Learn French - Ultimate Guide To Speaking Business French

LESSON NOTES
Business French for Beginners S1

#1
Introducing Yourself in a Business
Meeting
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
2 Vocabulary
2 Sample Sentences
3 Vocabulary Phrase Usage
4 Grammar
1
6 Cultural Insight
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FRENCH
1. Laurène: Bonjour, vous devez être notre nouveau stagiaire, le directeur m'a
prévenu que vous arriviez .
2. Thomas: Tout à fait c'est bien moi. Je m'appelle Thomas Mol. Enchanté de
vous rencontrer
3. Laurène: Je m'appelle Laurène Pali. Enchantée également. Je suis votre

responsable.
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Hello, you must be the new trainee, our director told me you were
coming.
2. Thomas: Indeed it's me. My name is Thomas Mol. Very nice to meet you.
3. Laurène: I'm Laurène Pali. Nice to meet you too. I'm your supervisor.
VOCABULARY
Fr e nc h English C lass Ge nde r
stagiaire trainee noun masculine
prévenir inform verb
être to be verb
responsable person in charge of noun
directeur director noun masculine
rencontrer to meet verb
moi me pronoun
SAMPLE SENTENCES
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUS I NES S FRENCH FOR BEGI NNERS S 1 #1 - I NT RODUCI NG YOURS ELF I N A BUS I NES S MEET I NG 2
J e suis un st agiair e. Pr éviens moi si t u ne peux pas venir à
la r éunion.
I'm a trainee.
"T ell me if you can't come to the
meeting."
J e t e pr éviens, je vais êt r e en r et ar d. Êt r e ou ne pas êt r e.
I'm warning you, I'll be late. "T o be or not to be."
Il est gent il J e suis r esponsable du dépar t ement

mar ket ing.
"He is nice."
I am the person in charge of the
marketing department.
J e n'ai pas r encont r é le dir ect eur . J e r encont r e des gens à mon t r avail.
"I did not meet the director." "I meet people at my work."
On peut se r encont r er à la gar e. J 'ador er ais r encont r er t es par ent s.
"We can meet at the station." "I would love to meet your parents."
J e r encont r e des gens à mon t r avail. J acques et moi, nous sommes amis.
"I meet people at my work." "Jacques and me, we are friends."
Allons à la plage t oi et moi ! J acques et moi, nous sommes amis.
"Let's go to the beach, you and "Jacques and me, we are friends."
me!"
VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE
Vous devez être ~

"You must be ~"
This is a phrase made by the personal pronoun vous, "you" in the plural form, since it's part
of a formal speech, and the verbal phrase devez être, which means "must be."
The French verb devoir means "to have to," "must" or "to owe to." Devoir is used very often in
French, and it has an irregular conjugation. You need to learn it by heart. Basically, it's used
when you "have to" do something and can be followed by an infinitive verb. In this situation,
it is used to make an assumption.
For example:
1. Vous devez être notre nouveau voisin.

"You must be our new neighbor."
GRAMMAR
T he focus of t his lesson is meet ing your super visor for t he fir st t ime.
Bonjour, vous devez être notre nouveau stagiaire, le directeur m'a prévenu que vous
arriviez.
"Hello, you must be t he new t r ainee, our dir ect or t old me you wer e coming."
In t his lesson, we will lear n:
1. Int r oducing your self in a business set t ing
How t o int r oduce your self:
When you introduce yourself in a business meeting, you give your complete name first and
then add your company name as well.
Gener al self-int r oduct ion:
1. Je m'appelle Linda. Enchantée de vous rencontrer.

"I'm Linda. Nice to meet you."
Self-int r oduct ion in a business set t ing:
1. Je m'appelle Linda Baker d'Alpha. Enchantée de vous rencontrer.

"I'm Linda Baker from Alpha. Pleased to meet you."
If you are talking to someone from a different company, be sure to make it clear what your
company name and your position are.
In the dialogue we heard Laurene say:
1. Je suis votre responsable.

"I'm your supervisor."
Ot her examples could be:
1. Je m'appelle Guillaume, délégué pour les boulangeries Paul. C'est un plaisir..

"I'm Guillaume, the representative of Paul's bakery. It's a pleasure."
2. Enchanté de vous rencontrer, je suis le directeur de Delta.

"Nice to meet you, I am the director of Delta."
What t o say if it 's t he ot her per son who int r oduces him or her self fir st :
When the other person introduces him or herself first, following the example from the
dialogue, you can simply reply:
1. Je m'appelle Thomas Mol. Enchanté de vous rencontrer.

"My name is Thomas Mol. Very nice to meet you."
Enchanté means "delighted" and rencontrer means "to meet". De is a preposition that can
be translated as "of". Vous is a subject pronoun. It means "you" and is formal or plural.
It's a sentence to use when meeting a person for the first time. It's formal language. You also
can say Enchanté de te rencontrer. if you are meeting someone about your age, a friend's
relative and so on.
"Nice to meet you too." is Enchantée également.
Sample Sent ences:
1. Je travaille à l'hôpital comme infirmier.

"I'm working at the hospital as a nurse."
2. Je travaille dans les ressources humaines.

"I'm working in the human resources field."
3. Je travaille en libéral.
"I'm a freelancer."
4. Je suis nouveau ici.

"I'm new here."
5. Je suis enchanté de vous rencontrer.

"Very nice to meet you."
6. Je suis dans le département informatique.

"I'm in the IT department."
Examples fr om t he dialogue:
1. Tout à fait c'est bien moi. Je m'appelle Thomas Mol. Enchanté de vous rencontrer
"Indeed it's me. My name is Thomas Mol. Very nice to meet you."
2. Je m'appelle Laurène Pali. Enchantée également. Je suis votre responsable.

"I'm Laurène Pali. Nice to meet you too. I'm your supervisor."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Business car ds in Fr ance
Business cards are not commonly used in France. With new technologies such as
smartphones and social networks, business cards are kind of old-fashioned. But it differs
depending on the profession.
Indeed, salespersons, freelancers, and other self-employed workers use business cards to
promote their own businesses.
And yet, most of them send the link to their website rather than giving a card.
If you are an employee of a major company, it will be no use for you to get them.
Useful expr ession:
1. Voici ma carte de visite.

"Here's my business card."
LESSON NOTES

#2
Introducing Your New Colleague
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 2
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Bonjour à tous. Je vous présente Thomas, mon nouveau stagiaire.
2. Thomas: Bonjour et merci de m'accueillir. Enchanté de vous rencontrer.
3. Julien : Bonjour. Pouvez -vous me répéter votre nom s'il vous plaît ? Je n'ai
pas compris.
4. Thomas: C'est Thomas !
5. Julien : Bienvenue dans l'équipe. Voici votre bureau.
6. Thomas: Merci beaucoup.
7. Laurène: Et voici tes mots de passe pour te connecter à ton ordinateur de

bureau.
8. Thomas: Encore merci !
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Hello everyone. I introduce you to Thomas, my new trainee.
2. Thomas: Hello, and thank you for your welcoming. Pleased to meet you.
3. Julien : Hello. Could you repeat your name please? I did not understand.
4. Thomas: It's Thomas!
5. Julien : Welcome to the team. Here's your desk.
6. Thomas: Thank you very much.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUS I NES S FRENCH FOR BEGI NNERS S 1 #2 - I NT RODUCI NG YOUR NEW COLLEAGUE 2
7. Laurène: And here's your passwords to log yourself in with your computer.
8. Thomas: Thank you again!
VOCABULARY
to present, to show,
présenter to display, to verb
introduce
accueillir greet verb
répéter repeat verb
comprendre to understand verb
c'est it's, this is, that is contraction
bienvenue welcome expression
ordinateur computer noun masculine
mot de passe password phrase
bureau office noun masculine
connecter log in verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Les employés pr ésent ent leur s Accueillir ma belle-mèr e est t oujour s

pr ojet s aujour d'hui, ça va êt r e long. un plaisir .
"T he employees are presenting "Greeting my stepmother is always

their projects today, it's going to a pleasure."
be long."
Vous pouvez r épét er la quest ion ? Vous avez compr is?
"Can you repeat the question?" "Did you understand?"
J e compr ends le fr ançais. C'est à mon pèr e.
"I understand French." "It's my father's."
Bienvenue chez moi! Mon or dinat eur mont r e des

messages d'er r eur t out le t emps.
"Welcome to my home!"
"My computer is displaying error
messages all the time."
C'est un or dinat eur . J 'ai le même mot de passe pour t ous

les sit es que je visit e.
"It's a computer."
"I have the same password for all
the websites I visit."
Mon bur eau est pr ès de la Post e. T u as besoin d'un mot de passe pour
t e connect er .
"My office is next to the post
office." "You need a password to log in."
bureau
"desk, office"
Bureau is a masculine noun that can mean both "desk" and "office." When you say Je suis au
bureau. it means "I'm at the office." But you can say Au bureau, je travaille sur un bureau.
meaning "At the office, I'm working on a desk." Je suis dans mon bureau. doesn't mean "I'm
in my desk.", but "I'm in my office, in my study."
For example:
1. J'ai besoin d'un nouveau bureau pour mon bureau.

"I need a new desk for my office."
se connecter
"t o log in"
Se connecter is a verb meaning "to log in." Se verbs are also known as reflexive verbs. In this
case, the pronoun (me, te, se, nous, or vous) changes to reflect the subject of the verb.
This verb is used in the IT field: if you want to login into a website, a computer, etc.
For example:
1. Il faut se connecter pour voir les photos de ses amis sur Facebook.
"You have to log in to view your friends' photos on Facebook."
GRAMMAR
T he Focus Of T his Lesson Is Int r oducing someone
Bonjour à tous. Je vous présente Thomas, mon nouveau stagiaire.

"Hello ever yone. I int r oduce you t o T homas, my new t r ainee."
1. Int r oducing someone
2 . Asking someone t o r epeat t heir name
1. Int r oducing someone
When you introduce someone else in a business situation, be sure to indicate their position.
That will allow the other person to get important information.
Now let's see how to do that in a clear way. Here is the example from the dialogue:
1. Je vous présente Thomas, mon nouveau stagiaire.

"I introduce you to Thomas, my new trainee."
Présenter is a verb meaning "to introduce." You can say vous or tu depending on the
situation. Vous and tu both mean "you." Vous is formal or plural. Tu is singular and informal.
Je vous présente / je te présente can be translated as "I introduce you to...".
Her e ar e ot her examples:
1. Je te présente Gaëlle, elle est nouvelle.

"I introduce you Gaëlle, she is newcomer."
2. Bonjour à tous. Je vous présente Christian Arnaud.

"Good morning everyone. I introduce you to Christian Arnaud."
The following chart shows position names used in many French companies.
T it les Gener ally Used in Fr ench Companies
Directeur "president"
PDG "CEO"
Directeur des ventes "sales director"
Responsable administratif "office manager"
secrétaire "secretary"
chef "boss"
responsable "supervisor" or "director"
2 . Asking someone t o r epeat t heir name
When you cannot catch the other person's name, you can ask them to repeat it again politely
by using this sentence:
1. Pouvez-vous me répéter votre nom s'il vous plaît ? Je n'ai pas compris.
"Could you repeat your name please? I did not understand."
Pouvez-vous means "could you." It comes from the French verb pouvoir. It's a polite way to
ask someone something. Depending on the person and the situation, you can use tu: Peux-
tu me répéter ton nom s'il te plaît?
If you are talking to your client, be sure to be more polite by starting the request with Excusez-
moi, "Excuse me."
Sample Sent ences
1. Excusez-moi, je n'ai pas compris. Pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous-plaît ?"

"I'm sorry, I did not understand. Could you repeat please?"
2. Je suis désolé je n'ai pas compris ce que tu as dit. Peux-tu répéter s'il te-plaît ?"
"I'm sorry, I did not understand what you said. Could you repeat please?"
3. Excusez-moi, pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous plaît ?

"I'm sorry, could you repeat please?"
4. Pouvez-vous répéter s'il vous plaît ?
"Could you repeat please?"
5. Voici notre nouveau collègue.

"This is our new colleague."
1. Bonjour et merci de m'accueillir. Enchanté de vous rencontrer.

"Hello, and thank you for your welcoming. Pleased to meet you."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
For mal and Infor mal Fr ench in a business set t ing
During your first business meeting, try to remain respectful and welcoming. Introduce
yourself and what you are doing for the company.
If you have to introduce someone, say their name, surname and then their role.
Use formal and informal language, depending on who you are talking to. Remember that
being polite is better than not being polite enough.
When you are addressing people for the first time, you have to use their family name,
preceded by Monsieur or Madame. You may use first name terms if you have been invited to
do so. Of course, you have to address the other person with vous at a first meeting unless the
person invited you to use tu.
Formality is very important in France when it comes to business.
Useful expr ession:
1. Je vous présente le directeur de l'entreprise.

"Let me introduce you to the director of the company."
LESSON NOTES

#3
Describing Your Profession in
French
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
3
7 Cultural Insight

FRENCH
1. Thomas: Bonjour, cela vous dérange si je m'assois ici ?
2. Naïma: Mais bien sûr ! Aucun souci. Tu es nouveau il me semble ?
3. Thomas: Merci, c'est très gentil. Effectivement, je viens d'arriver. Je suis le

nouveau stagiaire de Laurène, dans le service après vente.
4. Naïma: Très bien ! Je m'appelle Naïma et je suis responsable du service

informatique.
5. Thomas: Intéressant ! En quoi consiste votre travail au quotidien ?
6. Naïma: Je dois m'occuper de 50 employés du service informatique.
7. Thomas: Grosse responsabilité ! Vous aimez donc l'informatique.
8. Naïma: Oh oui ! Je suis une geek dans l'âme !
ENGLISH
1. Thomas: Hello, do you mind if I sit here?
2. Naïma: Sure! No problem. You are new, it seems to me?
3. Thomas: Thank you, it's very kind of you. Indeed, I just came here. I'm
Laurène's new trainee, after-sales service.
4. Naïma: Good! My name is Naïma and I'm in charge of the IT department.
5. Thomas: Interesting! What is your daily job?
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUS I NES S FRENCH FOR BEGI NNERS S 1 #3 - DES CRI BI NG YOUR PROFES S I ON I N FRENCH 2
6. Naïma: I have to take care of 50 employees from the IT department.
7. Thomas: It's a big responsibility! So you must like IT.
8. Naïma: Totally! I'm a computer nerd!
VOCABULARY
souci worry Noun masculine
service department noun masculine
interesting (at a
good price), raise feminine -
intéressant adjective
interest intéressante
responsabilité responsibility noun feminine
information
informatique technology noun feminine
consister comprise verb
quotidien daily noun masculine
geek nerd noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
J e me fais du souci pour sa sœur . Pas de soucis, je m'occupe de t out !
"My sister causes me a lot of "No worries, I will take care of

worry." everything!"
J e suis le chef de mon ser vice. Le comit é d'ent r epr ise pr opose des
sor t ies int ér essant es.
"I am the head of my team."
"T he shop committee offers
interesting outings."
Les par ent s ont la r esponsabilit é de Il faut pr endr e ses r esponsabilit és
leur s enfant s. sér ieusement .
"Parents have responsibility for "One must take his responsibilities

their children." seriously."
L'infor mat ique est un sect eur De nos jour s l'infor mat ique est une
por t eur . compét ence de base.
"IT is a promising sector." Information technology is a base

skill nowadays."
En quoi ce mét ier consist e ? Il t r avail 7 heur es au quot idien.
"What is this job?" "He works 7 hours daily."
J 'ador e les jeux vidéos, c'est mon côt é geek.
"I love video games, it's part of my nerd side."
Est-ce que cela vous dérange ?

"Does it bot her you? "
Est-ce que is an expression, cela means "this," vous means "you" and dérange comes from
the verb déranger, meaning "to bother."
Est-ce que is a really convenient way to begin an informal question in French. In fact, it
changes every statement into a question. Use this sentence when you want to make sure
that your action is not bothering anyone.
For example:
1. Est-ce que cela vous dérange si j'emprunte cette chaise?

"Do you mind if I borrow this chair?"
effectivement
"indeed"
Effectivement is an adverb. It means "indeed, actually, and effectively." It can be placed at

the beginning of a sentence or after a verb.
For example:
1. Effectivement, il fait beau aujourd'hui.

"Indeed, the weather is nice today."
GRAMMAR
T he Focus Of T his Lesson Is Descr ibing a job
Très bien ! Je m'appelle Naïma et je suis responsable du service informatique.

"Good! My name is Naïma and I'm in char ge of t he IT depar t ment ."
1. Descr ibing one's job
2 . Clar ifying t hings
1. Descr ibing one's job
One of the most basic abilities when doing business is being able to describe one's job in a
simple way. It's not uncommon to be asked a question like this:
1. En quoi consiste votre travail ?

"What is your job exactly?"
In this sentence, quoi is a pronoun meaning "what," and consiste comes from the verb
consister, "to include, to involve."
Let's see how to answer such a question by starting with the examples from the dialogue:
1. Je suis le nouveau stagiaire de Laurène, dans le service après vente.

"I'm Laurène's new trainee, after-sales service."
2. ...je suis responsable du service informatique.

"...I'm in charge of the IT department."
3. Je dois m'occuper de 50 employés du service informatique.

"I have to take care of 50 employees from the IT department."
T her e ar e differ ent pat t er ns:
1. Je suis assistant, dans l'administratif.
"I'm an administrative assistant."
2. Je suis responsable d'un salon de coiffure.

"I'm in charge of a hairdressing salon."
3. Je dois prendre des rendez-vous pour les patients.

"I have to make appointments for patients."
4. Mon travail consiste en ...

"My job involves..."
Let 's see some mor e examples:
1. Je dois travailler de 8h00 à 17h00.

"I have to work from 8AM to 5PM."
2. Mon projet de travail est de...

"My work plan is..."
2 . Clar ifying t hings:
In business, it is very important to be as clear as possible. Here we will look at some

expressions which are commonly used to clarify things or to ask for clarification (directly or
not).
To ask for clarification, we can use the phrase ...il me semble ? meaning "...it seems to
me?" , like we saw in the dialogue:
1. Tu es nouveau il me semble ?
"You are new, it seems to me?"
This phrase is used to confirm a supposition you made. You should put it after your
supposition. Here is another example:
1. La réunion est à 11 heures il me semble?

"The meeting is at 11PM, it seems to me?"
So the pattern is:
1. [supposition + ...il me semble ?]

supposition + "it seems to me?"
Another way of asking for clarification is using c'est bien cela ?
It can be translated as "that's right?" or "isn't it?".
1. La réunion est à 11 heures, c'est bien cela ?

"The meeting is at 11PM, isn't it?"
Sample Sent ences
1. Son projet consiste à fournir de l'électricité à toute la région.

"His project involves providing electricity to the whole region."
2. Mon travail, c'est de créer les contrats des employés.

"My work, it's creating employee contracts."
3. Je suis vendeur dans une boutique de luxe.

"I am a seller in a luxury boutique."
4. Je suis responsable dans les ressources humaines.

"I'm in charge of human resources."
5. Je travaille dans un hôpital.

"I'm working for the hospital."
1. Intéressant ! En quoi consiste votre travail au quotidien ?

"Interesting! What is your daily job?"
2. Je dois m'occuper de 50 employés du service informatique.

"I have to take care of 50 employees from the IT department."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Educat ion and Pr ofessions in Fr ance
School education in France is obligatory for children aged between six and sixteen; this
obligation covers elementary education (école élementaire) and the first four years of
secondary education (collège).
Then you have the secondary education (enseignement secondaire), and higher education
(enseignement supérieur).
Depending on what job you want to do, you can go to University, private schools, or
professional schools. The last two are more career-oriented than University. The primary
advantage of the French University is its cost: it's very cheap compared to private or
professional schools. For example, a year at the University will cost 500 euros and 5000
euros in a private school. Still, going to a private school does not guarantee that you will find
a job right away once the course is completed.
Useful expr ession:
1. J'étudie l'informatique.
"I'm studying IT science."
LESSON NOTES

#4
Talking About Your Job in French
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 4
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Naïma ! Ça faisait longtemps qu'on ne s'était pas croisé ! A la

machine à café comme ailleurs !
2. Naïma: Mais oui ça fait beaucoup trop longtemps ! J'étais partie à Rennes
pour une formation.
3. Laurène: Super !C'était quoi comme formation ?
4. Naïma: Ma formation portait sur les nouvelles techniques de piratage

informatique. Très intéressant.
5. Laurène: Bref tu as passé un super séjour et beaucoup appris !
6. Naïma: Exactement ! Mais et toi ? Comment ça va le travail ?
7. Laurène: L'équipe marketing travaille sur le nouveau design du site internet.

Mais c'est un vrai défi, ça me motive !
8. Naïma: Et c'est le principal !
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Naïma! It's been a while since we last talked! (We used to meet)
near the coffee dispenser or elsewhere!
2. Naïma: Yes, too long! I was in Rennes for a training course.
3. Laurène: Great! What was your training course about?
4. Naïma: My training course was about hacking technologies. Very

interesting.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUS I NES S FRENCH FOR BEGI NNERS S 1 #4 - T ALKI NG ABOUT YOUR JOB I N FRENCH 2
5. Laurène: In short, you had a great time and learned a lot!
6. Naïma: Exactly! But what about you? How's work going?
7. Laurène: The marketing team is working on a new design for the website.
But it's a real challenge and it motivates me!
8. Naïma: That's the main thing!
VOCABULARY
longtemps long adverb
to run into each

se croiser other, to see each verb
other
formation training noun feminine
passer to spend verb
moment moment noun masculine
équipe team noun feminine
site Internet website noun masculine
défi challenge noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
J 'at t ends ce moment depuis J 'ai cr oisé mon pr ofesseur à la

longt emps ! boulanger ie.
"I've been waiting for this moment "I bumped into my teacher at the
for so long!" bakery."
Ils se sont cr oisés par hasar d dans le J 'aimer ais fair e une for mat ion RH.
mét r o.
"I'd like to have a training course
"T hey ran into each other randomly about HR."
on the subway."
J ’ai fait une for mat ion pour devenir J e passe des bons moment s avec
pât issier . mes collègues.
"I did a training to become a pastry "I have some good time with my
cook." colleagues."
Il passe t r op de t emps devant un J e t r availle dans cet t e ent r epr ise

écr an d'or dinat eur . depuis un moment .
"He spends too many hours in "I have been working in this
front of a computer screen." company for a while."
Vous avez un moment ? Ce mant eau est t r ès en vogue en ce

moment .
"Do you have a moment?"
"T his jacket is really trendy
nowadays."
J 'aime fair e du t r avail d'équipe. Elle quit t er a l'équipe l'année

pr ochaine.
"I like to do teamwork."
"She'll quit the team next year."
J e dois cr éer un sit e int er net . J 'aime r elever des déifs.
"I have to create a website." "I like to rise to the challenge."
Il ador e les défis, je suis sûr qu'il va vouloir t 'aider .
"He loves challenges, I'm sure he'll want to help you."
site internet
"websit e"
Site internet means "website". You may only say site as well and be understood. Internet
comes from the English word and refers to the global computer network.
You can also say "website" as it is commonly used in French.
For example:
1. J'ai créé mon propre site internet.

