Een glas rode wijn bestellen in het restaurant

What does “alstublieft” mean in Dutch?

Alstublieft does double duty that surprises most learners: say it when you make a request (“please”) and say it again when you hand something over (“here you are”). The formal version uses the polite pronoun u — contrasted with the casual alsjeblieft (with je) — and is the right choice with strangers, in restaurants, and anywhere you’d use “sir” or “ma’am” in English.

The word contracts the older phrase als het u belieft — “if it pleases you” — a structure borrowed from the French s’il vous plaît. In the clip, the customer orders with “ik wil graag een rode wijn, alstublieft” (please), and moments later the waiter delivers the glass with “Alstublieft, meneer” (here you are, sir). Same word, same transaction, opposite direction — which is exactly what makes it stick.