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what does the phrase "if you will" mean? i think its a useless add-on to the ends of sentences
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Being polite is never useless.
When you learn french, 'Please' is translated to 'S'il vous plait', but 'S'il vous plait' actually literally translates too 'If it pleases you.'
That is where we get the word 'Please' from, because when you think about, please is kind of a stupid word when use it at the end of a request as well! Technically, 'to please' is to give pleasure. What we are implying when we say 'Please pass the potatoes' is actually, "If it gives you pleasure, pass the potatoes."
English is a weird language though, and we value economy in our everyday words, so we shortened it up to just 'Please.'
'If you will' comes in a similar way. It's tagged onto a thought or sentence as a way of softening a request that was not phrased as a question. When someones says 'Open the windows, if you will.' what they are saying is “Open the windows if you would like too/if it would please you/if you would will it done.” They are just getting it out with less words.
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