"I created my own website."
équipe marketing
"mar ket ing t eam"
Équipe refers to a team of people working together. Usually they are working in the same
department. For example, you have the marketing team, the IT team, after-sale team...
Équipe refers also to "sport team": une équipe de foot, "a soccer team." Marketing is an
English word commonly used in French. Indeed, we have no French equivalent for this word.
For example:
1. L'équipe marketing travaille au 6ème étage.

"The marketing team works on the 6th floor."
GRAMMAR
T he Focus Of T his Lesson Is T alking about Wor k T r aining
Ma formation portait sur les nouvelles techniques de piratage informatique. Très

intéressant.
"My t r aining cour se was about hacking t echnologies. Ver y int er est ing."
1. T alking about wor k t r aining
2 . Meet ing someone aft er a long t ime
1. T alking about Wor k T r aining
Describing work training is not very different from describing one's job. It's explaining in a
simple way what the work training was about.
Let's see the example from the dialogue:
1. Ma formation était sur les nouvelles techniques de piratage informatique. Très

intéressant.
"My training course was about hacking technologies. Very interesting."
In this sentence, you explain the topic of the work training:
Ma formation est sur....(present tense).
Ma formation était sur (past tense).
Sur is one of the most common French prepositions. It usually means "on," but it has
different other meanings and in this case it can be translated as "on." If it is related to a
subject, a topic, (the work training) its meaning is "on": une formation sur le jardinage, "a
work training on gardening."
You can use also different patterns, such as:
1. C'est à propos de [topic].

"It is about [topic]."
Her e ar e mor e examples:
1. C'est une formation à propos de la psychologie au travail

"It's a work training about psychology at work."
2. Ma formation était sur les nouveaux logiciels.

"My work training was on new software."
2 . Meet ing someone aft er a long t ime
You bump into someone by accident and it has been a long time since you have seen each
other? Use the expression: Ça faisait longtemps qu'on ne s'était pas croisé !
"Croiser" is a verb to use when you meet someone accidentally. When it wasn't planned. You
can say croiser quelqu'un or croiser quelqu'un par hasard.
Let 's see t he examples fr om t he dialogue:
1. Ça faisait longtemps qu'on ne s'était pas croisé !

"It's been a while since we last talked!" (Lit. "It had been a long time since we had
crossed paths.")
2. Mais oui ça fait beaucoup trop longtemps !
"Yes, too long!"
The keyphrase to use is ça fait longtemps (present time) or ça faisait longtemps (past time) to
insist on the length of time.
In a business formal setting, it's better to say ravi de vous revoir après tout ce temps, meaning
"nice to see you again after all this time." It's more polite and conventional.
Sample Sent ences
1. Cela fait beaucoup trop longtemps que je n'ai pas eu de formation.

"It's been way too long since I've had any work training."
2. Cela fait longtemps ! Je suis ravie de te revoir !

"It's been a long time! I'm glad to see you again!"
3. Cela fait longtemps que je ne l'ai vu.

"I have not seen him/her for a long time."
4. Ca fait longtemps !
"It's been a while!"
5. Très intéressant.
"Very interesting."
6. J'étais en formation.
"I had a training course."
1. Naïma ! Ça faisait longtemps qu'on ne s'était pas croisé ! A la machine à café comme
ailleurs !
"Naïma! It's been a while since we last talked! (We used to meet) near the coffee
dispenser or elsewhere!"
2. Mais oui ça fait beaucoup trop longtemps ! J'étais partie à Rennes pour une formation.
"Yes, too long! I was in Rennes for a training course."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Wor king st yle
If you are working in France or a French company, do not ignore the meet and greet. Believe
it or not, it's unmissable.
Do not go straight to your desk, do not start to work without first having done the office
round and greeting your colleagues. For men, a handshake, and women, la bise ("cheek-
kissing").
Useful expr ession:
1. faire la bise
"to do the cheek-kissing"
LESSON NOTES

#5
Talking About Your Business
Routine in French
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
5
7 Cultural Insight

FRENCH
1. Johanne: Bonjour à tous les deux ! Je vous préviens je sors d'une garde, je
suis fatiguée.
2. Thomas: Une garde ?
3. Johanne: Oui je suis une sage-femme. Je travaille à l'hôpital. Je travaille

pendant 12 heures et cela s'appelle une garde.
4. Thomas: 12 heures ??? Mais cela doit être épuisant !
5. Johanne: L'avantage c'est que tu as après ta garde des jours de repos. Tu

n'as pas le droit de travailler plus de trois jours consécutifs.
6. Laurène: C'est vrai que nous, nous travaillons du lundi au vendredi. On a

toujours l'impression d'être au travail.
ENGLISH
1. Johanne: Hello to both of you! I warn you I was on duty, I'm tired.
2. Thomas: A duty?
3. Johanne: Yes, I am a midwife. I work at the hospital. I work for 12 hours and
it's called a duty.
4. Thomas: 12 hours??? But it must be exhausting!
5. Johanne: The advantage is that you have some days off after your duty. You
are not allowed to work more than three consecutive days.
6. Laurène: It is true that in our case, we work from Monday to Friday. It always
feels like you're at work.
VOCABULARY
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUS I NES S FRENCH FOR BEGI NNERS S 1 #5 - T ALKI NG ABOUT YOUR BUS I NES S ROUT I NE I N FRENCH 2
prévenir inform verb
sage-femme midwife noun feminine
hôpital hospital Noun masculine
épuisant exhausting adjective
travailler work verb
jour de repos day off phrase masculine
classique classic adjective
consécutif consecutive adjective
to have the feeling

avoir l'impression (that) verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Pr éviens moi si t u ne peux pas venir à J e t e pr éviens, je vais êt r e en r et ar d.

la r éunion.
I'm warning you, I'll be late.
"T ell me if you can't come to the
meeting."
Et r e une sage-femme n'est pas un Apr ès avoir ét é dans l'unit é de soins

mét ier facile. int ensifs de l'hôpit al pendant un mois,
j'appr écie t out plus.
"Being a midwife is not an easy job."
"After being in the hospital's
Intensive Care Unit for one month,
I appreciate everything more."
L'hôpit al est pr ès de chez moi. Cet t e longue mar che est épuisant e.
"T he hospital is near my house." "T his long walk is exhausting."
J e ne veux pas t r availler . J e n'ai qu'un seul jour de r epos par

semaine.
"I don't want to work."
"I only have one day off per week."
Ce film est un classique. J e t r availle t r ois jour s consécut ifs.
"T his movie is a classic." "I'm working three consecutive

days."
J 'ai l'impr ession de t out le t emps J ’ai l’impr ession que ça va mieux.
t r availler .
"I feel like it's going better."
"I'm feeling like I'm working all the
time."
J'ai l'impression de / que...

"I have a hunch t hat ...."
Avoir l'impression que... is a phrase meaning "to have a hunch that...". It is a good and
moderate way to start when explaining your feelings.
For example:
1. J'ai l'impression de rêver.

"I feel like I'm dreaming."
cela doit être épuisant

"it must be exhaust ing"
Doit comes from the verb devoir conjugated at the third singular person, present tense. Cela
is a pronoun and can be translated as "this." That's why the verb is conjugated at the third
person.
Épuisant is an adjective. You can also say fatiguant ("tiring") to sound measured. You can
substitute cela with a verb, for example: Travailler 12 heures de suite doit être épuisant. which
means "Working 12 hours in a row must be exhausting."
De suite is an adverbial phrase meaning "in a row."
For example:
1. Un marathon, ce doit être épuisant.

"A marathon, it must be exhausting."
GRAMMAR
T he focus of t his lesson is t alking about differ ent jobs.
Oui je suis une sage-femme. Je travaille à l'hôpital. Je travaille pendant 12 heures et cela
s'appelle une garde.
"Yes, I am a midwife. I wor k at t he hospit al. I wor k for 12 hour s and it 's called a
dut y."
1. Wor king Hour s
2 . Differ ent Pr ofessions
Wor king Hour s (night shift , be on dut y, hour s r t c.)
When making business in France or when working in France, being able to understand basic
vocabulary related to work is crucial. Let's see some of them and how to use them in a
sentence:
1. Travailler la nuit
"to work at night"
2. Je travaille de nuit le vendredi.

"I have a night shift on Friday."
3. Etre de garde
"to be on duty"
4. La semaine prochaine je suis de garde le matin.

"Next week, I'll be on duty during the morning."
5. Délocalisation temporaire
"to be on temporary transfer"
6. Je serais à lyon pour une délocalisation temporaire durant deux semaines.

"I'll be in Lyon on temporary transfer for two weeks."
7. Temps plein, temps partiel

"full time job", "part time job"
8. Je travaille à temps plein mais mon époux travaille à temps partiel

"I have a full time job, but my husband has a part time job.
9. Facture
"Invoice"
10. Où dois-je envoyer la facture?

"Where should I send the invoice?"
11. Contrat
"contract"
12. Je n'ai pas encore signé le contrat.

"I haven't signed the contract yet."
13. Syndicat
"(labor) union"
14. Les syndicats discutent de l'amélioration des conditions de travail.

"The union leaders are discussing the improvement of working conditions."
15. Salaire
"wage"
16. Claude a eu une augmentation de salaire.

"Claude got a wage increase."
Differ ent Pr ofessions
Here we will take a deeper look at some professions in French. First, you need to know that
we have masculine and feminine forms in French, and this rule also applies for professions.
For example: un commercial, une commerciale ("salesperson" in masculine and feminine
forms.)
Here is a table of some common professions, you will also find both masculine and feminine
forms if such exist.
Masculine Feminine English T r anslat ion
secrétaire secrétaire "secretary"
infirmier infirmière "nurse"
cuisinier cuisinière "baker"
médecin doctoresse "doctor"
directeur directrice "director"
programmeur programmeuse "programmer"
chirurgien chirurgienne "surgeon"
dentiste dentiste "dentist"
enseignant enseignante "teacher"
créateur créatrice "designer"
écrivain écrivaine "writer"
Sample Sent ence
1. Ma fille est écrivaine. Je suis kinésithérapeute.

"My daughter is a writer. I am a physiotherapist."
2. Je suis sage-femme.
"I'm a midwife."
3. La doctoresse est très pédagogue.

"The woman doctor is very pedagogue."
4. Je travaille pendant 12 heures.

"I'm working 12 hour shifts."
5. Tu as des jours de repos.

"You have some days off."
6. Je travaille du lundi au vendredi.

"I'm working from Monday to Friday."
1. 12 heures ??? Mais cela doit être épuisant !

"12 hours??? But it must be exhausting!"
2. C'est vrai que nous, nous travaillons du lundi au vendredi. On a toujours l'impression
d'être au travail.
"It is true that in our case, we work from Monday to Friday. It always feels like you're
at work."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Wor k r out ine and Fr ench holidays
French workers are lucky indeed. Thanks to the strong unions' fights, an employee has five
weeks annual leave. An employee who has worked 12 months is entitled to a minimum of 30
days off.
July and August are the busiest periods for holidays because children are not going to
school during these two months, plus the weather is really nice and warm.
Useful expr ession:
1. congés payé.
"paid leave"
LESSON NOTES
Business French for Beginners
S1 #6
A Frustrating Situation in France
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 6
FRENCH
1. Thomas: Je suis désolé de vous embêter mais il y a un souci, nous n'avons

toujours pas reçu notre commande de papeterie.
2. Laurène: Ce n'est pas vrai ?! Mais tu as passé la commande il y a deux mois

au moins !
3. Thomas: C'est vrai. J'ai appelé le service après-vente. Ils ont enregistré ma
demande et doivent me recontacter.
4. Laurène: Tu as bien fait. Envoie leur un mail pour avoir une trace écrite et
te plaindre. Nous avons besoin de cette commande !
5. Thomas: C'est si embêtant ?
6. Laurène: Oui. Nous n'avons presque plus de papier d'impression ni

d'enveloppe.
7. Thomas: Je vais voir si le service informatique a un peu plus de stock pour

nous dépanner.
8. Laurène: Bonne idée !
ENGLISH
1. Thomas: I'm sorry to bother you but there is a problem, we still haven't
received our stationery order.
2. Laurène: This can't be true! But you ordered it at least two months ago!
3. Thomas: That is true. I called the after-sales service. They have registered
my request and will call me back.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #6 - A FRUSTRATING SITUATION IN FRANCE 2

4. Laurène: You did well. Send them an email to have a written record and to
make a complaint. We need this order!
5. Thomas: Is it so annoying?
6. Laurène: Yes. We are short of printing paper and envelopes.
7. Thomas: I will see if the IT department has a little more stock to help us out.
8. Laurène: Good idea!
VOCABULARY
French English Class Gender
commande order noun feminine
souci worry Noun feminine
papeterie stationery noun feminine
faire to do, to make verb
idée idea noun feminine
enveloppe envelope noun feminine
stock stock noun masculine
after-sale
service après-vente department phrase masculine
papier d'impression print paper phrase masculine
déppaner help out verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES

Je fais beaucoup trop de commandes Je me fais du souci pour sa sœur.
sur internet.
"My sister causes me a lot of
"I'm making too many orders on worry."
the Internet."
Pas de soucis, je m'occupe de tout! J'adore les papeteries.
"No worries, I will take care of "I love stationery shops."

everything!"
J'achète mes cahiers en papeterie. Je ne sais pas quoi faire.
"I buy my notebooks at a "I don't know what to do."

stationery shop."
Je fais du surf. Alors, qu'est-ce que tu fais ?
"I surf." "So, what are you doing?"
Cette idée sonne intéressante. Je n'en ai aucune idée.
“This idea sounds interesting.” "I don't have any idea."
J'ai une enveloppe mais pas de Vérifiez le contenu deux fois avant de
timbre. sceller une enveloppe.
"I have an envelope but no "Double-check the contents,

stamp." before you seal an envelope."
Ce magasin n'a plus rien en stock. Avez-vous vérifié notre stock de

trombones?
"This store doesn't have anything
left in stock." "Have you checked our stock for
paperclips?"
Il faut du courage pour travailler au J'ai remis des papiers d'impressions

service après-vente. dans l'imprimante.
"You have to be brave to work at "I put printing paper in the

the after-sale department." printer."

Je viens te dépanner.
"I'm coming to help you out."
tu as bien fait
"you did well"
This phrase is used in the past tense, passé composé. It is one of the most common past
tense phrases. In English, it can be translated with the present perfect or the simple past.
It's a nice sentence to say to congratulate or cheer on someone. On the contrary, you can
say tu as mal fait for "you did something wrong".
For example:
1. Tu as bien fait de m'appeler.

"You did well by calling me."
c'est une bonne idée

"it's a good idea"
Bonne is the feminine adjective for bon ("good"). As you must already know, adjectives
change depending on whether the noun they describe is masculine, feminine, singular, or
plural. In French, all the nouns have a gender and you have to learn it!
It is a nice and encouraging sentence. It can be very useful during a brainstorming session.
If you want to be more polite, you may say Je pense que c'est une bonne idée, meaning "I
think that is a good idea."
For example:
1. Je trouve que c'est une bonne idée.

"I think it's a good idea."
GRAMMAR

The Focus Of This Lesson Is Making a Complaint
Je suis désolé de vous embêter mais il y a un souci, nous n'avons toujours pas reçu notre
commande de papeterie.
"I'm sorry to bother you but there is a problem, we still haven't received our
stationery order."
In this lesson, we will learn:
1. Complaining
2. Showing concern
Complaining
Complaining is something French people love to do and the situation is not different in a
French office. We like to complain about the weather, about the amount of work, or about
services. Here we will look at some phrases and words which may help you complain better
in French...
Réclamation - "to make a complaint"
1. J'aimerais faire une réclamation

"I would like to make a complaint."
Se plaindre - "to complain", it is a reflexive verb, meaning it is a verb using a reflexive

pronoun: me, te, se, nous, vous.
1. Arrête de te plaindre et sois positif !

"Stop complaining and be positive!"
Toujours- "still", toujours is used to express something is "still" not done or in progress, to
the point of being annoying. It's an adverb very often used when complaining.
1. Il travaille toujours dessus.

"He is still working on it."

Au moins- "at least", au moins is usually used with the copula być "to be," conjugated as il y
a, to indicate delays.
1. J'ai passé ma commande il y a au moins un mois !

"I ordered it at least one month ago!"
Other phrases you can use to complain are: il y en a trop peu meaning "there is too little,"
il n'y en a pas assez meaning "there is not enough", ça ne marche pas meaning "this does
not work," et ça recommence meaning "and it starts again."
Showing concern
One of the ways to speak French like a native speaker is to master all those conversational
phrases regarding showing and seeking concern in a natural way. Here we will look at a set
of useful expressions which will help you keep good relations at work.
1. Ce n'est pas vrai ?!

"This can't be true!"
2. C'est vrai.
"That is true."
3. Mais qu'est-ce qui s'est passé ?

"But what happened?"
4. Je suis désolé d'apprendre ça.

"I'm so sorry to hear that."
5. Je suis désolé(e)
"I'm so sorry."
6. Je n'y crois pas !

"I can't believe it!"
7. J'espère que ça va aller.

"I hope it's gonna be alright."
Sample Sentences

1. Les commandes sont en retard
"The deliveries are late."
2. Tu ne travailles pas assez

"You are not working hard enough."
3. Oula, ce n'est pas bien ce qui est arrivé.

"Oh, it's not good that this happened."
4. Il y a un souci.
"There is a problem."
5. Rappelle les demain.

"Call them again tomorrow."
Examples from the dialogue:
1. C'est vrai. J'ai appelé le service après-vente. Ils ont enregistré ma demande et
doivent me recontacter.
"That is true. I called the after-sales service. They have registered my request and
will call me back."
2. Tu as bien fait. Envoie leur un mail pour avoir une trace écrite et te plaindre. Nous
avons besoin de cette commande!
"You did well. Send them an email to have a written record and to make a
complaint. We need this order!"
CULTURAL INSIGHT
How to deal with a problem
In French companies, it's important to show you can handle difficult situations. You may ask
for help (that's better than doing anything and everything) but try to find out by yourself
first, and then you may call your superior or co-worker. You have to prove your autonomy.
Of course, they will be understanding during your first days.
Useful expression:

1. Pouvez-vous m'aider s'il vous plaît ?
"Could you help me please?"

LESSON NOTES
S1 #7
Leaving the Office At the End of
the Day
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
10 Cultural Insight
# 7
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Je n'avais pas vu l'heure, mais il est tard !
2. Thomas: En effet il est déjà 20 heures ! Mais je n'ai pas encore fini mon
rapport.
3. Laurène: Ce n'est pas grave ne t'en fais pas. Tu peux le faire demain. Tu
peux y aller.
4. Thomas: Je peux partir ? Ce n'est pas un problème ?
5. Laurène: Bien sûr que non ! Vas-y ! Et demain j'espère que tu ne finiras pas
aussi tard.
6. Thomas: Et bien dans ce cas j'y vais ! Et vous ?
7. Laurène: Ne t'en fais pas je ne vais pas tarder non plus. Bonne soirée,
rentre bien !
8. Thomas: Merci, bonne soirée également !
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: I did not see the time, but it's late!
2. Thomas: Indeed it is already 8 PM! But I have not finished my report yet.
3. Laurène: It doesn't matter, don't worry. You can do it tomorrow. You can go.
4. Thomas: I can leave now? It's not a problem?
5. Laurène: Of course it isn't! Go! I hope you will not end so late tomorrow.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #7 - LEAVING THE OFFICE AT THE END OF THE DAY 2
6. Thomas: Then I'm going! What about you?
7. Laurène: Don't worry; I'll leave soon. Good evening, get home safely!
8. Thomas: Thank you, good evening!
VOCABULARY
heure hour noun feminine
tard late adjective
grave serious adjective
rapport report noun masculine
aller go verb
espérer to hope verb
tarder be late verb
bonne soirée good evening phrase
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Il n'a que 24 heures dans une journée. La nuit dernière j'ai dormi pendant
dix heures.
"There is 24 hours only in a day."
"I slept for ten hours last night."
Quelle heure est-il? Ne rentre pas tard !
"What time is it?" "Do not come back late!"
Il était trop tard pour moi de changer Il est tard pour sortir.
mes mauvaises habitudes.
"It's late to go out."
"It was too late for me to change
my bad habits."
C'est une erreur grave. Ma secrétaire veut livrer les rapports

ce week-end, pour obtenir quelques
"It's a serious mistake." jours de congé.
"My secretary wants to deliver the

reports this weekend, in order to
get a couple of days off."
Je vais au cinéma. J'espère avoir une promotion.
"I'm going to the movie theater." "I hope to get a promotion."
Ils espèrent finir demain. J’espère qu’il fait beau!
"They hope to finish tomorrow." "I hope the weather’s nice!"
Ne tarde pas. Passe une bonne soirée.
"Don't be late." "Have a nice evening."
ce n'est pas grave

"it doesn't matter"
Grave means "serious", "gross." But this sentence is negative, with ne + pas, so the
meaning is different.
C'est grave: "it's serious, it's important."
Ce n'est pas grave: "it does not matter."
It's similar to the sentences "do not worry," "no problem." You say it to reassure someone.
You can do the same with other sentences: c'est joli ("it's beautiful"). Ce n'est pas joli ("it's
not beautiful").
For example:
1. Ce n'est pas grave si il pleut ce soir.

