RSVP is one of those acronyms that found their way into everyday language with very few people bothering to actually understand what exactly it means. If you are planning a gathering, these random consonants strung together could be a source of stress; after all you need people to RSVP, so you can plan better. However, do you know what it stands for?
Discover our latest podcast
What is RSVP?
A TikToker with the account name @artnaturals asked its followers if they knew what the acronym RSVP stands for and the different responses to the post couldn’t have been any further from the truth. An article in Daily Star quoted some users as replying with an interesting array of answers ranging from ‘respond very promptly’, ‘reservation for very important person’ to one person who honestly thought it had something to do with special parking.
'So what does it actually stand for? Well, RSVP is simply French for 'please respond'. The initials stand for repondez s’il vous plait, which literally translates to ‘respond if you please’. Although the acronym is hardly used in France where it is considered colloquial, it is still very much used in other parts of the world, Daily Star opined.
What to do with an RSVP
According to Reader’s Digest, receiving an invitation that requests for you to RSVP means the host wants to know whether you will attend the event for which the invitation was sent.
RSVPs are typically due by a certain time period to allow for the hosts to plan accordingly for your arrival. These are hard deadlines so make sure to either do it as soon as possible or make a note of its due date!
A bonus fun fact you may not have been aware of is that X in X’mas was a religious symbol used in medieval times to represent Jesus.
Sources used:
Daily Star: People are only just realising what RSVP means – and it's not an acronym
Reader’s Digest: What Does RSVP Mean on an Invite?
