what is the meaning of RSVP?

Answer 1

It's French. Respondez S'il Vous Plais.

Misspelled it first then checked the link below. Sorry. This one is accurate.

Answer 2

R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply." The person sending the invitation would like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. That is, will you be coming to the event or not? Etiquette rules followed in most Western cultures require that if you receive a formal, written invitation, you should reply promptly, perhaps that same day. For hosts who are planning a dinner party, a wedding or a reception, this is important from a practical point of view, because they need to know how many people to count on and how much food and drink to buy. More important, though, is the simple courtesy of responding to someone who was nice enough to invite you, even if it is to say that you regret that you will not be able to attend.

Many wedding invitations come with a response card that you can mail back right away. Other written invitations will carry the host's telephone number so you can call with your reply, although under strict etiquette rules, a written invitation requires a written reply. Nowadays, invitations often carry a "regrets only" notation at the end. That means that the host will count on your being there unless you tell him or her otherwise. Some people even use "R.S.V.P." as a verb, as in "Have you R.S.V.P.ed to that invitation?"

You might wonder why we use the initials of a French phrase in an invitation that is written in English. You could say that the French "invented" etiquette, although that would be a simplification because there have always been rules of courtesy to follow in civilization. In fact, an Italian diplomat, Conte Baldassare Castiglione, wrote the first book about proper behavior among nobility in the 16th century. Many of the practices of Western etiquette, however, came from the French court of King Louis XIV in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. At Versailles, his palace, Louis XIV had the rules for court behavior written on what the French referred to as "tickets," or "étiquette." The tickets either were signs posted at Versailles or were the invitations issued to court events with the rules of behavior printed on the back; experts give different versions of the origin. And French was the language of refinement and high society through the 19th century in the United States. Judith Martin, the author of etiquette books and a syndicated newspaper columnist known as "Miss Manners," thinks that "R.S.V.P." came about as a polite way of reminding people of something that they should already know: If you receive an invitation, you should reply.

Answer 3

The meaning behind it is so that you get a response on all the invites you sent out, so you know how much food to make or serve... so if you sent out 20 invites, and only 3 ppl responded, well... I guess you don't need a 20lb turkey.

Answer 4

It's french for Reconnoiter Situation Vie-a-Vie Present

Which is an archaic way of saying that you have received the information (invitation) and you will be present to the best of your knowledge.

Answer 5

Respondez, silvous plais

or, roughly translated....please respond.

The meaning in today, of course, being a "let us know if you're coming so we can plan accordingly"

Answer 6

The host wants you to respond to the invitation so he or she will know how many guest to expect.

Answer 7

It means get back to me, with an answer, on this issue.

Answer 8

Reserve se vous plait - it means "reservations please" in french. If it's written on an invitation it means that they would like you to tell them if you're coming.

Answer 9

let me know u are coming and i'll save u a seat but hurry

Answer 10

Respond So Very Promply

Can I bum a cigarette?