"It does not matter if it rains tonight."
ne t'en fais pas

"don't worry"
It's a negative sentence, but its meaning is not: "do not worry." t'en can be translated as
"it", so altogether it's "do not worry about it."
Again, it's a convenient sentence to reassure someone. In spoken French, you may hear
t'en fais pas. The meaning is still the same. You will often hear French speakers shorten this
phrase.
For example:
1. Ne t'en fais pas, tout va bien se passer.

"Do not worry, everything will be fine."
je n'avais pas vu l'heure

"I did not see the time"
Avoir is here conjugated with the imparfait - "imperfect tense". The imperfect describes
what was going on at an indefinite time in the past or what used to happen.
It is a common expression we say in France. When the day goes by so quickly and you had
no idea it was so late, then you say je n'avais pas vu l'heure! You can't say j'ai vu l'heure as
the opposite expression. If you had a long and boring day, you may say: le temps est passé
trop lentement ("time goes by so slowly").
For example:
1. Je n'avais pas vu l'heure, je suis en retard!

"I did not see the time, I'm late!"
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is about Asking for Permission and Leave-taking
Expressions
Je n'avais pas vu l'heure, mais il est tard!

"I did not see the time, but it's late!"
1. Asking for permission: Je peux partir ?
2. Leave-taking Expressions
Asking for permission: Je peux partir ?
In this lesson, you will learn how to express a capacity and a possibility in the working field,
as well as asking for permission.
You just need to know one verb: pouvoir.
After this lesson, you will be able to say in French "I can..." or "I may...", and "may I...".
- Express a capacity
This is the most used form of the verb pouvoir. If you are "able to do something" or if you
"can do" it, you'll use pouvoir. The verb after pouvoir is always in the infinitive.
You will have to follow this pattern:
- Subject + verb pouvoir + verb in the infinitive + the complement
For Example:
1. Je peux m'occuper de ce projet.

"I can handle this project."
2. Nous pouvons réserver la salle de réunion.

"We can reserve the meeting room."
- Express knowledge
You have to be careful; in French, we use a different verb to express knowledge. In French,
we "learn" reading, writing, and swimming. In English, you use "can," whereas in French,
you use savoir and not pouvoir with the same pattern. After savoir, the verb is also in the
infinitive.
For Example:
1. Je sais utiliser l'ordinateur.

"I can use the computer."
2. Il sait écrire.
"He can write."
3. Ils savent nager.

"They can swim."
- Ask something politely
You can use pouvoir in a question when you speak to a salesman or to your boss. Be
careful to recognize the exception in the conjugation of pouvoir for a question: it is not peux-
je?, but puis-je?
For Example:
1. Puis-je vous déranger 5 minutes ?

"May I bother you for 5 minutes?"
2. Pouvez-vous m'apporter les documents?

"Can you bring me the files?"
- Ask something politely
We can also use pouvoir to express:
- permission
For Example:
1. Je peux vous poser une question ?

"Can I ask you something?"
- possibility
For Example:
1. Il peut neiger demain.

"It may snow tomorrow."
- choice
For Example:
1. Tu peux arriver à 10h ou 11h au travail.

"You can come at ten or eleven to work."
Other examples:
French "English"
to express a capacity
Je peux soulever cette boite. "I can lift this box."
Il peut courir plus vite que moi. "He can run faster than me."
Tu peux taper à l'ordinateur très vite ! "You can type very fast!"
to express knowledge
Vous savez conduire. "You can drive."
Tu sais parler chinois. "You can speak Chinese."
Elles savent jouer au tennis. "They can play tennis."
to ask something politely
Peux-tu acheter le pain? "Can you buy some bread?"
Vous pouvez me passer le sel? "Can I have the salt?"
to express permission
Tu ne peux manger que 5 chocolats. "You can only eat five chocolates."
Elle a eu une augmentation; elle peut "She had an increase, she can buy this
acheter cette robe. dress."
to express a possibility
Jean peut arriver dès ce soir. "Jean may arrive tonight."
Elle peut être en retard s'il y a des

embouteillages. "She may be late if there is a traffic jam."
to express a choice
Tu peux travailler de chez toi ou au bureau . "You can work from home or at the office."
Elle peut apprendre l'italien ou l'espagnol. "She can learn Italian or Spanish."
Leave-taking Expressions
Even though in some cases you don't need to say anything at all when you leave the office
for a moment, it's usually better to say goodbye properly when leaving after you finish your
shift.
In most cases, it will be enough to say just au-revoir or bonne soirée, but if, like in the
dialogue, you see that your co-workers still seem in the middle of their work and don't look
like they're leaving soon, you could use expressions similar to the ones that Thomas used
in the dialogue:
1. J'y vais !
"Then I'm going!"
Aller means "to go". But if you only say je vais!, it's incomplete. You have to use the
adverbial pronoun y and say j'y vais. Y literally means "at", or "around."
Then Thomas asks: Mais et vous? meaning "What about you?"
You can use these expressions if you see that the other person seems very busy.
Here are other examples for leave-taking expressions fitting a business situation:
1. J'ai fini mon travail pour aujourd'hui. A demain.
"I've completed all my tasks for today. I'll see you tomorrow."
2. C'est tout pour aujourd'hui. Au revoir

"I'm done for today. Bye."
3. J'y vais. Bon week-end.

"I'm leaving. Have a nice weekend."
Sample Sentences
1. Je m'en vais, a demain !

"I'm leaving, see you tomorrow!"
2. Puis-je m'en aller ? J'ai terminé mon travail pour aujourd'hui.

"May I leave? My work is done for today."
3. Je réponds à mes mails et j'y vais.

"I answer my emails and then I leave."
4. Il est tard !
"It's late!"
5. Je ne vais pas tarder à partir.

"I'll leave soon."
1. Et bien dans ce cas j'y vais ! Mais et vous?

"Then I'm going! What about you?"
2. Ne t'en fais pas je ne vais pas tarder non plus. Bonne soirée, rentre bien!
"Don't worry; I'll leave soon. Good evening, get home safely!"
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Working Overtime
In 2000, France mandated a 35-hour workweek. It means employees can't work more than
35 hours without being paid overtime.
This measure was created to reduce unemployment rates and offer its citizens a better
quality of life. There is a compensation for people who work more than 35 hours a week: it
is called RTT (Réduction du Temps de Travail). It can be translated as "compensatory time."
Useful expression:
1. J'ai posé un RTT mercredi, donc je ne viendrais pas travailler.

"I took a day off on Wednesday, so I will not come to work."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #8
Arranging a Business Meeting
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
6 Grammar
9 Cultural Insight
# 8
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Thomas, est-ce que la salle de réunion est disponible cet après-
midi ? Pourrais-tu vérifier sur le planning en ligne si elle est libre
s'il te plaît ?
2. Thomas: Bien sûr. Je crois que Naïma en a besoin, elle a reservé la salle
tout l'après-midi.
3. Laurène: Mince...peux-tu l'appeler pour confirmer ?
4. Thomas: Allo Naïma ? Oui c'est Thomas. Nous avons besoin de la salle de
réunion pour cet après-midi mais tu l'as déjà reservé n'est-ce
pas ?
5. Naïma (on the Oui effectivement. Mais j'en ai besoin de 13h à 15h. Vous pouvez
phone): y aller ensuite.
6. Thomas: Très bien faisons comme ça alors. Merci.
7. Thomas: C'est bon, la salle est réservée de 15h à 17h !
8. Laurène: Parfait !
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Thomas, is the meeting room available this afternoon? Could you
check on the online schedule if it's available with the online
planner, please?
2. Thomas: Sure. I think Naïma needs it, she booked the room all afternoon.
3. Laurène: Damn...Could you call her to double check?
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #8 - ARRANGING A BUSINESS MEETING 2

4. Thomas: Hello Naïma? It's Thomas. We need the meeting room this
afternoon, but it seems you already booked it?
5. Naïma: Indeed. But I need it from 1 PM to 3 PM. You can use it after.
6. Thomas: Great, let's do this then.
7. Thomas: It's okay, it's booked from 3 PM to 5 PM.
8. Laurène: Perfect!
VOCABULARY
salle de réunion meeting room noun feminine
réserver reserve verb
confirmer confirm verb
n'est-ce pas ? isn't it? phrase
pouvoir can verb
besoin need noun masculine
faire do verb
comme as adverb
alors then, so adverb
parfait perfect adjective masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES

La salle de réunion est vide. L'éclairage dans une salle de réunion
peut influencer l'atmosphère dans la
"The meeting room is empty." pièce.
"The lighting in a meeting room

can influence the atmosphere in
the room."
Faites en sorte de réserver une salle Je veux réserver un hôtel.

de réunion qui a tout l'équipement
nécessaire.
"I want to book a hotel."
"Make sure to reserve a meeting

room that has got all the
necessary equipment."
Je confirme ma réservation. Il fait beau n'est-ce pas ?
"I confirmed my booking." "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
La pizza est bonne pour la santé, n'est- Je peux nager, mais je n'aime pas ça.
ce pas ?
"I'm able to swim, but I don't like
"Pizza is healthy, isn't it?" it."
Pouvez-vous fermer cette fenêtre s'il Pardon, vous pouvez me laisser

vous plaît? passer ?
"Can you close that window, "Excuse me; can you let me go
please?" through?"
Manger est un besoin vital. Les besoins de ces consommateurs

sont complexes.
"Eating is a vital need."
"The consumer needs are
complex."
Que fais-tu ce soir? Comme toi, j'aime danser.
"What are you doing tonight?" "Like you, I like to dance."

Tu es sympa comme lui. Si tu sais conduire, alors tu peux
prendre ma voiture.
"You are nice as he is."
"If you can drive, then you can
take my car."
Alors, il est temps de se lever. Cette journée est parfaite.
"So, it's time to wake up." "It is a perfect day."
Le restaurant est vraiment parfait.
"The restaurant is really perfect."
appeler pour confirmer

"to call to confirm"
This phrase is using two verbs: appeler meaning "to call" and confirmer meaning "to
confirm". Pour can be translated as "for." But if you want to express a purpose in French,
you have to use the preposition pour + infinitive, which can be translated as "in order to
[infinitive]."
Usually when you have multiple verbs in a sentence, the first one is conjugated and other
ones are in the infinitive form.
For example:
1. J'appelle le restaurant pour confirmer notre reservation.

"I'm calling the restaurant to confirm our reservation."
J'en ai besoin.
"I need it."
To express need in French, you can use avoir besoin de. Literally it means "to have need of
something".

It can be "to need something" as well as "to need to do": avoir besoin + quelque chose, or
avoir besoin + infinitive. For example: J'ai besoin de courir pour me détendre. "I need to run
to feel relaxed."
For example:
1. J'ai besoin de toi.

"I need you."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Booking a Meeting Room
Thomas, est-ce que la salle de réunion est disponible cet après-midi ? Pourrais-tu
vérifier sur le planning en ligne si elle est libre s'il te plaît ?
"Thomas, is the meeting room available this afternoon? Could you check on the
online schedule if it's available with the online planner, please?"
1. Asking About Availability
2. Agreeing on a Time
1. Asking About Availability
In order to set up a meeting, we need to ask people if they can attend and when is
convenient. First, to have a meeting, a space for the meeting is needed. In the cases of a
formal meeting, this might be a specific meeting room, or if it is a more casual meeting
then any space in the office might be fine.
For meeting rooms, the company might have a schedule that shows the already scheduled
meetings. To book the room, you should ask the secretary, or whoever has responsibility
for room bookings. You can ask if a room is free on a certain time by using these patterns:

1. Est-ce que la salle de réunion est libre...
"Is the meeting room free..."
2. Est que la salle de réunion est disponible...

"Is the meeting room available..."
and then add the day or time.

Remember, if you're asking about a day you should use the definite article le, such as le
lundi ("on Monday"), but for time, you use the preposition à, for example à 15 heures
meaning "at 3 PM."
Examples:
1. Est-ce que la salle de réunion est disponible le mercredi après-midi ?

"Is the big meeting room free on Wednesday afternoon?"
2. Est-ce que la salle de réunion est disponible à 14 heures ?

"Is the small meeting room available at 2 PM?"
3. Est-ce que la salle de réunion est libre jeudi à 16 heures ?

"Is the meeting room free on Tuesday, at 4 PM?"
Now that you have a room, you need to ask your co-workers if they are free too. You can
use similar sentence patterns as before, only instead of asking about la salle de réunion,
you can use the pronoun tu, or vous, or a name if you are asking about someone else.
Remember, we need to change être from est to es, if we are using tu. If using vous, we need
to change être to êtes.
Examples:
1. Êtes-vous libre mercredi après-midi ?

"Are you free on Wednesday afternoon?"
2. Est-ce que M. Jones est disponible à 14 heures ?

"Is Mr. Jones available at 2pm?"
3. Est-elle disponible le jeudi, à 16 heures ?

"Is she free on Tuesday, at 4pm?"
2. Agreeing on a time

Sometimes, you might not have a set time, or a time you had decided on won't be
convenient, so you will need to agree on a time.
You can ask your co-worker(s) what time is good for them with these phrases.
Examples:
1. Quand es-tu disponible ?

"When are you available?"
2. Quelle heure te convient ?

"What time is good for you?"
3. Quelle heure t'arrange ?

"What time works for you?"
If the time is good for you too, you can answer with a simple agreement such as c'est bon,
"that's fine" or ca me va aussi, "that works for me too," or, as we heard in the dialogue
Parfait!, "Perfect!".
If the time isn't good, you should tell them and explain why. There are many reasons you
can give as to why their time isn't convenient for you.
Examples:
1. Je suis occupé à ce moment là.

"I'm busy then."
2. Je ne suis pas au bureau.

"I'm out of the office."
3. J'ai prévu quelque chose d'autre.

"I have something else scheduled."
4. La salle de réunion n'est pas disponible.

"The meeting room isn't available."
It may take a while until you can find a time that works for everyone, especially if the office
is busy or the meeting is short notice. Eventually, you'll agree on a time!

Sample Sentences
1. Elle a réservé la salle tout l'après-midi.

"She booked the room all afternoon."
2. Nous avons besoin de la salle de réunion.

"We need to use the meeting room."
3. Vous pouvez y aller.

"You can go there."
1. Parfait!
"Perfect!"
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Business Meetings in France
You have to be on time, even a little bit early. It will show that you feel concerned. Do not
hesitate to give a handshake. It's pretty common in a business meeting. While doing the
handshake, you are supposed to also give your name.
To express appreciation to a French business connection, you may host a special event or
dinner. It's better than to give a business gift. Gift-giving to people you are not close with
may seem uncommon.
Useful expression:
1. Pour fêter notre collaboration, je vous offre le restaurant.

"To celebrate our collaboration, I'm paying the restaurant."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #9
Going on a French Business Trip
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
10 Cultural Insight
# 9
FRENCH
1. Naïma: Bonjour !
2. Customs officer: Bonjour madame. Veuillez me montrer votre passeport et votre

billet d'avion si vous souhaitez accéder à la salle
d'embarquement.
3. Naïma: Bien sûr. Mais je n'ai pas de billet d'avion, j'ai mon titre de
transport sur mon portable.
4. Customs officer: C'est bon aussi. Je dois scanner le QR code. Tout est en ordre vous
pouvez y aller
5. Naïma: Merci, bonne journée.
ENGLISH
1. Naïma: Good morning!
2. Customs officer: Hello Madam. Please show me your passport and airline ticket if
you wish to access the boarding lounge.
3. Naïma: Of course. But I do not have a plane ticket, I have my transport

ticket on my cell phone.
4. Customs officer: It's good too. I have to scan the QR code. It's okay, you can go.
5. Naïma: Thank you, have a nice day.
VOCABULARY
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #9 - GOING ON A FRENCH BUSINESS TRIP 2

passeport passport noun masculine
billet d'avion plane ticket phrase masculine
accéder to access verb
bien sûr of course adverb
portable mobile noun masculine
ordre order noun masculine
Bonne journée. Have a nice day. phrase
souhaiter wish verb
salle
d'embarquement boarding lounge noun feminine
scanner scan verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
J'ai perdu mon passeport. J'aime avoir plein de tampons dans

mon passeport.
"I had lost my passport."
"I like having many stamps in my
passport. "
Les billets d'avions sont chers ces J'ai acheté mon billet d'avion en ligne.
jours-ci.
I purchased my plane ticket
"These days, airline tickets are online.
overpriced."

Pendant des siècles, les handicapés ne Le café est excellent ici. -Mais bien
pouvaient pas accéder facilement aux sûr!
études supérieures.
"Coffee is excellent here. -But of
"For centuries, handicapped course!"
people couldn’t easily access
university studies."
J'aime Paris, bien sûr! Ces appareils DVD sont portables.
"I like Paris, of course!" "These DVD devices are portable."
Tout est en ordre. L'ordre de la présentation a été

chamboulé.
"Everything is in order."
"The order of the presentation
was all scrambled up."
Tu vas poser les cartes dans quel Passe une bonne journée !
ordre?
"Have a nice day!"
"In which order are you going to
lay the cards?"
Bonne journée Monsieur Martin! Je souhaite travailler sur ce projet.
"Have a nice day Monsieur "I wish to work on this project."

Martin!"
Je te souhaite le meilleur pour cette Les passengers attendent dans la salle

nouvelle année. d'embarquement.
"I'm wishing you the best for this "Passengers are waiting in the
new year." boarding lounge."
Il a scanné les documents.
"He scanned the papers."

sur mon portable
"on my cell phone"
Sur is one of the most common French prepositions. Usually it means "on", but it has a few
other meanings, depending on the situation. In this case, it's about location: c'est sur mon
téléphone "it's on my cell phone".
The tricky part is that sûr also means "certain": Je suis sûr que c'est sur mon téléphone. "I'm
certain it's on my cell phone." But the adjective has a circumflex accent, which makes it
easier to differentiate from the preposition.
For example:
1. J'ai la réservation sur mon portable.

"I have the reservation on my phone."
Bonne journée !
"Have a nice day!"
Bonne journée expresses the wish that you have a good day. To differentiate it with bonjour,
think of bonjour as a greeting, and bonne journée as a farewell.
It's a common phrase to say when you leave someone, whether they are your boss or the
baker. It's a nice and polite phrase. When it's late, you say bonne soirée, meaning "have a
good evening."
For example:
1. Je m'en vais, bonne journée!

"I'm leaving, have a nice day!"
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Useful Words and Phrases when Taking a Flight
Bonjour madame. Veuillez me montrer votre passeport et votre billet d'avion si vous
souhaitez accéder à la salle d'embarquement.
"Hello Madam. Please show me your passport and airline ticket if you wish to access
the boarding lounge."

1. Going through customs
2. The modal verb "have to"
1. Going through customs
If you go to France for business, you'll need to go through customs when traveling to Paris
or another city from abroad.
French customs passport verification is done after you exit the plane. Follow the sign
Contrôle des passeports ("Passport Control").
If you are not a European citizen, you will choose the lines Tous passeports translated as
"All passports" instead of Citoyens UE (Citoyens Union Européenne), meaning "European
citizens." Before you reach the booth, you may see the signs indicating Veuillez préparer
votre passeport, s'il vous plaît, meaning "Please have your passport ready," and Attendez
derrière la ligne jaune ("Wait behind the yellow line.")
English-speaking officers conduct the passport control; they are employed by a subdivision
of the National French police called Police aux Frontières, meaning "Border Police," also
shortened to its acronym PAF.
The police officer will ask for you passport by saying:
1. Passeport, s'il vous plait

"Passport please."
This is a strong suggestion or a firm request.When asking for a document or an object that
someone owns, you can make a short request demanding the object followed by a
"please," making the question polite.
In the dialogue we also saw:
1. Veuillez me montrer votre passeport.

"Please show me your passport."
Here are other requests you might hear at the airport:

For Example:
French "English"
Votre sac, s'il vous plaît. "Your bag, please."
Votre manteau, s'il vous plaît. "Your coat, please."
Votre carte bancaire, s'il vous plaît. "Your bank card, please."
Votre réservation, s'il vous plaît. "Your reservation, please."
The pattern is:
Votre + singular noun + s'il vous plaît.
*If you're asking for more than one object, use vos ("your") instead of votre followed by a
plural noun and s'il vous plait ("please") as in Vos bagages, s'il vous plaît ("Your luggage,
please.").
Another useful pattern, when asking about how someone should do something is:
Adverb + s'il vous plaît.
For Example:
French "English"
Rapidement, s'il vous plait. "Fast, please."
Patiemment, s'il vous plaît. "Patiently, please."
Sérieusement, s'il vous plaît. "Seriously, please."
Prudemment, s'il vous plaît. "Carefully, please."
2.The modal verb "have to"
Devoir means "must" or to "have to." It's an irregular verb, so let's first look at the
conjugation.
1. je dois

2. tu dois
3. il doit
4. nous devons
5. vous devez
6. ils doivent
Devoir is usually followed by another verb in the infinitive.
For Example:
1. Tu dois écouter le professeur.

"You have to listen to the teacher."
2. Vous devez arriver à l'heure.

"You must arrive on time."
We can also use it to indicate an assumption.
For Example:
1. Il doit travailler dur ces jours-ci car il a l'air fatigué.

"He must work hard these days because he looks tired."
2. Tu passes un entretien ? Tu dois être stressé.

"You have a job interview? You must be stressed."
Sample Sentences
1. Tu dois terminer cette tâche avant lundi.

"You have to complete this task before Monday."
2. Je dois répondre à mes clients rapidement.

