permettez

Permettre is a French verb meaning “to allow” or “to permit.” The form permettez is the second-person plural present indicative, written as vous permettez, and also serves as the imperative form for the vous subject: Permettez is the capitalized imperative form used to address a group formally or politely. In everyday speech, permettez appears most often in formal or written contexts, while the more common instruction to a single person is Permets (tu) or Permettez (vous) in imperative mood.

Etymology and meaning. The verb permettre derives from Latin permittere, literally “to let through” or “to allow.” In French, permettre and its inflected forms retain the sense of granting permission, authorization, or the possibility of doing something. The word is frequently employed in both direct requests and formal introductions or proposals, reflecting its polite register.

Conjugation. In the present tense, the forms begin with je permets, tu permets, il permet, nous permettons, vous permettez, ils permettent. The form permettez appears in the vous form; as an imperative, the corresponding mood uses Permettez (capital P when starting a sentence), still using the same base and ending. The verb belongs to the second group of irregular -mettre verbs, requiring careful spelling with two t’s in the stem.

Usage notes. Permettre is common in formal discourse, legal language, business communication, and courteous speech. Typical constructions include Permettez-moi de..., Permettez que..., or Vous permettez de... to seek or grant permission. Its tone ranges from neutral to formal, and it often appears in introductions, requests, or proposals.

See also. Permettre, permission, modality in French verbs.