information, or a receipt.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Demandeaucomptoir,s'ilteplaît.

1

Imperative (2nd person singular)

‘Demande’ is the imperative form of the verb ‘demander’ used when speaking directly to one person.

2

Preposition contraction

‘au’ = à + le; it is the correct way to say ‘to the’ before a masculine noun like ‘comptoir’.

3

Polite formula ‘s’il te plaît’

Adding ‘s’il te plaît’ (or ‘s’il vous plaît’ in formal situations) softens the command and makes it courteous.

4

Subject omission

In the imperative, the subject pronoun (tu) is omitted; the verb stands alone.

🗨In Conversation

A

Je ne trouve pas mon ticket de train.

I can't find my train ticket.

Demande au comptoir, s'il te plaît.

Ask at the counter, please.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Demande à le comptoir, s'il te plaît.

    ‘à le’ must contract to ‘au’; using the two words is grammatically incorrect.

  • Demande le comptoir, s'il te plaît.

    The preposition ‘au’ is required; ‘Demande le comptoir’ sounds like you are demanding the counter itself.

  • Demande au comptoir, s’il vous plaît.

    If you are speaking informally to a peer, use ‘s’il te plaît’; ‘s’il vous plaît’ is too formal for casual conversation.

↔Alternatives

  • Va au comptoir et demande, s'il te plaît.

    Go to the counter and ask, please.

  • Rends-toi au comptoir, s'il te plaît.

    Head to the counter, please.

  • Demande au guichet, s'il te plaît.

    Ask at the ticket window, please.

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Cultural Tip

In everyday French, ‘s’il te plaît’ is used with friends or peers, while ‘s’il vous plaît’ is preferred in formal or professional contexts. The word ‘comptoir’ refers to any service counter—at a shop, bank, train station, or restaurant—so the phrase works in many travel situations.