"I have to answer quickly to my customers."

3. Elle a eu une promotion, elle doit être ravie.
"She got a promotion, she must be thrilled."
4. Montrez-moi votre passeport.

"Show me your passport."
5. Voici billet d'avion.

"Here's my flight ticket."
1. C'est bon aussi. Je dois scanner le QR code. Tout est en ordre vous pouvez y aller
"It's good too. I have to scan the QR code. It's okay, you can go."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Business Travel in France
At the French airports, most of the staff speak English. Especially in big cities such as Paris,
Marseille, Lyon... Most procedures are the same worldwide.
Be polite and calm, do not hesitate to ask if you didn't understand what an airport
employee said in French.
Useful expression:

"Could you repeat that please?"

LESSON NOTES
S1 #10
Asking for Directions
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 10
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Mince... je crois bien que nous sommes perdus.
2. Thomas: Pourtant d'après le GPS de mon téléphone, le consulat doit être là.
3. Laurène: Attends, je vais demander à quelqu'un.
4. Laurène: Monsieur, excusez-moi de vous déranger, mais peut-êre pouvez-

vous nous aider, nous sommes perdus.
5. Piéton: Oui bien sûr. Que cherchez-vous ?
6. Laurène: Le consulat s'il vous plaît. Malgré notre GPS nous ne le trouvons
pas.
7. Piéton: Vous n'êtes pas très loin il faut remonter la rue, puis aller dans la
petite ruelle en cul de sac sur votre gauche.
8. Laurène: Merci beaucoup !
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Bummer...I think we are lost.
2. Thomas: Yet, according to the GPS on my phone, the consulate must be

there.
3. Laurène: Wait, I'll ask someone.
4. Laurène: Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but maybe you can help us, we are
lost.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #10 - ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS 2

5. Pedestrian: Yes, of course. What are you looking for?
6. Laurène: (We are looking for) the consulate. Despite our GPS, we do not
find it.
7. Pedestrian: You are not very far; you have to walk up the street, then go into
the little alley with a dead end on your left.
8. Laurène: Thank you so much!
VOCABULARY
croire believe verb
demander to ask verb
malgré in spite of preposition
déranger to disturb; to bother verb
rue street noun feminine
perdu lost adjective
d'après according to adverb
consulat consulate noun masculine
remonter walk up verb
ruelle alley noun feminine
SAMPLE SENTENCES

Je crois en toi. Demander un service n'est pas un
problème.
"I believe in you."
"Asking for a favor or service, is
not a problem."
Il demande une réponse. Il t'a demandé de venir.
"He's asking for an answer." "He asked you to come."
J'ai tout mangé, malgré mon dégout Cette chaleur me dérange.

pour les légumes.
"This heat is bothering me."
"I ate everything, in spite of my
disgust for vegetables."
Excusez-moi de vous déranger. La musique dans la rue.
"Sorry to bother you." "Music in the street."
Tout le monde joue dans la rue. C'est au coin de la rue.
"Everyone is playing in the street." "It's at the corner of the street."
Ma fille a perdu son pari. D'après Julie, il fera beau demain.
"My daughter lost her bet." "According to Julie, the weather

will be nice tomorrow."
Il se rend au consulat pour renouveler Je remonte la rue à vélo.

son passeport.
"I go up the street by bike."
"He is going to the consulate to
renew his passport."
Ils habitent dans une jolie ruelle.
"They are living in a nice alley."

selon, d'après
"according to"
Selon, d'après, are French prepositions. The preposition is an invariable word that links a
complement to the completed phrase. Selon provides information about the relation
between two elements or events.
For example:
1. Je mange selon ma faim.

"I eat according to my hunger."
malgré
"despite"
Malgré is also a preposition and easy to use, as its sense and function are the same as the
English one: "despite" or "in spite of."
Instead of malgré, you can also use en dépit de which is less common.
Notice that the preposition malgré is closer to "despite", whereas the expression en dépit de
is closer to "in spite of".
For example:
1. Il travaille malgré sa fatigue.

"He is working despite his tiredness."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is About Asking Directions
Monsieur, excusez-moi de vous déranger, mais peut-êre pouvez-vous nous aider, nous
sommes perdus.
"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but maybe you can help us, we are lost."

1. Asking for directions
2. Giving directions
1. Asking for directions
When traveling in business, or just moving around the city, one of the most important skills
is finding your way.
Let's see how you can ask for directions if you are looking for a place or a building. Make
sure you use the polite vous form to ask for directions from a stranger.
To get people's attention, you can start by saying pardon monsieur ("excuse me, sir") or
pardon madame ("excuse me, madam"). You can also say excusez-moi, meaning "excuse
me" or "I'm sorry."
To ask where something is, you can say où est ...? or où se trouve ...? Se trouver is a reflexive
verb meaning "to be found." For example:
1. Pardon monsieur, où se trouve la bibliothèque ?

"Pardon me, sir, where is the library?"
2. Excusez-moi madame, où est le cinéma?

"Excuse me, madam, where is the movie theater?"
You can also use je cherche... ("I'm looking for") or savez-vous où est X...? ("Do you know
where X is?"). For example:
1. Excusez-moi, je cherche le marché.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the market."
2. Pardon, est-ce que vous savez où se trouve le cinéma?

"Pardon me, do you know where the movie theater is?"
Now, let's look at how to ask about the location of the most important places in the
company or during a business travel.

la salle de réunion?
le service RH? "the conference room?"
Excusez-moi madame, où
l'ascenseur? "the HR department?"
est/sont
l'accueil? "the elevator?"
"Excuse me madam,
les toilettes? "the information desk?"
where is/are ..."
mon bureau? "the toilet?"
"my desk?"
2. Giving directions
Once you know how to ask about things, it's important to also learn how to listen to and
give directions.
To say "go straight," you say continuez tout droit. "Until" or "up to" is jusqu'à. For example:
1. Continuez tout droit jusqu'au marché.

"Keep going straight all the way to the market."
To tell the person "to turn left" or "to turn right," say tournez à gauche or tournez à droite.
For example:
1. Au marché, tournez à gauche.

"At the market, turn left."
2. Au parc, tournez à droite.

"At the park, turn right."
You can then use various words to express where they are in relation to the place or
building they are looking for. Devant means "in front of." En face de is "across the street
from." For example:
1. Le café est devant le marché.

"The coffee shop is in front of the market."
2. Le parc est en face du restaurant.

"The park is across the street from the restaurant."
Sample Sentences

1. Où est le bureau de Mme Anna ?
"Where is Ms. Anna's office?"
2. Le bureau du directeur est tout droit.

"The CEO office is straight ahead."
3. Ton bureau est au premier étage.

"Your desk is on the first floor."
4. Où est l'autoroute ?
"Where is the highway?"
5. Faut'il tourner à droite ?

"Do I have to turn right?"
6. Continuez tout droit.

"Go straight."
1. Oui bien sûr. Que cherchez-vous ?

"Yes, of course. What are you looking for?"
2. Le consulat s'il vous plaît. Malgré notre GPS nous ne le trouvons pas.
"(We are looking for) the consulate. Despite our GPS, we do not find it."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
How Not to Get Lost in France
Let's start with the obvious: buy a map or download one on your phone. You have tons of
offline GPS apps, and it can be really useful. Download photos of places you want to visit.
You can print them out or save them on your phone if you need to explain where you want
to go. It's a safe way to show your destination by whipping out a photo of it.
Useful expression:

1. Je voudrais aller là.
"I want to go there."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #11
Making Small Talk in France
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
9 Cultural Insight
# 11
FRENCH
1. Waiter: Bonjour, avez-vous choisi ?
2. Laurène: Oui merci. Je vais prendre la salade de saison et le plat du jour.
3. Johanne: Et moi je vais prendre une salade lyonnaise et une assiette de

frites s'il vous plaît.
4. Laurène: Je suis contente de te revoir. Tout se passe bien au travail ?
5. Johanne: Tout se passe bien. Mais j'ai besoin de ton avis sur notre site
internet.
6. Laurène: Bien sûr ! On mange d'abord et on en parle ensuite ?
7. Johanne: Faisons comme ça ! C'est tout bon.
ENGLISH
1. Waiter: Good morning, have you made your choice?
2. Laurène: Yes, thank you. I'll take a seasonal salad and the dish of the day.
3. Johanne: And I'll take a Lyonnaise salad and a plate of fries please.
4. Laurène: It's nice to see you again. Is everything going well at work?
5. Johanne: Everything is going well. But I need your opinion about our
website.
6. Laurène: Sure! First we eat and then we talk?
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #11 - MAKING SMALL TALK IN FRANCE 2
7. Johanne: Let's do this then! All good.
VOCABULARY
choisir to choose verb
prendre take verb
salade salad noun feminine
bon good adjective masculine
ensuite then adverb
d'abord first adverb
plat plate noun
avis opinion noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
J'aimerais choisir quelque chose que Comment avez-vous choisi cette

je n'ai jamais essayé. magnifique paire de lunettes?
"I would like to choose something "How did you choose those
I have never tried." beautiful pair of glasses?"
Pourquoi as-tu choisi cette couleur? Personne ne peut choisir à votre place,
c'est à vous de le faire vous-même.
"Why did you choose that color?"
"Nobody can choose for you, you
have to do it yourself."
Je l'ai choisie car c'est elle qui a le plus Il a choisi la couleur de sa voiture
d'expérience pour ce travail. aléatoirement.
"I chose her because she had the "He chose the color of his car
most experience for the job." randomly."
Quel cours tu choisis? Vous prenez un verre?
"Which class do you choose?" "Would you like a drink?"
Après avoir mangé de la viande La salade est une entrée.

pendant plusieurs jours, la seule
chose à laquelle il pouvait penser était
"Salad is an appetizer."
de la salade
"After eating meat for several

days he could only think about
salad."
Le site internet de cet hôtel est très Je dois créer un site internet.
pratique !
"I have to create a website."
"The website of this hotel is very
convenient!"
C'est un bon musicien. Ensuite, nous irons à la page.
"He is a good musician." "Then, we will go to the beach."
J'ai pris une douche et ensuite je suis Je mange, ensuite je pars.

allé(e) au travail.
"I eat, then I leave."
"I took a shower, then went to
work."
Je viens chez toi mais je vais d'abord Ce plat est garni de fruits confits.
chez une amie.
"This dish is topped with candied
"I'm coming to your place, but I'm fruits."
going to a friend's first."
Quel est ton avis sur ce film ?
"What's your opinion about this movie?"
Faisons comme ça !
"Let's do this then!"
It's a common expression used to express an agreement with someone. It's usually the
final sentence in a discussion.
For example:
1. C'est entendu, faisons comme ça !

"Alright, let's do this!"
C'est tout bon.

"All good."
It's an idiomatic expression used to express your agreement, indicating that all lights are
green. You can add pour moi at the end of the sentence, which can be translated as "That's
fine by me".
For example:
1. C'est tout bon pour moi.

"That's fine by me."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Business Small Talk and Ordering Food
Oui merci. Je vais prendre la salade de saison et le plat du jour.

"Yes thank you. I'll take a seasonal salad and the dish of the day."
1. Business small talk
2. Ordering food
Business small talk
When making small talk in business settings, you will find out that the phrase Je suis content
de, meaning "I'm glad of" or "It's nice to" is really useful. Content is an adjective meaning
"happy." In French, adjectives change depending on the gender of the noun they describe
and the number of the noun they describe. With a feminine noun, content becomes contente.
In the dialogue we had:
1. Je suis content de te revoir.

"It's nice to see you again."
Here are other examples:
1. Je suis content que tu aies accepté mon invitation.

"I'm glad that you accepted my invitation."
2. Je suis contente que la transaction se soit bien passée.

"I'm glad that the transaction went well."
Ordering food
In the dialogue, we saw that both characters used the same sentence pattern to order food:
1. Je vais prendre la salade de saison et le plat du jour.

"I'll take a seasonal salad and the dish of the day."
2. ...je vais prendre une salade lyonnaise et une assiette de frites s'il vous plaît.
"...I'll take a Lyonnaise salad and a plate of fries please."
Je vais prendre + [food or drink] + s'il vous plaît.
"I'll take" + [food or drink] + "please."
As you can see, this sentence pattern uses the futur proche. Proche means "near."
When we use futur proche, we're talking about the near future, things that will happen
soon. Conjugation is easy. We use the present tense of aller, "to go" and then add the
infinitive. So, for the verb prendre, "to take," becomes...
1. Je vais prendre...
"I'll have..."
2. Tu vas prendre.
"You'll have..."
3. Il va prendre....
"He'll have..."
4. Nous allons prendre...

"We'll have..."
5. Vous allez prendre...

"You'll have..."
6. Ils vont prendre...

"They'll have..."
There are other patterns you can use:
Verb French English
Vouloir Je voudrais + [food or drink] I'd like + [food or drink]
Aimer J'aimerais + [food or drink] I'd like + [food or drink]
Je souhaiterais + [food or
Souhaiter drink] I'd like + [food or drink]
Sample Sentences
1. Je voudrais commander à manger.

"I'd like to order food."
2. J'aimerais régler l'addition.
"I would like to pay the bill."
3. Je souhaiterais avoir le vin du jour.

"I'd like to get the wine of the day."
4. Je n'ai pas encore choisi.

"I have not chosen yet."
5. Quel est le plat du jour?

"What is the dish of the day?"
1. Je suis contente de te revoir. Tout se passe bien au travail ?

"It's nice to see you again. Is everything going well at work?"
2. Tout se passe bien. Mais j'ai besoin de ton avis sur notre site internet.
"Everything is going well. But I need you opinion about our website."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Etiquette at a Business Lunch
The French business lunch is an experience in itself. French people like long dining. We can
spend hours around the table.
If wine is being served, be careful and do not drink too much!
If you want to pay the bill, say Je règle l'addition., meaning "I pay the bill." To ask for it, you
have to say L'addition s'il-vous -plaît. meaning "The bill, please."
Useful expression:
1. Je ne veux pas de vin, merci.

"I do not want wine, thank you."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #12
Asking for Information About
Office Procedures
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 12
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Demain nous avons une réunion avec toute l'équipe marketing et
le directeur, à 10h en salle 3.
2. Thomas: Très bien. Dois-je m'habiller d'une certaine façon ? Plus classe
que d'habitude ?
3. Laurène: Non rien de particulier. Du moment que tu ne viennes pas en

tongs et en jogging !
4. Thomas: Haha soyez tranquille ça n'arrivera pas. Vous allez présenter

notre nouveau projet ?
5. Laurène: Oui c'est ça. Voudrais-tu t'occuper du Powerpoint ?
6. Thomas: Pas de souci. J'utiliserais votre ordinateur ou le mien ?
7. Laurène: Le mien de préférence. As-tu le mot de passe ?
8. Thomas: Oui je l'ai.
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: We have a meeting with the entire marketing team and the
director tomorrow at 10 AM, room 3.
2. Thomas: Very well. Do I need to get dressed up in some way? Classier than
usual?
3. Laurène: Nothing in particular. As long as you don't come with flip-flops and
sweatpants.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #12 - ASKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OFFICE PROCEDURES 2
4. Thomas: Haha don't worry, I won't. Are you going to introduce our new
project?
5. Laurène: Yes. Would you be in charge of the PowerPoint?
6. Thomas: No problem. Will I use your laptop or mine?
7. Laurène: Mine ideally. Do you have the password?
8. Thomas: Yes I have it.
VOCABULARY
demain tomorrow adverb masculine
équipe team noun feminine
tong flip-flop noun feminine
jogging sweatpants noun masculine
arriver arrive verb
ordinateur computer noun masculine
s'occuper de taking care of verb
s'habiller get dressed verb
classe classy adjective
souci trouble noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
À quelle heure tu viens, demain ? Nous formons une bonne équipe.
"What time are you coming "We are making a great team."
tomorrow?"
J'aime faire du travail d'équipe. Elle quittera l'équipe l'année

prochaine.
"I like to do teamwork."
"She'll quit the team next year."
Pour aller à la plage je mets des tongs. Je fais mon jogging en jogging.
"To go to the beach, I'm wearing "I'm jogging wearing my

flip-flops." sweatpants."
Il arrive à toute allure. Mon ordinateur montre des messages

d'erreur tout le temps.
"He arrives at top speed."
"My computer is displaying error
messages all the time."
C'est un ordinateur. Peux-tu t'occuper de ta petite soeur ce

soir ?
"It's a computer."
"Could you take care of your little
sister tonight?"
Je m'habille dans le noir chaque Il est toujours très classe !

matin.
"He is always so classy!"
"Every morning, I get dressed in
the dark."
Il y a un souci: l'ordinateur est cassé.
"There is a problem: the computer is broken."
s'habiller
"to get dressed"
S'habiller is a reflexive verb, called verbe prénominal in French. Reflexive verbs, les verbes
prénominaux, are verbs used with a reflexive pronoun such as me, te, se, nous, vous. The
reflexive pronoun with the subject pronouns: nous nous habillons "we are getting dressed".
French reflexive verbs are all common and used daily.
For example:
1. Dêpechez-vous de vous habiller!

"Hurry up, get dressed!"
s'occuper de
"to be in charge"
S'occuper de is also a reflexive verb. Se becomes s' because the verb starts with a vowel (se
+ o = s').
It has several meanings, such as "to be in charge of" and "to take care of".
For example:
1. Il s'occupe des enfants ce soir.

"He is taking care of the kids tonight."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Asking About Rules
Très bien. Dois-je m'habiller d'une certaine façon ? Plus classe que d'habitude ?
"Very well. Do I need to get dressed up in some way? Classier than usual?"
1. Asking about office rules - "Do I have to"
2. Questions at work
1. Asking about office rules - "Do I have to"
Sometimes it's necessary to ask clear questions about your duties in an office. In the
dialogue we saw:
1. Dois-je m'habiller d'une certaine façon ?

"Do I need to get dressed up in some way?"
Devoir is a French verb meaning "to have to." In the question form, it's verb + pronoun: dois-
je.
Dois-je + [question topic with the infinitive verb] ?
1. Dois-je arriver à 8 heures le matin ?

"Do I have to arrive at 8 o'clock in the morning?"
2. Questions at work
When you start working in a new office, you will be given training to help with your new job.
The training might last a few hours, or it might just be a short ten minute tour of the office.
No matter how long your training is, it's unlikely that it will cover every question you have.
To help you ask some questions, here are some common nouns that you will find in the
office.
French English Sample sentence
As-tu le mot de passe ?

"Do you have the
mot de passe password
password?"
Y a-t-il une cafétéria ?

cafétéria cafeteria "Is there a cafeteria?"
Je suis en salle de pause.

Salle de pause break area "I'm in the break area."
Je te retrouve près de la
fontaine à eau.
Fontaine à eau
water cooler "I'll meet you near the
water cooler."
Les toilettes sont au fond du

couloir.
toilettes restroom "The toilets are at the end
of the hallway."
Il y a une poubelle sous

mon bureau.
poubelle trash can "There is a trash can
under my desk."
Il y a souvent des zones

fumeur dans les grosses
entreprises.
Zone fumeur smoking area
"There are often smoking
areas in big companies."
Je mets mon repas du midi

dans le frigo.
Réfrigérateur, frigo refrigerator, fridge "I put my lunch in the
fridge."
Examples:
1. Es-ce qu'il y a une zone fumeur ?

"Is there a smoking area?"
2. Comment utiliser la photocopieuse ?

"How do I use the printer?"
3. Puis-je utiliser le réfrigérateur ?

"Can I use the refrigerator?"
4. Où sont les toilettes ?

"Where is the restroom?"
5. A quelle heure ouvre la cafétéria ?
"When is the cafeteria open?"
Sample Sentences
1. Dois-tu terminer ton travail avant de prendre une pause ?

"Do you have to finish your work before taking a break?"
2. Dois-je vous rappeler dans la journée ?

"Do I have to call you back during the day?"
3. Dois-je m'inquiéter ?
"Do I have to worry?"
1. Non rien de particulier. Du moment que tu ne viennes pas en tongs et en jogging !

"Nothing in particular. As long as you don't come with flip-flops and sweatpants."
2. Haha soyez tranquille ça n'arrivera pas. Vous allez présenter notre nouveau projet ?
"Haha don't worry, I won't. Are you going to introduce our new project?"
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Office Rules in France
The concept of 'Casual Friday' is not known or famous in French offices. The first few days,
it's better to dress business-like and to compare with your co-workers. Are they all wearing
suits? Or a pair of jeans? Be careful with facial hairs, such as beards: it can be not well
received, particularly with superiors.
Useful expression:
1. Je suis habillé strict.

