Invitations often end with a French abbreviation. 'RSVP' asks you to do what?

RSVP asks the recipient to please reply, confirming whether they will attend an event. It comes from the French phrase "Répondez s'il vous plaît," literally "respond if it pleases you," and it became standard on English invitations to help hosts plan numbers for catering, seating, or space.

RSVP has nothing to do with dress code or gifts — those details, if relevant, are usually spelled out separately on an invitation. Confusing RSVP with a dress-code instruction is a common mistake precisely because the abbreviation gives no hint of its French origin.

Many formal English etiquette terms borrow from French this way, a holdover from the centuries when French was the language of the European aristocracy and high society, leaving traces in words like "chic," "soirée," and "etiquette" itself.