What does R.V.S.P mean in french why do we use it on letters?
611938
Respondez-vous sil vous plait (please respond).\n\nThis means you have to tell the host whether or not you will go to the party.\n\nEven if you cannot go, the RSVP means you have to say you won't be there.  This is especially important because it allows the host to plan the event properly (seating, food, etc).
235233
In French it means "the little girl"\nfrom the nom "fille"
389860
Because they are both derived from Latin. French is the same way.
543401
RSVP is an abbreviation for the French phrase "Respondez S'il Vous Plait." In English, RSVP stands for "Reply Please!"\n\nIf you have received an invitation that includes an RSVP notation, you are being asked to respond and let your hosts know whether or not you are able to attend the event.\n\nIf you are sending an invitation with an RSVP notation, you are asking your guests to "Respond Please" so that you can plan appropriately.
618369
Repondez s'il vous plait.\n\nIt is French for "Respond if you please," or "Answer requested."
545933
It's kind of an insult in french. More like an exclamation insult, like "what the hell" in english. Something similar (not a traduction tho).
670845
Respondez-vous si'l vous plait. Means "respond, please" in French.
1180280
It comes from the Middle French phrase "s'entrevoir," which means \nto see one another, or to meet.
1135970
The correct spelling is Messrs. with the full stop/period and it's basically the English equivalent of the plural of the French word 'monsieur' (meaning 'Mister') which is 'messieurs'. \n\nIt means the plural of 'Mister', and is pronounced pretty much "messuhz". It's quite archaic and regarded as rather formal. Its most frequent use seems to be when more than one 'Mister' signs a letter... "Regards, Messrs. Blake and Strong" for example.
541813
French for “pen name”; an invented name under which an author writes.
1066303
Cuz criquet means 'bat' in French. And criquet is what they called cricket in France. I guess we wren't far off, when as kids we called it 'Bat n Ball'!!
56943
Nickisbox answer is as correct as makes no difference. In fact it means 'socially correct behaviour'. Mind your manners; Mind your behaviour, etc.\n\nI've added this edit (26.01.06) because Puppyfred and MacMomma have referred to origins of the expressions and all of you might be interested in the following: \n\nThe phrase dates to the late 18th century. The pecise origin is not known, but several competing hypotheses seem to be the most likely.\n\n    * The first is that it derives from the phrase p and q which was an abbreviation for prime quality. This English dialectical term dates to the 17th century. So to mind your p's and q's would mean to be exacting in detail and ensure high quality.\n\n    * The second is that it refers to difficulty children had in learning to distinguish between the letters p and q, being mirror images of one another. To learn one's p's and q's is a phrase meaning to learn one's letters is first recorded around 1830--somewhat later but not impossible as the origin. Often this explanation is identified with printers and distinguish between a p and a q in type, but the early use exclusively deals with children, not printing.\n\n    * The third, first suggested by Farmer and Henley at the turn of the 20th century, is that the phrase comes from the practice of maintaining a tally in pubs and taverns. Marks under column P, for pint, or Q, for quart, would be made on a blackboard. To tell a bartender to mind his Ps and Qs would be to tell him to mind his own business and get back to work.\n\n    * Another commonly suggested explanation is that it is a variation on mind your pleases and thank yous, a plea for gentility and manners. There is no evidence to support this, nor does the please and thank you phrase appear anywhere except in explanations of the Ps and Qs origin.\n\n    * The last is from the world of printing. Typesetters had to be skilled in reading letters backward, as the blocks of type would have mirror images of the letters. The lower-case letters p and q were particularly difficult to distinguish because they are mirrors of one another and located in bins next to one another. Typesetters had to be particularly careful not to confuse the two.\n\nAny could be correct except perhaps the fourth which  has no foundation and seems false. I would go for the first as being the most plausible. \n\nThe third is interesting because the blackboard was normally made of slate (and still is in most English pubs although today used for other purposes) and leads to the origin of two other expressions: 'Put it on the slate' and 'Wipe the slate clean'. Workers used to be paid on Friday and by Monday had very little money left. So if they wanted to drink during the week they would ask the landlord to 'put it on the slate'. The landlord would put the customers initials on the board and by the side of it the number of drinks that had to be paid for. The following Friday the customer would pay his bill and the landlord would 'wipe the slate clean'. So, to put something on the slate means to get credit; to wipe the slate clean means to clear ones debts.
1097643
Avec plaisir. RSVP is french for Respondez si vous plait, and it means, please answer. It's actually a little stronger in french than it is in english, and means that an answer is expected, not just please answer if you feel like it. \nYou often see this on formal invitations, for dinners, weddings etc. where an accurate head count is needed to be able to provide food and drink in sufficient quantities. A lot of people don't seem to know what it means, however, and don't both to respond. I wonder if it would be more effective to put AYT on the bottom, standing for 'Answer, you twit!'\nProbably Miss Manners wouldn't like that either...
1097215
per pro (that's not the full second word; it's Latin)...it just means that one person is signing a the letter as an agent for another person.  So if a secretary is signing his/her boss's name to a letter, it should look like this:\n\nsecretary's name\np.p. boss's name
1040815
From ******, which is a deritive of **********.  Its also latin for *******************  *****.
410060
P.S. is an abbreviation of Post Script (writing after you've finished a letter).\n\nP.P.S. is just people being silly and would be short for Post Post Script.
141640
It's French:\n\nrepondez, s'il vous plait\n\nIt means "please respond."