"I am dressed strictly."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #13
Asking for Help in a Difficult
Business Situation
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
10 Cultural Insight
# 13
FRENCH
1. Thomas: Excusez-moi de vous embêter mais je n'arrive pas à utiliser la

photocopieuse. Pourriez-vous m'aider ?
2. Laurène: Bien sûr. Quel est le problème ?
3. Thomas: J'ai besoin de photocopier cette image au format A3 et en

couleurs. Mais je n'ai pas réussi.
4. Laurène: Pas de souci je vais te montrer comment faire.
5. Laurène: C'est bon tu as compris ?
6. Thomas: C'est tout bon merci. Désolé de vous avoir embêté.
7. Laurène: Mais pas du tout, tu as eu raison de demander.
8. Thomas: Merci beaucoup
ENGLISH
1. Thomas: I'm sorry for bothering you, but I'm unable to use the copy
machine. Could you help me?
2. Laurène: Sure. What's the problem?
3. Thomas: I need to photocopy this image in A3 format and in color. But I

couldn't manage to.
4. Laurène: No problem, I'll show you how to do it.
5. Laurène: It's alright, you got it?
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #13 - ASKING FOR HELP IN A DIFFICULT BUSINESS SITUATION 2
6. Thomas: All good, thank you. Sorry to have bothered you.
7. Laurène: Not at all. It's good to ask.
8. Thomas: Thank you very much.
VOCABULARY
adverb, phrase,
désolé(e) sorry adjective masculine
photocopieuse copy machine noun feminine
aider help verb
to succeed, to
réussir accomplish verb
montrer to show verb
pas du tout not at all phrase
raison reason Noun feminine
demander to ask verb
couleur color Noun feminine
embêter bother verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Je suis désolé de t'embêter avec mes Désolé(e) je ne peux pas y aller avec
soucis. toi.
"I'm sorry for bothering you with "Sorry, I can't go with you."
my problems."
Nous sommes vraiment désolés! La photocopieuse est cassée.
"We are really sorry!" "The copy machine is broken."
Tu peux aider ta soeur? Je n’ai pas bien réussi le test.
"Can you help your sister?" "I didn’t do well on the test."
J'ai réussi mon test hier. Je peux lui montrer comment le faire.
"I passed my test yesterday." "I can show him how to do it."
Je n'aime pas du tout ta réaction ! Il a souvent raison.
"I don't like your reaction at all!" "He is often right."
Demander un service n'est pas un Il demande une réponse.

problème.
"He's asking for an answer."
"Asking for a favor or service, is
not a problem."
Il t'a demandé de venir. La couleur de ses yeux est bleue.
"He asked you to come." "The color of his eyes is blue."
Les couleurs d'automne sont chaudes. Il embête sa soeur.
"The fall's colors are warm." "He's bothering his sister."
en couleurs
"in color"
En couleurs is an adverbial phrase. It is used as an adjective. Couleurs must be in plural

form with this phrase because there is not just one color, but many.
For example:
1. C'est le premier film en couleurs.

"This is the first color movie."
réussir
"to succeed, to accomplish"
Réussir is a second group verb. All French verbs can be classified into three groups. It
depends on the last two letters of the word.
Group 1 is with regular verbs ending with -er, except aller ("to go"). The second one
consists of regular verbs ending with -ir. Group 3 is verbs with irregular conjugation ending
with -re, -ir, -oir and aller.
For example:
1. Je n'ai pas bien réussi le test.

"I didn't do well on the test."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Asking for Help in an office
Excusez-moi de vous embêter mais je n'arrive pas à utiliser la photocopieuse. Pourriez-

vous m'aider ?
"I'm sorry for bothering you, but I'm unable to use the copy machine. Could you help
me?"
1. How to politely get someone's attention
2. Asking for help
1. How to politely get someone's attention
There may be times where you need to get someone's attention when they are busy or
having a conversation with someone else. If it's a dangerous situation, such as a fire or
injury, then you don't need to worry about being polite and can just quickly shout out a
warning or request for help.
Here are some phrases to get attention in an emergency situation.
French English When to use
You can use this to warn

Au feu ! "Fire!" people of a fire.
You can use this if

someone is ill or injured,
Appelez le SAMU ! "Call an ambulance!"
and needs the hospital.
This is a general distress

A l'aide ! "Help me!" call.
You can use this to tell

someone to move if their
Allez-vous en ! "Get out of the way!" current position is
dangerous.

someone they are in a
Soyez prudent ! "Be careful!" possibly dangerous
situation.

someone they are in a
Attention ! "Watch out!" possibly dangerous
situation.
If it isn't a dangerous situation but you still need to get someone's attention, then you need
to be polite. First, you should apologize by using one of the following phrases. As we saw in
the conversation:
1. Excusez-moi de vous embêter mais...

"I'm sorry for bothering you but..."
Here are more examples
1. Pardonnez-moi, mais...
"Excuse me, but..."
2. Je suis désolé, mais...

"I'm sorry, but..."
3. Je suis désolé de vous déranger, mais

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but..."
Follow the apology phrase with mais "but," and explain briefly why you are interrupting. You
don't need to go into detail. The following phrases are general phrases to explain that you
need to talk to the other person.
Examples
1. Je dois vous parler

"I need to talk to you."
2. Il y a un problème
"There's a problem."
3. Il s'est passé quelque chose

"Something has come up."
4. J'ai besoin de ton aide pour quelque chose

"I need your help with something."
If you add the three parts together, you get sentences such as:
1. Excusez-moi, mais, je dois vous parler.

"Excuse me, but I need to talk you."
2. Je suis désolé, mais il y a un problème.
"I'm sorry, but there's a problem."
3. Je suis désolée de vous embêter, mais il s'est passé quelque chose.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but something has come up."
4. Excusez-moi, j'ai besoin de votre aide pour quelque chose.

"Excuse me, I need your help with something."
Now that you have the other person's attention, you can ask for help.
2. Asking for help
A simple phrase to remember is:
1. Pourriez-vous m'aider ?
"Could you help me?"
If your request is more complex, use the following pattern to ask someone politely to do
something.
[Pourriez-vous + verbe à l'infinitif + s'il vous plaît?]
"Could you + verb (infinitive) + "please"?"
1. Pourriez-vous fermer la fenêtre s'il vous plaît?

"Could you close the window please?"
First you have the expression "could you" followed by a verb in the infinitive form with a
complement. Last, S'il vous plaît (meaning "please") at the end of the sentence is not
obligatory, but it shows politeness.
This phrasing is useful when you are in a formal or business situation, when you're with
someone you don't know, if you are a client or a sales assistant, etc.
Four elements compose this expression:
Pourriez → The verb pouvoir in the second person plural conditional
Vous → Second person plural personal pronoun
Verb + complement → The thing you want/need
S'il vous plaît → Polite expression meaning "please"
For Example:
1. Pourriez-vous me donner cette boîte s'il vous plaît ?

"Could you give me this box, please?"
2. Pourriez-vous finir les réparations rapidement s'il vous plaît ?

"Could you finish repairs quickly, please?"
3. Pourriez-vous répondre dès que possible s'il vous plaît ?

"Could you reply as soon as possible, please?"
Sample Sentences
1. Pourriez-vous m'aider à préparer cette présentation ?

"Can you help me with preparing this presentation?"
2. Pourriez-vous m'aider à photocopier ces documents ?

"Could you help me with copying these documents?"
3. J'ai besoin d'aide. Pouvez-vous m'aider avec ce dossier ?

"I need some help. Can you help me write this report?"
4. J'ai un service à vous demander.

"I have a favor to ask."
5. Puis-je vous demander quelque chose ?

"May I ask you something?"
6. Merci pour votre aide.

"Thank you for your help."
1. Pas de souci je vais te montrer comment faire.

"No problem, I'll show you how to do it."
2. C'est tout bon merci. Désolé de vous avoir embêté.
"All good, thank you. Sorry to have bothered you."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Office Rules in France
It is obviously not advisable to go to see your colleague every time a question comes to
your mind, and you should not waste time with questions that you could answer with the
resources already available. First, try to find some answers by yourself. Then, make a list of
what's challenging you, then isolate a few priority questions before going to see your
colleague. Before asking, make sure they are available.
Useful expression:
1. Puis-je te poser quelques questions concernant mon travail?

"May I ask you some questions about my job?"
LESSON NOTES
S1 #14
Making a Business Phone Call
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 14
FRENCH
1. Naïma: Allo, Naïma du département informatique. Je souhaiterais parler

au directeur adjoint de votre entreprise s'il vous plaît.
2. secretary: Bonjour. Est-il au courant de votre appel ?
3. Naïma: Non je ne pense pas.
4. secretary: Quelle est la raison de votre appel dans ce cas ?
5. Naïma: Le devis que j'ai reçu ne correspond pas à ce que nous avions
convenu.
6. secretary: Je vois. Je vous demande un instant je vais essayer de vous mettre

en ligne avec lui.
7. Naïma: Merci beaucoup !
ENGLISH
1. Naïma: Good morning, I'm Naïma from the IT department. I would like to
speak to the vice director of your company, please.
2. secretary: Good morning. Does he know about your phone call?
3. Naïma: No, I don't think so.
4. secretary: Could you tell me the reason for your call in that case?
5. Naïma: The quote I received is not what we agreed upon.
6. secretary: I see. Hold on I'll put you through with him.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #14 - MAKING A BUSINESS PHONE CALL 2
7. Naïma: Thank you so much!
VOCABULARY
parler speak verb
appel call Noun masculine
voir see verb
essayer to try verb
directeur adjoint vice director noun masculine
être au courant be informed verb
devis quote noun masculine
put someone
mettre en ligne through verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Tu parles espagnol ? Tu devrais parler plus lentement.
"Do you speak Spanish?" “You should speak slower.”
Il m'a prêté son téléphone pour faire J'ai reçu un appel de Sophie.
un appel.
"I got a call from Sophie."
"He lent me his phone to make a
call."
Elles ont vu des animaux sauvages. Vous avez eu votre paie?
"They saw wild animals." "Did you get your pay?"
Il ne faut pas essayer, il faut réussir. Il essaie de parler mais il n'y arrive
pas: il a la bouche pleine.
"You must not try, you have to
succeed." "He's trying to talk but he is not
able to: his mouth is full."
Le directeur adjoint n'est pas Elle n'est pas au courant de la

commode. situation. Peux-tu lui expliquer ?
"The vice director is not easy- "She is not aware of the situation.
going." Can you explain it to her?"
Ce devis est bien trop élevé. Je vous mets en ligne avec ma

responsable.
"This quote is too high."
"Let me put you on with my
manager."
être au courant
"to be informed"
Être au courant is a verbal phrase meaning "to be informed". Be careful: courant is also a
word meaning "ordinary" and "power supply." Au means "at the", "with." and is the
contraction of à + le.
For example:
1. Es-tu au courant du changement de direction ?

"Do you know about the change of direction?"
Je vois.
"I see."
Je vois is a typical French colloquial expression literally meaning "I see."
It's figurative, it implies that you understand. It's an easy expression to use and you will
sound like a native speaker! When you don't really know what to say after someone spoke,
just say je vois. Easy!
For example:
1. Je vois ce que tu veux dire.

"I see what you mean."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Useful Expressions and Phrases On the Phone
Allo, Naïma du département informatique. Je souhaiterais parler au directeur adjoint de

votre entreprise s'il vous plaît.
"Good morning, I'm Naïma from the IT department. I would like to speak to the vice
director of your company, please."
1. Phone conversation phrases
2. Other useful phrases
1.Phone conversation phrases
If you are calling someone, you should always introduce yourself at the beginning of
the call. The other person may have your phone number and know it's you already from
your caller ID, but it's still polite to introduce yourself.
First, start with a simple greeting such as bonjour, "good morning." There are a few
ways you can then say your name. The following examples are listed from the most formal,
to the least formal.
Examples:
1. Bonjour, je m'appelle John Baker

"Hello, my name is John Baker."
2. Bonjour, c'est John Baker
"Hello, this is John Baker."
3. Bonjour, John Baker à l'appareil

"Hello, John Baker on the phone."
4. Bonjour, John Baker

"Hello, John Baker."
If you are calling another company and want to be formal, I would suggest using either 1 or
2. To say what company you work for, use the prepositions de or d' "from", or pour "for."
Examples:
1. Bonjour, je m'appelle John Baker et je travaille pour ABC Company

"Hello, my name is John Baker and I'm working for the ABC Company."
2. Bonjour, c'est John Baker d'ABC Company

"Hello, this is John Baker from the ABC Company."
3. Bonjour, c'est John Baker de Métropole Lyon.

"Hello, it's John Baker from Métropole Lyon."
4. Bonjour, John Baker, ABC Company

"Hello, John Baker, ABC Company."
After introducing yourself, next you should say who you want to speak to. If you know with
certainty that the person you want to speak to is the person you're speaking to already,
then you don't need to do this. If you're not sure, or you know that it isn't, then you should
say who you want to speak to. There are many ways to do this.
Examples
1. Puis-je parler à Alice Smith, s'il vous plaît ?

"May I speak to Alice Smith, please?"
2. Pourrais-je parler à Alice Smith, s'il vous plaît ?

"Can I speak to Alice Smith, please?"
3. Est-ce que Alice Smith est disponible ?
"Is Alice Smith available?"
4. Alice Smith est-elle disponible ?

"Is Alice Smith there?"
The first example is the most polite. Example number 4 is the type of sentence you would
use when calling your friend's home to speak to them, and should be avoided in business
circumstances.
2. Other useful phrases
After asking to speak to someone, even if they are there, they might not be able to come to
the phone straight away. They might need a few moments to finish up a task, or be in a
different office. In cases like this, you will be asked to wait.
Here are some sentences you might hear:
1. Puis-je vous mettre en attente,s'il vous plaît ?

"Can you hold the line, please?"
2. Est-il possible de vous mettre en attente pendant que je vérifie ?

"Is it okay if I put you on hold while I check?"
3. Patientez pendant que je transfère l'appel.

"Please hold the line while I transfer you."
In all of these cases, just say merci "thank you" and wait to be connected. Companies often
have hold music that you can listen to while you wait, and although most of it is annoying,
sometimes it's not too bad!
Sample Sentences
1. Un instant je vous prie.

"Please hold the line."
2. Quelle est la raison de votre appel?

"What are you calling for?"
3. Je souhaite parler au responsable.
"I'd like to speak to the manager."
1. Quelle est la raison de votre appel dans ce cas ?

"Could you tell me the reason for your call in that case?"
2. Bonjour. Est-il au courant de votre appel ?

"Good morning. Does he know about your phone call?"
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Business and Telephone Calls
If you want to make a local phone call in France, you must dial the prefix first: for example
"01" for all local landline phones in Paris.
If you're calling someone on their mobile phone, you must dial "06" or "07."
If you want to call from the capital to another French region, you still will dial "0" plus the
region's code number. For example, for Lyon it's "04."
If you want to make an international call from France, you must dial "00" plus the country
code, plus the phone number.
Useful expression:
1. Pouvez-vous me donner votre numéro de téléphone ?

"May I have your phone number?"
LESSON NOTES
S1 #15
Apologies in a Business Setting
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 15
FRENCH
1. Thomas: Bonjour, je suis tellement désolé ! Je suis en retard ! Excusez-moi

pour le retard, j'ai eu un problème de bus à cause de la grève !
2. Laurène: Ne t'en fais pas Thomas, je comprends. C'est moi qui suis
désolée, j'avais oublié la grève, j'aurais dû te dire de rester chez
toi pour faire du télétravail.
3. Thomas: Il y a une possibilité de faire du télétravail ?
4. Laurène: Lors de situations compliquées comme celle-ci, oui. Quoi qu'il en

soit excuse-moi et si il y a encore grève demain tu pourras rester
chez toi.
5. Thomas: Ne vous excusez- pas ! Merci pour votre compréhension en tout

cas. Au travail à présent !
6. Laurène: Tout à fait ! Arrêtons de nous excuser et travaillons !
ENGLISH
1. Thomas: Good morning, I'm so sorry! I'm late! I'm sorry that I'm late, I had
trouble with my bus because of the strike!
2. Laurène: Don't worry Thomas, I understand. I am the one who's sorry, I

forgot about the strike, I should have told you to stay at home to
do telework.
3. Thomas: Is there a possibility to telework?
4. Laurène: In such complicated circumstances, yes. Anyway, excuse me, and

if there is a strike tomorrow, you can stay home.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #15 - APOLOGIES IN A BUSINESS SETTING 2

5. Thomas: No need to apologize! Thank you for your understanding anyway.
Let's work now!
6. Laurène: Indeed! Let's stop apologizing and work instead!
VOCABULARY
problème problem noun masculine
retard late adjective
dire say verb
grève strike noun feminine
comprendre to understand verb
oublier to forget verb
s'excuser to apologize verb
télétravail teleworking noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
J'ai un problème, mon ordinateur ne C'est un problème technique.

marche plus.
"It's a technical problem."
"I have a problem; my computer
has stopped working."
Mon bus est toujours en retard ! Jules dit souvent des blagues.
"My bus is always late!" "Jules is often saying jokes."

Les employés se sont mis en grève. Vous avez compris?
“The employees were on strike.” "Did you understand?"
Je comprends le français. N'oubliez jamais d'où vous venez.
"I understand French." "Never forget where you come

from."
N'oublie pas la virgule. Excusez-moi, je suis maladroite.
"Don't forget the comma." "Excuse me, I'm clumsy."
J'adorerais faire du télétravail.
"I would love to do telework."
J'ai eu un problème.
"I had a problem"
Avoir is conjugated with the past tense: passé composé. The most common past tense in
French. When using a past tense for this sentence, you are implying that you problem is
over.
It's a great way to start an anecdote, a personal story. If your problem is not over, use the
present tense; j'ai un problème. It implies that you have no solution yet.
For example:
1. Quand j'étais au Japon, j'ai eu un problème avec mon passeport.

"When I was in Japan, I had a problem with my passport."
J'aurais dû te dire...
"I should have told you..."

As "should" avoir in the conditional form can express a regret, or a reproach.
This sentence is like an introduction: you can't say it just by itself. It has to be followed by
que and an explanation. Be careful! Si ("if"), when expressing a condition, is never followed
by the past conditional 1st form (si j'aurais) but from a more-than-perfect indicative (si
j'avais).
For example:
1. J'aurais dû te dire que j'avais raté mon train.

"I should have told you that I missed my train."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Apologizing at Work
Bonjour, je suis tellement désolé ! Je suis en retard ! Excusez-moi pour le retard, j'ai eu
un problème de bus à cause de la grève !
"Good morning, I'm so sorry! I'm late! I'm sorry that I'm late, I had trouble with my
bus because of the strike!"
1. Making apologies
2. Asking about options
1.Making apologies
You may already know some ways of apologising in French. The simplest one, for sure, is
just saying je suis désolé "I'm sorry." However, here we will look at apologising in the
business setting. In a business setting, it's common to use adverbs to emphasize your
apologies; you can use tellement "so," vraiment "really," or sincèrement "sincerely."
The verb s'excuser "to apologise for oneself" or "to excuse" will be very useful too. The
general pattern would be:

Excusez-moi pour... ("Excuse me for...", "I'm sorry for...") + reason
Excusez-moi si... ("Excuse me if...", "I'm sorry if...") + reason
Je suis désolé(e) pour... ("I'm sorry for...") + reason
Je suis désolé(e) de... ("I'm sorry about...") + reason
Examples:
1. Je suis désolé pour le retard.

"I'm sorry for the delays."
2. Je suis désolé, j'ai oublié d'écrire le rapport.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to write the report."
3. Je suis désolé, j'ai oublié que la réunion était aujourd'hui.

"I'm sorry, I forgot the meeting was today."
4. Excusez-nous si nous n'arrivons pas à satisfaire votre demande.

"Excuse us if we were not able to satisfy your request."
5. Excusez-nous pour le dérangement.

"We apologise for the inconvenience."
6. Il s'est excusé pour son absence.

"He apologized for his absence."
If you are the one who received the excuses, you can use the following expressions as a
reply:
1. Je vous en prie.
"You're welcome." or "Don't mention it."
2. Ce n'est rien, ne vous en faites pas.

"It's fine, don't worry about it."
3. C'est bon, ça n'a pas d'importance.

"It's okay, it doesn't matter."
2.Asking about options

Each workplace has its rules and exceptions to those. In the dialogue, Thomas seems
surprised to know that his office offers the possibility to work remotely and he asks:
1. Il y a une possibilité de faire du télétravail ?

"Is there a possibility to telework?"
The following sentence pattern comes in handy, when you want to ask about specific
options:
1. Il y a une possibilité de [+ infinitive verb] ?

"Is there a possibility to [do something]?"
2. Est-ce qu'il est possible de [+ infinitive verb] ?

"Is it possible to [do something]?"
Here are more examples:
1. Il y a une possibilité de partir plus tôt ?

"Is there a possibility to leave earlier?"
2. Est-ce qu'il possible d'être remboursé ?

"Is it possible to get a refund?"
Sample Sentences
1. Est-ce qu'il possible de réserver une chambre ?

"Is it possible to book a room?"
2. Il y a une possibilité d'emprunter un ordinateur ?

"Is there a possibility to borrow a computer?"
3. Est-ce qu'il y a une possibilité de décaler le rendez-vous ?

"Is there a possibility of rescheduling the appointment?"
4. Je suis désolé d'être en retard.

"I'm sorry for being late."

5. Excusez-moi pour mon retard.
"Excuse me for being late."
1. Ne t'en fais pas Thomas, je comprends. C'est moi qui suis désolée, j'avais oublié la
grève, j'aurais dû te dire de rester chez toi pour faire du télétravail.
"Don't worry Thomas, I understand. I am the one who's sorry, I forgot about the
strike, I should have told you to stay at home to do telework."
2. Lors de situations compliquées comme celle-ci, oui. Quoi qu'il en soit excuse-moi et si il
y a encore grève demain tu pourras rester chez toi.
"In such complicated circumstances, yes. Anyway, excuse me, and if there is a
strike tomorrow, you can stay home."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Freelancers in France
More than two million freelancers are working in France.
Telecommuting represents many advantages: autonomy especially!
But keep in mind, it is not an easy job! When you are a freelancer, you also face important
legal obligations, such as paying taxes, that you must respect scrupulously. They have a
significant cost.
Useful expression:
1. Le métier de freelance est difficile.

"To work as a freelancer is hard."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #16
Passing a Phone Message
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 16
FRENCH
1. Naïma: Oui allo ?
2. secretary: Bonjour Madame, je souhaiterais parler à Mme Pierron.
3. Naïma: Elle est déjà en ligne. Voulez-vous lui laisser un message ?
4. secretary: Volontiers. Dites lui que sa commande de papeterie arrivera

demain à 18h au plus tard. De la part de la société Papex.
5. Naïma: Parfait je n'y manquerais pas. Merci.
6. secretary: Merci à vous !
7. Naïma: Laurène, Papex a appelé. Ta commande arrivera demain au plus

tard à 18h.
8. Laurène: Parfait ! Merci beaucoup.
ENGLISH
1. Naïma: Yes, hello?
2. Secretary: Hello ma'am, I would like to speak to Mrs. Pierron, please?
3. Naïma: She is already on the line. Would you like to leave her a message?
4. Secretary: With pleasure. Tell her that her stationery order will arrive
tomorrow at 6 PM at the latest. From the company Papex.
5. Naïma: Perfect I'll make sure she will get it. Thank you.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #16 - PASSING A PHONE MESSAGE 2

6. Secretary: Thank you!
7. Naïma: Laurène, Papex called. Your order will arrive tomorrow, 6PM at
the latest.
8. Laurène: Perfect! Thank you so much.
VOCABULARY
souhaiter wish verb
commande order noun feminine
papeterie stationery noun feminine
société company noun feminine
laisser un message leave a message phrase
volontiers with pleasure phrase
au plus tard at the latest phrase
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Je souhaite travailler sur ce projet. Je te souhaite le meilleur pour cette

nouvelle année.
"I wish to work on this project."
"I'm wishing you the best for this
new year."

Je fais beaucoup trop de commandes J'adore les papeteries.
sur internet.
"I love stationery shops."
"I'm making too many orders on
the Internet."
J'achète mes cahiers en papeterie. Je travaille pour une grosse société.
"I buy my notebooks at a "I work for a big company."

stationery shop."
La société est en essor. Je veux laisser un message.
"The company is blossoming." "I want to leave a message."
-Veux-tu un peu de thé ? -Volontiers ! Vous arrivez dans 1 heure au plus

tard.
"-Would you like some tea? -With
pleasure!" "You are coming in 1 hour at the
latest."
il/elle est déjà en ligne

"he/she is already on the line"
This is a specific French phone phrase.
If you need to make a phone call, memorize it! This is a phone sentence only. You can't use
it in any other circumstances.
For example:
1. Un instant, le directeur est déjà en ligne.

"A moment please, the director is already on the line."
je n'y manquerais pas

"I certainly will"

This is a common expression. Y is a pronoun, it replaces a place (like Paris) or a thing. In
this case, it's a thing. Je n'y manquerais = Je ne manquerais pas de passer le message.
You can use this phrase when you will carry out an action to which you are committed, to
reassure your interlocutor. No need to be on the phone to use it though. It's a very polite
expression. Don't use it with friends or close relatives.
For example:
1. Parfait je n'y manquerais pas. Merci.

"Perfect, I certainly will. Thank you."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Leaving a Message on the Phone
Bonjour Madame, je souhaiterais parler à Mme Pierron.

"Hello ma'am, I would like to speak to Mrs. Pierron, please?"
1. How to Take a Message
2. How to Leave a Message
1. How to Take a Message
When making phone calls, it's likely that at some point you will call someone who is not
available. In this case, you can call back, or you may be able to leave a message. Here is
what Naima said in the conversation:
1. Voulez-vous lui laisser un message ?

"Would you like to leave her a message?"
Here are other useful expressions:

1. Je vais prendre un message. Pouvez-vous me donner votre nom s'il vous plaît ?
"I will take a message. Could you give me your name please?"
2. Pouvez-vous lui laisser un message s'il vous plaît ?

"Could you leave him a message please?"
When taking a message, you only need to make notes. Don't worry about writing complete
sentences.
Sometimes names can be unusual, so asking for the spelling is the best idea.
Examples:
1. Comment l'écrivez-vous ?
"How do you spell that?"
2. Pouvez-vous me l'épeler ?
"Can you spell that for me?"
3. Vérifions l'orthographe.
"Let's check the spelling."
2. How to Leave a Message
Let's see now what to say to leave a message. Here is the example from the lesson
conversation:
1. Dites lui que sa commande de papeterie arrivera demain à 18h au plus tard. De la
part de la société Papex.
"Tell her that her stationery order will arrive tomorrow at 6 PM at the latest. From
the company Papex."
The core structure of this sentence is the verb dire, "to say," "to tell," in the imperative
form, dites, "you tell," followed by the conjunction que, "that." Notice that dites, "you tell," is
followed by the pronoun lui, becoming dites lui "tell her."
Dites lui que... "Tell her that..."
Remember to change the pronoun to the right one if you are referring to a different subject.

Here is a table with both the indirect object and direct object pronouns:
Direct object pronouns: Indirect object pronouns:
1st person me / m me / m
2nd person te / t' te / t'
3rd person le (masculine) / la (feminine) lui
1st person nous nous
2nd person vous vous
3rd person les leur
Examples:
1. Dites leur s'il vous plaît que le client a annulé son rendez-vous.
"Please tell them the client has cancelled the appointment."
If the person answering the phone doesn't offer to take a message immediately, you
should ask:
1. Puis-je laisser un message ?

"Can I leave a message?"
2. Pouvez-vous prendre un message ?

"Can you take a message?"
Sample Sentences
1. Comment s'écrit votre nom ?

"How to spell your name?"

"Could you repeat please?"

3. Pouvez-vous me donner votre nom s'il vous plaît ?
"Could you give me your name please?"
4. Dites lui que je ne serais pas en ville la semaine prochaine.

"Tell him that next week I'll be out of town."
5. Dites-lui que je la rappellerai demain.

"Tell her that I will call back."
6. Est-ce qu'il/elle peut me rappeler ?

"Can he/she call me back?"
1. Elle est déjà en ligne. Voulez-vous lui laisser un message ?

"She is already on the line. Would you like to leave her a message?"
2. Laurène, Papex a appelé. Ta commande arrivera demain au plus tard à 18h.

"Laurène, Papex called. Your order will arrive tomorrow, 6PM at the latest."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Postal Services in France
In France, if you want to send letters, packages, or registered packages, you'll quickly
understand there is only one system: La Poste. It is a business owned by the French
government. It manages the postal system in France and also Monaco, a small principality.
Useful expression:
1. J'aimerais envoyer un colis s'il vous plaît.

"I would like to send a package please."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #17
Asking For Time Off Work in
French
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 17
FRENCH
1. Thomas: Je voulais vous demander, est-il possible de prendre un jour de

congé ?
2. Laurène: Tu as droit a des jours de congé certes. Mais quand veux-tu le

poser ?
3. Thomas: Vendredi prochain. Si possible bien sûr !
4. Laurène: Je pense que c'est possible pour moi. Il faut que tu remplisses ce
formulaire que je signerais puis je l'enverrais aux RH.
5. Thomas: Parfait, merci ! Dois-je donner une raison ?
6. Laurène: Non ce n'est pas nécessaire. C'est ta vie privée.
ENGLISH
1. Thomas: I wanted to ask you, is it possible to take a day off?
2. Laurène: You are entitled to days off, of course. But when do you want to
ask it?
3. Thomas: Next Friday. If possible of course!
4. Laurène: To me, I think it is. You need to fill in a form, I'll sign it, and then I'll
send it to HR.
5. Thomas: Perfect, thank you! Do I need to give a reason?
6. Laurène: It's not required. It's your private life.
VOCABULARY
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #17 - ASKING FOR TIME OFF WORK IN FRENCH 2
congé vacation noun masculine
raison reason Noun feminine
possible possible, okay adjective
remplir to fill verb
formulaire application form noun masculine
poser un jour de
congé take a day off verb
avoir le droit de be entitled to phrase
ressources
humaines Human Resources phrase feminine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Les sydicats se sont battus pour le Il a souvent raison.

droit des congés payés.
"He is often right."
"The unions fought for the paid
leave right."
Il a souvent raison. Prendre des vacances, c'est possible?
"He is often right." "Is it okay to take a vacation?"
C'est un choix possible. J'ai rempli le bulletin d'inscription.
"It's a possible choice." "I filled in the subscription form."
Je vais remplir les oeufs de chocolat Remplissez le formulaire s'il vous

chaud. plaît.
"I'm going to fill the eggs with hot "Please fill in this form."
chocolate."
Les formulaires pour étudier à J'ai posé un jour de congé.
l'étranger se trouvent sur notre page
d'accueil.
"I took a day off."
"Application forms for studying

abroad can be found on our
home page."
Tu as le droit de parler. Les RH s'occupent de ton contrat.
"You are entitled to speak." "HR is taking charge of your

contract."
Elle a été transférée aux ressources humaines.
"She was transferred to Human Resources."
avoir droit à
"being entitled to"
Avoir le droit de is a common expression. Avoir is the verb meaning "to have" and droit is a
noun meaning "right" or "law."
The law connotation is light, it can be used for children, for example, when you explain the
rules of a game
For example:
1. J'ai le droit d'espérer, même si je ne suis pas sûr que cela arrivera.
"I have the right to hope, although I'm not sure it will happen."
2. En France nous avons droit à cinq semaines de congés payés minimum.

"In France, we are entitled to five weeks minimum of paid leave."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Asking for a day off
Je voulais vous demander, est-il possible de prendre un jour de congé ?

"I wanted to ask you, is it possible to take a day off?"
1. Getting days off
2. Being polite with your superior
1. Getting days off
Taking a day off can differ from company to company. Some companies will be fine with
employees taking days off, and with other companies it will be more difficult.
In all cases, you should speak directly to your manager if you need to take a day off. Some
companies may require a form to be submitted to HR, and others will just require you to
speak to your manager.
Usually you should tell them - the date(s) you want, and (maybe, it's not an obligation) a
reason why.
In France, dates are written and spoken in a day/month/year format.
Examples:
1. 4 juillet
"July 4th"
2. 11 octobre
"October 11th"
3. 27 mai 2017
"May 27th, 2017"
Here are some reasons for why you need to take a day off. Most of the sentences will start
with either J'ai "I have," or Je dois "I need."
Examples:
1. J'ai un rendez-vous chez le médecin.
"I have a doctor's appointment."
2. Je veux prendre des vacances.

"I want to go on vacation."
3. Je dois aller à l'hôpital.

"I need to go to the hospital."
4. Je dois aller à une réunion de parents d'élèves.

"I need to go to a parent's meeting at school."
5. Mon enfant doit aller chez le chirurgien.

"My child needs to go to the doctor's surgery."
Sometimes, you need to ask for a day off on short notice. If it's the current day that you
need to take off, you should call your manager as early as possible. In this case, it's better
to be more direct and use phrases such as j'ai besoin "I need" or je ne peux pas "I can't."
Examples
1. J'ai besoin de prendre un jour de repos car j'ai une migraine.

"I need to take today off as I have a headache."
2. Je ne peux pas venir aujourd'hui car je n'ai personne pour garder les enfants.
"I can't come in today as I don't have any childcare."
2. Being polite with your superior
The milder your request is, the better it is. For example:
1. J'aimerais poser un jour de congé.

"I would like to ask for a day off."
2. J'aimerais rester chez moi.

"I would like to stay at home."
J'aimerais, "I'd like," is usually followed by an infinitive verb, poser, "to take," for
example J'aimerais poser... "I would like to take..."
J'aimerais is the first person singular, conditional mood, of aimer, "to like/love."
In general, you use the conditional mood whenever you need some conditions to be
satisfied. In the case of the dialogue, the condition is the permission from the boss.
You can also make a question by using the verb pouvoir, "can," followed by an infinitive
verb as we have seen in different lessons. You may also add it when starting a sentence:
Est-ce possible. Here are some examples:
1. Puis-je poser un jour de congé ?

"Can I take a day off?"
2. Est-ce possible de travailler depuis chez moi ?

"Is it possible to work from home?"
Sample Sentences
1. J'ai une rage de dents, puis-je prendre un jour de congé ?

"I have a severe toothache, can I take a day off?"
2. J'étais malade hier, et j'aimerais aller aujourd'hui chez le médecin.

"I felt very bad yesterday, and today I would like to go to the doctor."
3. J'aimerais poser des jours de congé du 12 mai au 15 mai.

"I'd like to take off from May 12th to May 15th."
4. Combien me reste t-il de jours de congés pour l'année 2018 ?

"How many days of paid leave do I have left for 2018?"
5. Je n'ai plus de jours de congés.

"I have no more days off."
1. Tu as droit a des jours de congé certes. Mais quand veux-tu le poser ?

"You are entitled to days off, of course. But when do you want to ask it?"
2. Je pense que c'est possible pour moi. Il faut que tu remplisses ce formulaire que je
signerais puis je l'enverrais aux RH.
"To me, I think it is. You need to fill in a form, I'll sign it, and then I'll send it to HR."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Work Leave in France
The rules surrounding work leave in France are different and depend on your contract.
If you work as a permanent employee, you are given a certain number of paid leave days,
which wouldn't be counted against you if you take leave because you are sick. Obviously,
it's necessary to provide a medical certificate.
When you take sick leave, you have the right to be paid as if you were working, unless the
leave is shorter than 4 days.
Another form of guaranteed leave if you have a permanent contract is maternity leave,
called congé maternité.
These kinds of guarantees, which are very good for an employee, are one of the reasons
why finding a permanent position has gotten quite difficult in France, since not so many
employers are willing or able to guarantee such rights.
Useful expression:
1. Je dois envoyer mon certificat médical à mon employeur.

"I have to send my medical certificate to my employer."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #18
Making a Suggestion in French
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 18
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Il y a des problèmes de management dans notre entreprise.
2. Naïma: Quels problèmes ?
3. Laurène: Pas assez de communication avec les employés. Et ils ne sentent

pas considérés.
4. Naïma: Il faut prendre en compte leur ressenti. On pourrait peut-être

organiser des petits groupes de réunion avec eux ? Voir ce qu'ils
proposent ?
5. Laurène: C'est une bonne idée ! Peut-être créer une newsletter interne
pour les tenir au courant ?
6. Naïma: Bonne idée également ! Il faut en parler avec le directeur.
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: There are management issues inside our company.
2. Naïma: Which problems?
3. Laurène: Communication with the employees is not enough. And they don't
feel considered.
4. Naïma: We have to take into consideration their perception. Maybe we

could organize small meetings with them? See what they suggest?
5. Laurène: That's a good idea! Maybe we could create an internal newsletter

in order to keep them informed?
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #18 - MAKING A SUGGESTION IN FRENCH 2

6. Naïma: That's also a good idea! We have to talk about it with our director.
VOCABULARY
il y a there is phrase
communication communication noun feminine
to take into
prendre en compte consideration phrase
management management noun masculine
considéré considered adjective
ressenti perception noun feminine
newsletter newsletter noun feminine
interne internal adjective
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Il y a beaucoup de moustiques en En face de chez moi, il y a un parc.

Camargue.
"In front of my house, there is a
"There are a lot of mosquitos in park."
Camargue."
L'informatique est un nouveau moyen Mon chef a pris en compte mes

de communication. préférences.
"Computing is a new means of "My supervisor took into

communication." consideration my preferences."

Le management d'une équipe est très Il est considéré par beaucoup.
important.
"It is considered by many."
"Managing a team is very
important."
Quel est ton ressenti ? Gabriel a lu la newsletter.
"How do you feel about it?" "Gabriel read the newsletter."
C'est le magazine interne.
"It's the internal magazine."
prendre en compte
"to take into consideration"
Prendre en compte is a verbal locution and it may sound formal, as it is not often used in
everyday speech. But if you use it at work, you'll sound very professional!
Tenir compte de is another expression really close in meaning to prendre en compte. You
can use it as well.
For example:
1. Il faut prendre en compte les nouveaux chiffres de cette année.

"The new figures for this year must be taken into account."
ressenti
"perception"
Ressenti is a masculine word meaning "perception," "feeling." Do not mistake it with the
past participle j'ai ressenti ("I felt") coming from the verb ressentir ("to feel").
For example:

1. J'ai ressenti son ressenti.
"I felt his feelings."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Giving Suggestions
Il faut prendre en compte leur ressenti. On pourrait peut-être organiser des petits
groupes de réunion avec eux ? Voir ce qu'ils proposent ?
"We have to take into consideration their perception. Maybe we could organize small
meetings with them? See what they suggest?"
1. Making suggestions
2. Explaining a problem
1. Making suggestions
In this lesson, we will take a closer look at making suggestions in French. There are some
phrases that are very useful when making suggestions.
Let's first see the examples from the dialogue:
1. On pourrait peut-être organiser des petits groupes de réunion avec eux ? Voir ce qu'ils
proposent ?
"Maybe we could organize small meetings with them? See what they suggest?"
In order to make a suggestion, the French conditional is the perfect tense to use, as it
describes events that are not guaranteed to occur. It is very similar to the English one.
The verb pouvoir ("can") is also a very convenient verb to use when making suggestions.
You can use it in conditional or present tense.

1. Peut-être créer une newsletter interne pour les tenir au courant ?
"Maybe we could create an internal newsletter in order to keep them informed?"
As you noticed, peut-être is often used with suggestions. It means "maybe," and you can
use it to indicate that your idea is a possibility, but you are not one hundred percent sure
about it.
Useful verbs when introducing advice, an order, or a suggestion:
French "English"
conseiller "advise"
prier, supplier "beg"
donner l'ordre de "command"
encourager "encourage"
interdire "forbid"
Inviter "invite"
ordonner "order"
inciter à "urge"
avertir "warn"
2. Explaining a problem
In order to get suggestions from your colleagues, you should first explain clearly the
problem or issue you noticed.
You may start your sentence with the following expressions:
1. J'ai remarqué que...

"I have noticed that..."

2. Il y a un problème.
"There is a problem."
To include your audience, use the pronoun nous meaning "we," for example: Nous avons un
souci or Nous avons un problème, both meaning "we have an issue."
Sample Sentences
1. Nous avons un problème: notre site internet n'est pas référencé.

"We have a problem: our website is not referenced."
2. J'ai remarqué que la photocopieuse imprime mal.

"I noticed that the photocopier prints badly."
3. Il y a un problème avec la paie ce mois.

"There is a problem with payroll this month."
4. J'ai une suggestion.

"I have a suggestion."
5. J'ai une idée!

"I have an idea!"
6. Je propose ceci.
"I suggest this."
1. C'est une bonne idée ! Peut-être créer une newsletter interne pour les tenir au
courant ?
"That's a good idea! Maybe we could create an internal newsletter in order to keep
them informed?"
2. Bonne idée également ! Il faut en parler avec le directeur.

"That's also a good idea! We have to talk about it with our director."
CULTURAL INSIGHT

Staffing Companies in France
The largest French companies by revenue are Airbus, PSA Automobile, and Renault. If you
want to work for a French company, check the job advert first. You have to send a resume
and a cover letter. Nowadays, you don't have to send a manuscript letter. You have to
stand out and not send the same generic cover letter to all companies.
Finding a job in France is not easy, especially a permanent contract, as the unemployment
rate is high.
But don't give up! If you speak both English and French, it gives you an advantage!
Useful expression:
1. Voici mon cv et ma lettre de motivation.

"Here's my resume and my cover letter."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #19
A French Business Presentation
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 19
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Voici le dernier produit que nous avons imaginé. C'est un agenda.
2. customer: Il me paraît bien grand pour un agenda.
3. Laurène: Oui c'est normal. Nous nous sommes inspirés du Bullet journal,
très tendance en ce moment.
4. Il a donc des spirales, une plus grande taille et plus de pages. Pour écrire plus.
5. customer: Et qu'est ce qu'il a de plus comparé à un agenda classique ?
6. Laurène: Il contient plusieurs plannings permettant de mieux s'organiser. Il

est aussi coloré, il est attrayant.
7. customer: C'est vrai, cela donne envie d'écrire !
8. Laurène: C'est le but ! Il contient aussi des autocollants.
9. customer: Le papier est de meilleure qualité que le précédent.
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Here's the latest product we have imagined. It's a diary.
2. customer: To me, it seems big for a diary.
3. Laurène: Yes, that's normal. We were inspired by the Bullet journal, which is
the latest trend. It has spirals, a bigger size and more pages. In
order to write more.
4. customer: Compared to a regular diary, what is its advantage?
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #19 - A FRENCH BUSINESS PRESENTATION 2

5. Laurène: It has several schedules, allowing [you] to better organize. It
contains colored pictures, it's attractive.
6. customer: True, it makes me want to write in it!
7. Laurène: That's the point! It also has stickers.
8. customer: The quality of the paper is better than the previous one.
VOCABULARY
produit product noun masculine
paraître to appear verb
agenda diary, schedule noun masculine
tendance trend Noun feminine
planning schedule noun masculine
s'inspirer de be inspired by verb
comparé à compared to phrase
attrayant attractive adjective
autocollant sticker noun masculine
qualité quality noun feminine
SAMPLE SENTENCES

Elle a inventé un nouveau produit. Leur nouveau produit est très élégant
et facile à utiliser.
"He conceived a new product."
"Their new product is really
elegant and easy to use."
Elle m'a paru énervée quand je l'ai vue Cette ombre paraît être un visage.
ce matin
"This shadow seems to be a face."
"She looked angry when I saw her
this morning."
Elle a un agenda chargé parce qu’elle La tendance de cet hiver est de porter
a beaucoup trop de rendez-vous. un bonnet.
"She's got a busy schedule "This winter, the tendency is to

because she's got too many wear a cap."
appointments."
J'ai un planning très chargé. Si tout marche selon le planning, nous

pouvons nous estimer heureux.
"I have a really busy schedule."
"If everything goes according to
the schedule, we can consider
ourselves lucky."
Je m'inspire des magazines pour Comparé à l'année dernière, il fait

m'habiller. plus chaud.
"I'm inspired by magazines to get "Compared to last year, it's

dressed." warmer."
Cette couleur est très attrayante. Ma fille colle des autocollants partout.
"This color is very attractive." "My daughter puts stickers

everywhere."
Mon ami a de nombreuses qualités.
"My friend has numerous qualities."

Il me paraît
"to me it seems"
Il me paraît is a French phrase using the verb paraître, which means "to seem." It's a
transitive verb. You can say il me paraît (lit. "to me it seems"), as well as il paraît ("it
seems"). The first one is personal, it's about your point of view.
For example:
1. Mon école primaire me paraît plus petite maintenant que je suis adulte.
"My elementary school seems smaller now that I'm an adult."
s'inspirer de
"to be inspired by"
S'inspirer de is a transitive verb meaning "to be inspired by." Inspirer is a verb meaning "to
inspire."
If you want to say you are inspired, then you can use the adjective inspiré with the verb être:
je suis inspiré.
For example:
1. Pour peindre, je m'inspire de mon artiste préférée, Frida Kahlo.

"When I paint, I'm inspired by my favorite artist, Frida Kahlo."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Describing a Product
Oui c'est normal. Nous nous sommes inspirés du Bullet journal, très tendance en ce
moment. Il a donc des spirales, une plus grande taille et plus de pages. Pour écrire plus.
"Yes, that's normal. We were inspired by the Bullet journal, which is the latest trend.
It has spirals, a bigger size and more pages. In order to write more."
1. Describing a product

2. Language Tip: Comparing Items
Describing a product
Now when you know the structure of a presentation, let's look at some words and phrases
which will help you to build the content. Here we will show you what kind of vocabulary you
can use to effectively describe your product in French.
First, let's look at some adjectives (and phrases) you may want to use in your product
description. Remember that the form is going to change depending on the gender of the
noun it describes.
Masculine feminine English
novateur novatrice "innovative"
naturel naturelle "natural"
fantastique fantastique "amazing"
extraordinaire extraordinaire "extraordinary"
nutritif nutritive "nuritional"
unique en son genre unique en son genre "one of its own kind"
Now let's look at some phrases and sentences which you may use.
1. Notre produit contient seulement...

"Our product contains only..."
2. Notre produit contient autant de...

"Our product contains as much/many as..."
3. Grâce à notre méthode innovante...

"Thanks to our innovative method..."
4. Ce qui fait la différence avec notre produit c'est....

"What makes our product different is..."

Sample Sentences
1. Ce qui rend notre produit différent c'est son goût extraordinaire.

"What makes our product different is its amazing taste."
2. Bienvenue, je vous invite à écouter notre présentation.

"Welcome and I invite you to listen to our presentation."
3. Cette table est grande.

"This table is big."
4. La robe est de couleur rouge et orange.

"The dress is red and orange."
5. La maison a deux chambres.

"The house has two bedrooms."
Language Tip: Comparing Items
Comparing a product to another may be a smart way to prove yours is better.
It's easy! You can use the expression comparé à meaning "compared to":
"Compared to" + "this product" + "my product is..."
Comparé à + ce produit, + mon produit est...
Examples:
1. Comparé au dentifrice classique, mon dentifrice est blanchissant.

"Compared to traditional toothpastes, my toothpaste is teeth whitening."
2. Ma voiture comparé à la tienne, est plus grosse.

"My car, compared to yours, is bigger."
3. Les légumes bio sont meilleures pour la santé comparés aux légumes non bio.
"Organic vegetables are better for the health compared to non-organic
vegetables."

1. Il contient plusieurs plannings permettant de mieux s'organiser. Il est aussi coloré, il
est attrayant.
"It has several schedules, allowing [you] to better organize. It contains colored
pictures, it's attractive."
2. Le papier est de meilleure qualité que le précédent.

"The quality of the paper is better than the previous one."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
France's Economy
In France, there are two growth and employment sectors: the BTP (Bâtiment Travaux
Publics) meaning "construction and transport sector", which includes the automobile and
the aeronautical industry.
In both sectors, there is a lot of temporary work. It can be difficult to find a job in these
sectors if you want a permanent contract.
Useful expression:
1. Le bâtiment est un secteur avec beaucoup d'intérimaires.

"The construction sector has a lot of temporary worker."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #20
A French Job Interview
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 20
FRENCH
1. Julien: Bonjour Thomas. Vous êtes le stagiaire de Laurène au département marketing.

Et vous postulez aujourd'hui pour le poste d'assistant marketing. Pourquoi ?
2. Thomas: C'est une opportunité que je ne veux pas rater. Je connais le service, le
travail, puisque je travaille déjà dans l'entreprise. C'est un travail qui me plaît et pour
lequel je pense correspondre. J'ai peu d'expérience, mais j'ai la motivation.
3. Julien: Qu’aimeriez-vous faire une fois en poste ?
4. Thomas: Je travaille actuellement avec l'équipe marketing sur le lancement d'un

nouveau produit. J'aimerais continuer, et aussi m'occuper de la partie analyse des
concurrents.
5. Julien: Quel est le plus important pour vous au travail ?
6. Thomas: Il faut que le travail soit intéressant, mais aussi l'entente avec ses collègues
et le travail d'équipe sont très importants.
7. Julien: Très bien, je vous remercie.
8. Thomas: Merci de m'avoir reçu.
ENGLISH
1. Julien: Hello Thomas. You are Laurène's trainee at the marketing department. And
today you are applying for a position as a marketing assistant. Why?
2. Thomas: It's an opportunity I don't want to miss. I know the department, the job, as I
already work in the company. It's a job that I like and it seems to suit me. I don't have a
lot of experience, but I'm motivated.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #20 - A FRENCH JOB INTERVIEW 2

3. Julien: What would you like to do if you had the job?
4. Thomas: Currently, I'm working with the marketing team on a new product's launch. I'd
like to pursue it and to also be in charge of the competitor’s analysis.
5. Julien: What is the most important thing for you at work?
6. Thomas: The job has to be interesting, but the harmony between colleagues and
teamwork are also essential.
7. Julien: Very well, thank you.
8. Thomas: Thank you for meeting me.
VOCABULARY
rater miss verb
plaire to like, to enjoy verb
motivation motivation Noun feminine
actuellement currently adverb
recevoir receive verb
assistant assistant noun masculine
opportunité opportunity noun feminine
lancement launch noun masculine
travail d'équipe teamwork noun masculine
entente harmony noun feminine
SAMPLE SENTENCES

J'ai raté la sortie d'autoroute. J'ai acheté cette jupe en ligne. Elle te
plaît?
"I missed the freeway exit."
"I bought this skirt online. Do you
like it?"
Il travaille dur et ne manque pas de Il a perdu toute sa motivation.

motivation.
"He lost all his motivation."
"He works hard and does not lack
motivation."
Actuellement, il y a la canicule en J'adore recevoir des colis.

France.
"I love to receive packages."
"Currently, there is a heat wave in
France."
Je suis assistant dentaire. C'est une belle opportunité.
"I'm a dental assistant." "It's a big opportunity."
J'attends le lancement de ce produit Dans une entreprise, il est important

avec impatience. de savoir travailler en équipe.
"I am looking forward to this "In a company, teamwork is

product launching." important."
L'entente au travail est capitale.
"Harmony at work is crucial."
C'est une opportunité que je ne veux pas rater.

"It's an opportunity I don't want to miss."

It's an expression you may hear quite often in France, especially in advertisements. You
can use it at a job interview for example. The consultant will understand then how keen you
are about the job.
For example:
1. Tu ne peux pas rater cette opportunité !

"You can't miss this opportunity!"
merci de m'avoir reçu

"thank you for having me"
After a job interview, it's good to use this sentence when leaving the consultant. It's a polite
sentence that will make a good impression. Avoir reçu comes from the verb recevoir ("to
host, to welcome") conjugated in the participe passé tense.
For example:
1. Je vous remercie de m'avoir reçu.

"Thank you for having me."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is A Job interview
Qu'aimeriez-vous faire une fois en poste ?

"What would you like to do if you had the job?"
1. Common interview questions
2. Presenting yourself at a job interview
Common Interview Questions

When taking a job interview, there are questions you will very likely hear. We saw some in
the dialogue:
1. Et vous postulez aujourd'hui pour le poste d'assistant marketing. Pourquoi ?

"And today you are applying for a position as a marketing assistant. Why?"
2. Qu'aimeriez-vous faire une fois en poste ?

"What would you like to do if you had the job?"
3. Quel est le plus important pour vous au travail ?

"What is the most important thing for you at work?"
Here are some more:
1. Pourquoi voulez-vous travailler ici ?

"Why do you want to work here?"
2. Quelle expérience pertinente avez-vous ?

"What relevant experience do you have?"
3. Pourquoi devrions-nous vous engager ?

"Why should we hire you?"
4. Comment réagissez-vous sous la pression ?

"How do you handle pressure?"
5. Quelles sont vos prétentions salariales ?

"What are your salary requirements?"
Presenting Yourself at a Job Interview
In any case, no matter what question you receive, you will have to present yourself. A good
icebreaker could be to mention your education. You are likely to use this pattern:
1. Je suis diplômé de..

"I graduated from..." (for male)
Now, when you will be talking about your work experience, these may come in handy:

1. Jusqu'à aujourd'hui j'ai travaillé comme...
"Until now, I have been working as..."
2. J'ai également une expérience dans...

"I also have an experience as..."
In the table below, you will find some examples of university majors and professions which
you can use with the phrases you have just learned.
Major / Profession English
mathématiques "mathematics"
physique "physics"
chimie "chemistry"
langues "linguistics"
marketing "marketing"
management "management"
informatique "information technology"
commercial "sales representative"
Chef de projet "project manager"
programmeur "programmer"
manager "manager"
comptable "accountant"
Sample Sentences
1. Pourquoi devrions-nous vous embaucher ?

"Why should we hire you?"

2. Que diraient vos collègues de vous même ?
"What would your colleagues say about you?"
3. Pourquoi avez-vous postulé ?

"Why did you apply?"
1. Quel est le plus important pour vous au travail ?

"What is the most important thing for you at work?"
2. Il faut que le travail soit intéressant, mais aussi l'entente avec ses collègues et le
travail d'équipe sont très importants.
"The job has to be interesting, but the harmony between colleagues and teamwork
are also essential."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Hiring Process in France
Before going to an interview, do a web search on the company in order to become familiar
with the organization. You also have to know exactly what kind of position you're applying
for. What does the position involve? What qualifications are necessary? After that, you must
be able to answer a consultant's questions.
Useful expression:
1. Experience requise pour ce poste.

"Necessary qualifications for the job."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #21
Making Some Difficult Business
Decisions in France
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
9 Cultural Insight
# 21
FRENCH
1. Naïma: J'ai vu le modèle que tu as rédigé pour la newsletter. Je le trouve bien, mais un
peu trop long.
2. Laurène: Tu trouves ? Pourtant je n'ai mis que les informations importantes.
3. Naïma: Cela fait beaucoup, tu ne peux pas réduire ?
4. Laurène: Je ne préfère pas. Ces informations sont importantes. Le but de la newsletter

est d'informer les employés.
5. Naïma: Je te comprends tout à fait. Mais j'ai peur que les employés ne la lisent pas si
elle est trop longue.
6. Laurène: Je vois... Peut-être pourrions nous la faire en deux parties ?
7. Naïma: J'aime cette idée ! Cela me va !
8. Laurène: Faisons comme cela alors.
ENGLISH
1. Naïma: I've seen the sample of the newsletter you wrote. I think it's good, but a bit too
long.
2. Laurène: You think so? I've only written important information so far.
3. Naïma: It's a lot, don't you think you can cut some of it?
4. Laurène: I'd rather not. It's important information. The purpose of the newsletter is to
inform employees.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #21 - MAKING SOME DIFFICULT BUSINESS DECISIONS IN FRANCE 2
5. Naïma: I totally see your point. But I'm afraid employees will not read it if it's too long.
6. Laurène: I see... Maybe we could edit it in two parts?
7. Naïma: I like this idea! Good for me!
8. Laurène: Then let's do this!
VOCABULARY
modèle model noun masculine/feminine
trouver find verb
but goal noun masculine
comprendre understand verb
rédiger write verb
informer communicate verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Il a toujours été un élève modèle. Il a trouvé son ticket de loto hier.
"He has always been a model "He found his lotto ticket
student." yesterday."
Le joueur de football a marqué un but! Je comprends le français.
"The football player marked a "I understand French."

goal!"
Je rédige la nouvelle procédure. Le directeur a informé les employés
de sa décision.
"I'm writing the new procedure."
"The manager communicated his
decision to the employees."
tu trouves?
"you think so?"
Tu trouves? is a common and casual expression. Trouver is a verb meaning "to find". You
can use it when speaking with a friend or a colleague, and you are surprised by his/her
opinion.
For example:
1. Tu trouves que c'est une bonne idée?

"Do you think it's a good idea?"
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Giving Opinions
J'ai vu le modèle que tu as rédigé pour la newsletter. Je le trouve bien, mais un peu trop
long.
"I've seen the sample of the newsletter you wrote. I think it's good, but a bit too
long."
1. Agreeing and disagreeing
2. Defending your idea
1. Agreeing and disagreeing
If someone else states their opinion, it might match yours and you may want to agree.
There are a few phrases you can use to agree with someone.
Examples
1. Je suis d'accord.
"I agree."
2. Je pense aussi.
"I think so too."
3. Je pense que c'est une bonne idée.

"I think that's a good idea."
4. Je suis d'accord avec Monsieur Hochet.

"I agree with Mr. Hochet."
5. Je pense que Monsieur Hochet a raison.

"I think that Mr. Hochet is correct."
Usually, saying that you agree with someone is enough, but you might be asked why you
agree. You can add the French parce que or car, "because", to any of these sentences, and
then give your reasons.
Examples
1. Oui, je suis d'accord parce que [raison].

"Yes, I agree, because [reason]."
2. Oui, je pense aussi, parce que [raison].

"Yes, I think so too, because [reason]."
3. Je pense que c'est une bonne idée, car [raison].

"I think that is a good idea, because [reason]."
4. Je suis d'accord avec Monsieur Hochet, car [raison].

"I agree with Mr. Hochet, because [reason]."
5. Je pense que Monsieur Hochet a raison, parce que [raison].
"I think that Mr. Hochet is correct, because [reason]."
Disagreeing can be more difficult than agreeing. You need to say that you disagree, but still
be polite to your co-workers or clients. To make a disagreeing sentence more polite, we
often start by talking about the opinion we are disagreeing with.
Examples
1. C'est ton opinion, mais...

"That's your opinion, but ..."
2. J'entends bien, mais...

"I hear what you are saying, but..."
3. Tu marques un point, mais...

"You have a good point, but..."
4. Je suis d'accord avec ce que tu dis, mais...

"I agree with what you're saying, but..."
Some of these sentences might sound like we are agreeing, but by using the French mais,
"but", we are giving a differing opinion and it will be obvious that we aren't agreeing.
However, it's important to show that we have heard someone else's opinion and have
considered it.
Defending Your Idea
Expressing an idea and defending it is important and can really improve your French skills.
We can give both positive (affirmative) opinions and negative opinions.
You make affirmative statements when you want to say oui, "yes", or when you want to
agree with someone.
The most important and used sentence structure with opinions is je pense que, "I think ..."
This shows that what you are saying is only your opinion and not a fact.
Je + pense + que + [opinion]
[I] + [think] + [opinion]
Examples
1. Je pense que c'est une bonne idée.

"I think that's a good idea."
2. Je pense que ce nouveau produit sera un gros succès.

"I think this new product will be a big success."
We can make this phrase negative by adding ne pense pas, "I don't think."
Examples
1. Je ne pense pas que soit une bonne idée

"I don't think that's a good idea."
2. Je ne pense pas que ce nouveau produit sera un gros succès

"I don't think the new product will be a success."
There are also other phrases we can use to show that we are voicing our opinion and not a
fact. We can use il me semble que..., "it seems to me that..." when we want to introduce
our opinion. This is saying that we see things one way, but that others might disagree.
Il me semble que + [opinion]
[It seems to me that] +[opinion]
Examples:
1. Il me semble qu'il est toujours en retard.

"It seems to me that he's always late."
2. Il me semble que nous n'avons pas le choix.

"It seems to me that we have no choice."
Another phrase we can use is d'après moi, "in my opinion..." This is a good, strong phrase
that can be used to give your opinion.
D'après moi + [opinion]
[In my opinion] + [opinion]
Examples
1. D'après moi, nous devrions avoir plus de formations.

"In my opinion, we should have more training."
2. D'après moi, c'est une mauvaise idée.

"In my opinion, that's a bad idea."
Sample Sentences
1. D'après moi, c'est le meilleur film de cette année.

"In my opinion, it's the best movie of the year."
2. Je pense que tu travailles trop

"I think you are working too much."
3. Il me semble que notre formation est trop courte.

"It seems to me that our training is too short."
4. Qu'en penses-tu ?
"What do you think?"
5. Je ne suis pas d'accord.

"I disagree."
6. C'est bien, je valide.

"It's good, I approve."
1. Je te comprends tout à fait. Mais j'ai peur que les employés ne la lisent pas si elle est
trop longue.
"I totally see your point. But I'm afraid employees will not read it if it's too long."
2. Je ne préfère pas. Ces informations sont importantes. Le but de la newsletter est

d'informer les employés.
"I'd rather not. It's important information. The purpose of the newsletter is to
inform employees."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Etiquette When Giving an Opinion
In France, there is no problem giving an opinion, even if you disagree with a superior. As
long as you're polite and you explain your point of view calmly. And it's a good way to show
initiative, especially at your job.
Useful expression:
1. Je préfère son idée à la mienne.

"I like his/her idea better than mine."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #22
Do You Like French Ads?
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
11 Cultural Insight
# 22
FRENCH
1. radio: Besoin de fournitures pour votre entreprise ?
2. radio: Papiers, stylos, agendas, enveloppes et tant d'autres, nous avons tout ce qu'il
vous faut !
3. radio: Papex a plus de 1000 objets en papéterie et fournitures pour vous satisfaire !
4. : (pause)
5. radio: Chaque année plus de 100 000 chiens et chat sont abandonnés en France.
6. radio: Notre association combat l'abandon et la cruauté. Vous aussi vous pouvez nous
aider.
7. radio: Vous pouvez aussi faire un don en appelant le 88 80 12, ou directement sur
notre site internet. Les animaux comptent sur vous.
8. : (pause)
9. radio: Promotion exceptionnelle dans tous nos supermarchés aujourd'hui: le kilo de

carottes est à 1,99 euros seulement !
10. radio: Profitez-en !
ENGLISH
1. radio: Do you need supplies for your company?
2. radio: Papers, pens, diaries, envelopes, and much more, we have everything you need!
3. radio: Papex has more than 1000 stationeries and supplies to satisfy you!
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #22 - DO YOU LIKE FRENCH ADS? 2
4. : (pause)
5. radio: Every year in France, more than 100,000 dogs and cats are abandoned.
6. radio: Our association is fighting against abandonment and cruelty. You can help us
too.
7. radio: You can donate by calling 88 80 12, or online via our website. Animals are
counting on you.
8. : (pause)
9. radio: Today, there’s a huge discount in our supermarkets: one kilo of carrots for only
1,99 euros!
10. radio: Don't miss it!
VOCABULARY
compter to count verb
association association Noun feminine
aider help verb
to enjoy, to take
profiter advantage verb
fourniture supplies noun feminine
abandon abandonment noun masculine
quatre-vingt dix neuf ninety-nine numeral
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Il a compté juste. Le total est correcte. Je n'ai pas de site internet.
"He counted correctly. The total is "I do not have a website."

right."
Le site internet de cet hôtel est très Je dois créer un site internet.
pratique !
"I have to create a website."
"The website of this hotel is very
convenient!"
Cette association est très utile. L'association a plus de dix ans.
"This association is very useful." "This association is more than ten

years old."
Tu peux aider ta soeur? Profitez de vos vacances.
"Can you help your sister?" "Enjoy your vacation."
J'ai oublié mes fournitures de travail. L'abandon est une chose terrible.
"I forgot my work supplies." "Abandonment is a terrible thing."
Vous trouverez cette illustration page quatre-vingt-dix-neuf.
"You will find this illustration on page ninety-nine."
ils comptent sur vous

"they are counting on you"
Compter is a verb meaning "to count." In this sentence, it's not about enumerate numbers
but expecting something from someone.
For example:
1. Je peux compter sur toi pour ce projet.
"I can count on you for this project."
profitez-en !
"don't miss it!"
Profiter means "to enjoy". For example: Je profite de mes vacances. means "I enjoy holidays."
In an advertising, you may hear this sentence. In this case it means "don't miss our
product/ opportunity!"
For example:
1. Profitez des vacances !

"Enjoy the holidays!"
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Understanding a Radio Advertisement
Chaque année plus de 100 000 chiens et chat sont abandonnés en France.
"Every year in France, more than 100,000 dogs and cats are abandoned. "
1. Adjectives and phrases in advertisements
2. French numbers
1. Adjectives and Phrases in Advertisements
Each country has its unique way of advertising and France is no different. We have already
looked at product description and some adjectives you can use to do it. Here we will dive
deeper into the world of advertisements and learn some more words and phrases which
are being used commonly to describe and advertise products. First let's look at some
adjectives which you may find useful when trying to understand French advertisements. We
give you both forms for each here: masculine and feminine, along with their English
translation.
masculine feminine English
extraordinaire extraordinaire "extraordinary"
délicat délicate "delicate"
Le meilleur La meilleure "the best"
apaisant apaisant "soothing"
inhabituel inhabituel "unusual"
fantastique fantastique "amazing"
fabriqué fabriquée "made"
unique unique "unique"
These "amazing" adjectives can make any product sound really cool. There are also some
phrases which you will hear in almost any commercial. Here are some of them:
1. Fabriqué avec vous, par la pensée.

"Made with you in mind."
2. Fabriqué spécialement pour vous.

"Made especially for you."
3. Notre thé vous ravira par sa senteur unique.

"Our tea will amaze you with its unique aroma."
2. French Numbers
Numbers surround our daily lives. They help us function and run our lives and are
necessary when making business.
- From Zero to Nineteen (review)
Number French
0 zéro
1 un
2 deux
3 trois
4 quatre
5 cinq
6 six
7 sept
8 huit
9 neuf
10 dix
11 onze
12 douze
13 treize
14 quatorze
15 quinze
16 seize
17 dix-sept
18 dix-huit
19 dix-neuf
Counting and stating large numbers regarding inhabitants or money may occur while you
are in France, either when speaking casually about the number of French people living in
France or a particular city, or in a business situation when handling large numbers in
industrial companies.
- Counting by 100
Number French
100 cent
200 deux cents
300 trois cents
400 quatre cents
500 cinq cents
600 six cents
700 sept cents
800 huit cents
900 neuf cents
1000 mille
When writing the numbers above included in the table, make sure to add the mark of the
plural with the letter -s.
However, if you are buying a valuable piece of jewelry at 999 euros, your check will have to
be written with the word cent (100) without the letter -s as follow:
neuf cent quatre-vingt dix-neuf euros
This is due to the following rule:
The word cent (100) takes an -s when it is multiplied by a number and NOT followed by
another, for example:
1. 300 trois cents
2. 301 trois cent un
- Numbers from 100 to 1000
Counting from 100 to 1000 is quite easy. Here is how it works.
As long as you master the numbers from 1 to 100 in French, you just have to pay attention
to
1. the difficult numbers in French from 70 to 99
2. the first digit for the numbers over 100 to 999
3. the spelling (if you write them in letters in contracts or checks) for the word vingt
(20) and cent (100)
4. the dash placement when writing numbers in letters
5. Refer to the table below for help
To understand why these points are strongly recommend to follow in order to tell a number
from 100 to 1000 in French, look at the cases presented below.
Number French
100 cent
101 cent un(e)
102 cent deux
(...)
200 deux cents
201 deux cent un(e)
202 deux cent deux
(...)
216 deux cent seize
217 deux cent dix-sept
218 deux cent dix-huit
219 deux cent dix-neuf
220 deux cent vingt
221 deux cent vingt et un(e)
222 deux cent vingt-deux
(...)
999 neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf
1 000 mille
Sample Sentences
1. Il nous faut encore deux jours pour terminer le projet

"We need two more days to complete the project."
2. J'ai démissionné il y a 10 mois

"I resigned 10 months ago."
3. J'ai trois dossiers importants.

"I have three important files."
4. Ce projet a un retard de plus de deux mois !

"This project is over two months late!"
5. Tu écoutes la radio ?
"Do you listen to the radio?"
6. Quel est ton podcast préféré ?

"What is your favorite podcast?"
7. La publicité à la radio est moins chère qu'à la TV.
"A radio advertisement is less expensive than a TV advertisement."
1. Vous pouvez aussi faire un don en appelant le 88 80 12, ou directement sur notre site
internet. Les animaux comptent sur vous.
"You can donate by calling 88 80 12, or online via our website. Animals are
counting on you."
2. Notre association combat l'abandon et la cruauté. Vous aussi vous pouvez nous aider.
"Our association is fighting against abandonment and cruelty. You can help us too."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Alcohol Advertisement in France
In France, the law is very restrictive toward advertisements for alcohol. Indeed, you can't
use human beings in ads for alcohol not matter what the media is (paper, television, or
internet). You can show the product, not the consumer.
Useful expression:
1. La loi est stricte pour les publicités.

"The law is restrictive toward advertising."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #23
Passing on a French Message
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 23
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Thomas je vais être en retard pour mon rendez-vous avec Johanne. Est-ce
que ça te dérange de l'appeler pour lui expliquer ? J'aurais 15 minutes de retard.
2. Thomas: Pas de souci. Je l'appelle maintenant.
3. : (quelques secondes)
4. Thomas: Bonjour Johanne, c'est Thomas. Je vous appelle parce que Laurène a du
retard dans son travail. Elle sera donc en retard de 15 minutes pour votre rendez-
vous. N'hésitez pas à me rappeler si besoin. Merci.
5. : (quelques secondes)
6. Laurène: Tu l'as eu au téléphone ?
7. Thomas: Non mais j'ai laissé un message vocal.
8. Laurène: Merci pour ton aide.
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: Thomas, I'll be late for my appointment with Johanne. Do you mind calling her
to explain? I will be 15 minutes late.
2. Thomas: No problem. I'm calling her right now.
3. : (few seconds)
4. Thomas: Hello Johanne, it's Thomas. I'm calling you because Laurène is late with her
work. She will be 15 minutes late for your appointment. Do not hesitate to call me if
needed. Thank you.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #23 - PASSING ON A FRENCH MESSAGE 2

5. : (few seconds)
6. Laurène: You got her on the phone?
7. Thomas: No, but I've left a voicemail.
8. Laurène: Thank you for your help.
VOCABULARY
déranger to bother verb
appeler call verb
expliquer explain verb
rendez-vous date noun masculine
hésiter to hesitate verb
besoin need noun masculine
retard late adjective
message vocal voicemail noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ne te dérange pas je m'en occupe ! Notre chien dérange les voisins, parce
qu'ils ont un chat.
"Don't bother I’ll take care of it!"
"Our dog bothers the neighbors,
because they have a cat."

J'appelle mes amis à l'étranger. Le professeur expliquait le shéma.
"I call my friends abroad." "The professor explained the

diagram."
J'ai rendez-vous à une heure. Vous hésitez entre quelles options?
"I have a meeting at one o'clock "Which option are you hesitating
(1:00)." about?"
J'ai besoin de toi. Manger est un besoin vital.
"I need you." "Eating is a vital need."
Les besoins de ces consommateurs Le métro est en retard.

sont complexes.
"The subway is late."
"The consumer needs are
complex."
Mon bus est toujours en retard ! J'écoute mes messages vocaux.
"My bus is always late!" "I'm listening to my voicemails."
Je suis en retard.
"I'm late."
Je suis en retard is an easy sentence you may use (not too often I hope!). Retard means
"lateness", "delay". In this case, we are interested in the verbal phrase: avoir du retard. It
means: "to be late".
For example:
1. Je ne suis jamais en retard.

"I'm never late."

pas de souci
"no problem"
Pas de souci is a common expression. If you want to sound French, use it! French people use
it everyday. It means "no problem". You may as well use the expression pas de problème.
They are very similar.
For example:
1. Pas de souci, je m'en charge.

"No problem, I'll handle it."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Leaving a message
Bonjour Johanne, c'est Thomas. Je vous appelle parce que Laurène a du retard dans son
travail. Elle sera donc en retard de 15 minutes pour votre rendez-vous. N'hésitez pas à
me rappeler si besoin. Merci.
"Hello Johanne, it's Thomas. I'm calling you because Laurène is late with her work.
She will be 15 minutes late for your appointment. Do not hesitate to call me if
needed. Thank you."
1. Leaving a message
1. Leaving a Message
We have already looked at some phrases which may be useful when you want to pass a
message or say what the other person said. Now let's take a look at the phrases you may
use when you want to leave a message. You will usually need the verbal locution passer un
message, "to pass a message," or as in the dialogue, the more common appeler, "to call."
You can use these in a sentence where you ask someone pass some information to
someone else. Depending on the level of politeness, we can either use just the imperative
form (do you remember how to make it?), or make a more polite request, as in the dialogue:

1. Est-ce que ça te dérange de l'appeler pour lui expliquer ?
"Do you mind calling him to explain?"
As we already know, est-ce que is a good way to start a question. If you want to ask nicely
for someone to do something, use est-ce que. Instead of using ça te dérange ("do you
mind"), you may use the verb pouvoir ("can"). Est-ce que tu peux l'appeler? "Do you mind
calling him?"
Here are other examples that may come in handy in different situations:
1. Dites-lui que je l'attend.

"Let him know that I'm waiting for him."
The structure is dites-lui (imperative with the pronoun) plus que, followed by the core
message.
1. Pouvez-vous lui dire que je l'attends ?

"Can you let him know that I'm waiting for him?"
The structure is pouvez-vous (pouvoir conjugated at the present time) plus que, followed by
the core message
1. Pourriez-vous lui faire savoir que je l'attends ?

"Could you let him know that I'm waiting for him?"
The structure is pourriez-vous (pouvoir conjugated at the conditional and present time) plus
que, followed by the core message
1. Pourriez-vous être si gentil et lui faire savoir que je l'attends ?

"Could you be so nice and let him know that I'm waiting for him?"
The structure is pourriez-vous (pouvoir conjugated at the conditional and present time) plus
que, followed by the core message
Sample Sentences

1. Dites-lui que je ne serais pas en ville la semaine prochain
"Tell him that next week I'll be out of town."
2. Dites-lui que je la rappelle

"Tell her that I will call back."
3. Est-ce que cela vous dérange de lui dire que lui enverrai les chiffres ce soir ?
"Do you mind letting him know that I'll send the figures tonight?"
4. Peux-tu me rappeler dans 10 minutes ?

"Could you call me back in 10 minutes please?"
5. Sa ligne est occupée.

"His line is busy."
6. Pouvez-vous mettre votre téléphone en mode avion ?

"Could you put your phone on airplane mode?"
1. Tu l'as eu au téléphone ?
"You got her on the phone?"
2. Non mais j'ai laissé un message vocal.

"No, but I've left a voicemail."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Absence Without Notice
As in other countries, leave without notice is not welcome in France, unless you have a
serious reason. But also in that case, you'd better prove that you tried to get in touch with
somebody that could have let the person in charge know.
If you happen to take leave without notice anyway, be sure not to repeat that, as in most
cases it's a good reason to fire someone. Plus your co-workers will be really angry against
you. It's better to inform your manager or at least one of your colleague before leaving.
Useful expression:

1. J'ai une urgence.
"I have an emergency."

LESSON NOTES
S1 #24
Can You Follow French
Instructions?
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
9 Cultural Insight
# 24
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Tu vas être content, j'ai pas mal de travail pour toi !
2. Thomas: Super ! Que dois-je faire ?
3. Laurène: Il faut que tu finalises la campagne d'emailing. Ensuite tu me l'envoies pour

que je valide la version finale. Comme d'habitude tu dois assurer la gestion et le suivi
des contacts et des relations clients.
4. Thomas: Bien entendu.
5. Laurène: Et puis la prospection et la réalisation d’études de marché pour notre dernier

produit s'il te plaît.
6. Thomas: Est-ce que j'ai un délai ?
7. Laurène: Pour le moment non. Mais cela va te prendre au moins 3 mois.
ENGLISH
1. Laurène: You're gonna be happy, I have quite a bit of work for you!
2. Thomas: Great! What do I need to do?
3. Laurène: You have to finish the email campaign. Then send it to me to validate the final
version. As usual, you have to manage and follow up with contacts and customer
relations.
4. Thomas: Naturally.
5. Laurène: And then you'll prospect and conduct market research for our latest product
please.
CONT'D OVER
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #24 - CAN YOU FOLLOW FRENCH INSTRUCTIONS? 2
6. Thomas: Do I have a time limit?
7. Laurène: For now, no. But it will take at least 3 months.
VOCABULARY
super great adjective
version finale last version noun feminine
entendu understood adjective
au moins at least adverb
pas mal quite a bit phrase
finaliser finish verb
assurer manage verb
customer
relation client relationship noun feminine
étude de marché market study noun feminine
délai time limit noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Super! Je vais à New York! C'est super d'être dans un pays

exotique.
"Great! I'm going to New York!"
"It's great to be in an exotic
country."
Voici la version finale de notre Sa version finale du hall a remporté un
agenda. prix de design international.
"Here's the last version of our "His final design of the lobby won
diary." an international design prize."
Entendu, j'arrive maintenant. Ca coûte au moins 1500 euros.
"Understood, I'm coming now." "It costs at least 1500 euros."
J'ai pas mal de travail. Je dois finir avant ce soir.
"I have quite a bit of work." "I have to finish before tonight."
Je m'assure que le téléphone est Cette situation ne se serait pas avec

allumé. une relation client solide.
"I make sure the phone is on." "This does not happen with a
strong client relationship."
Il réalise une étude de marché sur la Est-ce que j'ai un délai ?

confiture.
"Do I have a time limit?"
"He is doing a market study about
jam."
bien entendu
"naturally"
Bien entendu is a polite expression. With you friends and family you may not use it. It's
better to use with a superior giving you orders or instructions. It's a way to say "I
understood, I'll do it."
For example:
1. -Appelez la avant midi. -Bien entendu
"-Call her before noon. -Naturally."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Giving Instructions
Super ! Que dois-je faire ?

"Great! What do I need to do?"
1. Giving instructions
2. Using subjunctive and imperative tense
3. Giving a list
1. Giving instruction
Here we will take a closer look at some ways to give instructions in French.
Let's start by checking the instruction sentences from the dialogue:
1. Il faut que tu finalises la campagne d'emailing. Ensuite tu me l'envoies pour que je

valide la version finale. Comme d'habitude tu dois assurer la gestion et le suivi des
contacts et des relations clients.
"You have to finish the email campaign. Then send it to me to validate the final
relations."
Let's see the three different verb forms used by Laurène, when giving instructions to
Thomas.
2. Using Subjunctive and Imperative Tense
- Il faut que tu finalises
Il faut que, means "it's necessary to" and is followed by the verb finaliser conjugated at le
présent du subjonctif ("the subjunctive present").
Que is the conjunction that is followed by the subjunctive.
Other conjunctions like quand and si don't use the subjunctive. So in most cases, you use
the subjunctive when you are about to say a sentence using que.
Here are other impersonal expressions of obligation which require the subjunctive:
1. Il est essentiel que tu rattrapes ton retard.

"It's essential that you catch up."
2. Il est nécessaire que tu envoies un email au directeur.

"It's necessary to email the director."
3. Il est obligatoire que tu fasses la vaisselle avant de partir.

"It's an obligation to do the dishes before leaving."
4. Il est important que tu m'appelles une fois arrivé."

"It's important to call me once you're landed."
5. Il est nécessaire que tu m'écoutes.

"It's necessary to listen to me."
- Tu me l'envoies
When giving orders, the easiest way to do it is using the imperative tense: l'impératif.
There are three used forms of the French imperative, but only two are often used: tu and
vous. The third form nous is only being used sometimes.
1. Lave la vaisselle.
"Do the dishes."
2. Répond au téléphone.
"Answer the phone."
3. Vous travaillez ce soir.
"You're working tonight."
4. Nous partons.
"We're leaving."
Let's see how to give an instruction to a person you are familiar with. That could be the
case if you have to give instructions to a trainee or a co-worker you are familiar with.
Put the verb in the 2nd person singular at the imperative tense.
To conjugate, form and spell correctly the regular verbs ending in -er from the first verb
group; first, eliminate the last two letters -er from the infinitive verb, and second, add the
verb ending -e.
Examples:
1. Écouter: "to listen" - Écoute ! "Listen!"
2. Regarder: "To look" - Regarde ! "Look!"
3. Manger: "to eat" - Mange ! "Eat!"
4. Prendre: "to take" - Prends des notes ! "Take notes!"
Notice that at the imperative, the -s (from the 2nd person indicative present ending) is
dropped for the 1st group verbs ending in -ER. The following sentences in the indicative
present only state a fact. However, the sentences in the imperative indicate an instruction
or order.
Examples:
1. Écouter: Tu écoutes. "You listen."- Écoute ! "Listen!"
2. Regarder: Tu regardes. "You look." - Regarde ! "Look!"
3. Manger: Tu manges. "You eat." - Mange ! "Eat!"
- Tu dois assurer
We have already studied this form in other languages. Combining the verb devoir ("must" or
"to have to") with another verb in the infinitive is a common way to give instructions.
3. Giving a list
In the second part of the dialogue, Laurène completes the instructions by giving a list of
several things to do. Here is the structure:
[noun] et [noun] s'il te plaît.
1. Et puis la prospection et la réalisation d'études de marché pour notre dernier produit

s'il te plaît.Lit.
"And then prospecting and conducting market research for our latest product
please."
Sample Sentences
1. Envoie ce rapport avant midi.

"Send this account before noon."
2. Appelle ce client immédiatement.

"Call this client now."
3. Comporte toi bien !

"Behave!"
4. Sois gentil avec elle.

"Be nice with her."
5. Il faut travailler dur.

"We have to work hard."
6. Fait attention.
"Be careful."
1. Et puis la prospection et la réalisation d'études de marché pour notre dernier produit
s'il te plaît.
"And then you'll prospect and conduct market research for our latest product
please."
2. Il faut que tu finalises la campagne d'emailing. Ensuite tu me l'envoies pour que je

valide la version finale. Comme d'habitude tu dois assurer la gestion et le suivi des
contacts et des relations clients.
"You have to finish the email campaign. Then send it to me to validate the final
relations."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Marketing in France
French marketing has to evolve because of the new technologies and the social network.
Nowadays, there is a lot of competition in this department.
Marketing professionals try now to differentiate themselves through the experience they
offer to consumers.
Useful expression:
1. Travailler dans le marketing est difficile.

"It's hard to work in the marketing area."
LESSON NOTES
S1 #25
Presenting About Your French
Company
CONTENTS
2 French
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
8 Cultural Insight
# 25
FRENCH
1. Laurène: Olala est une entreprise présente sur le marché depuis 25 ans.
2. Laurène: C'est une entreprise en progression, présente dans toute la France.
3. Laurène: Olala vend des produits alimentaires. Des conserves, des produits frais, des
bocaux et des surgelés.
4. Laurene: Pour répondre à une forte demande nous avons créé une catégorie de
produits biologiques.
5. Laurène: Les retours des clients sur nos produits sont toujours très encourageants.
6. Laurène: Nous espérons que vous serez intéressés par nos produits.
ENGLISH
1. Laurene: Olala is a company which has been on the market for 25 years.
2. Laurene: It is a growing company, present throughout France.
3. Laurene: Olala sells food products. Jars, fresh produce, and frozen food.
4. Laurene: To answer a strong demand, we created a new brand with organic products.
5. Laurene: Customer feedback on our products is always very encouraging.
6. Laurene: We hope that you will be interested in our products.
VOCABULARY
FRENCHPOD101.COM BUSINESS FRENCH FOR BEGINNERS S1 #25 - PRESENTING ABOUT YOUR FRENCH COMPANY 2
marché market noun masculine
conservé preserved adjective
espérer to hope verb
progression progress noun feminine
présent present adjective
produit alimentaire food product noun masculine
bocal jar noun masculine
retour client customer feedback noun masculine
encourageant encouraging adjective
répondre to answer verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Les fruits du marché sont frais. J’aime beaucoup le marché du centre-

ville.
"The fruit from the market is
Fresh." I really like the downtown market.
Ma grand-mère achète beaucoup de J'espère qu'il va bien.

boites de conserves.
"I hope he is fine."
"My grandmother buys a lot of
canned goods."
J'espère avoir une promotion. Ils espèrent finir demain.
"I hope to get a promotion." "They hope to finish tomorrow."
J’espère qu’il fait beau! Les chiffres sont en progression
constante.
"I hope the weather’s nice!"
"The numbers are constantly
increasing."
Il faut profiter du moment présent. En Bavière, la bière est un produit

alimentaire de base.
"We have to appreciate the
present moment." "In Bavaria, beer is a basic food
product."
La confiture se garde souvent en Je n'ai aucun retour client.

conserve de verre.
"I do not have any customer
"Jam is often kept in a glass jar." feedback."
Ma mère est très encourageante.
"My mother is really supportive."
répondre à
"answering to"
Répondre à is a verbal phrase meaning "answering to". Répondre is a verb meaning "to
answer". The à is here to introduce whom you're answering to.
For example:
1. Répond à ta grand-mère, c'est elle qui appelle.

"Answer your grandma, she is the one calling."
en progression
"improving"
Progression is literally "a progress, a development." En progression indicates there is an
increase. It's a positive phrase.
For example:
1. Le developpement de l'entreprise est en progression.

"The development of the company is progressing."
GRAMMAR
The Focus Of This Lesson Is Presenting the Company
Olala est une entreprise présente sur le marché depuis 25 ans.

"Olala is a company which has been on the market for 25 years."
1. Presenting the company
2. Common phrases when making a presentation
Presenting the Company
When presenting your company, first thing worth mentioning is how old the company is and
since when it's been on the market. Here are some phrases which may help you to
accomplish this task:
1. Notre entreprise est sur le marché depuis 25 ans.

"Our company has been present on the market for 25 years."
2. Notre entreprise a été créée il y a 25 ans.

"Our company was established 25 years ago."
3. Notre entreprise a été créée en 1950.

"Our company was established in 1950."
Notice that you can either say when the company was established by, giving the year with
rok "year", or you can say how long it has been on the market by using the same rok,
though it will change to lata for all numbers bigger than one (e.g. 1 rok, but 2 lata). Also
note that when we use the preposition od, like in 1 and 2, we use the genitive case, while
when we use w, it is followed by the locative case.
Now you will probably need to say what kind of company it is. Here are some different ways
of expressing that:
1. Nous sommes spécialisés dans...

"We specialize in..."
2. Nous nous occupons de...

"We are dealing with..."
3. 3Nous sommes les meilleurs dans l'industrie automobile.

"We are the best in the car industry."
Note that similarly to English, whenever you do not use "our company", you usually use
"we." Now you may want to say something more to show how good your company is. Here
are the phrases you will need for that:
1. Delta est une entreprise en pleine croissance qui...

"Delta is a fastly growing company which..."
2. Chez Delta, nous nous préoccupons surtout de la satisfaction de nos clients.

"In Delta, we care mostly about our customers' satisfaction."
3. Chez Delta, nous faisons attention à la qualité de notre service.

"In Delta, we care about the quality of our service."
Sample Sentences
1. Corco est une entreprise qui organise des voyages en Europe.

"Corco is a company which organizes tours around Europe."
2. Notre compagnie a été créée en 1999.

"Our company was established in 1999."
3. Nous assurons un service de traduction de qualité.

"We provide the highest quality translation service."
2. Common Phrases when Making a Presentation
To complete the lesson, let's quickly see some formal phrases, useful when making a
business presentation.
Here are some ways of welcoming the audience:
Greetings:
1. Merci d'être venu aujourd'hui.

"Thank you for coming today."
2. Je vous souhaite la bienvenue au nom de notre entreprise.

"I would like to welcome you on the behalf of our company."
Now let's look at what you can say when presenting a product. At the very beginning, you
would say what you are going to present:
1. J'aimerais parler de...

"I would like to talk about..."
2. Montrez-moi votre dernier produit.

"Let me show you our last product..."
Finally here are some phrases you can use to close a presentation:
1. Merci beaucoup. Si vous avez des questions, levez la main.

"Thank you very much. If anyone has questions, please raise your hand."
2. Merci pour votre attention. Avez-vous des questions ?

"Thank you for your attention. Do you have any questions?"
Sample Sentences
1. Notre entreprise est jeune, mais en pleine croissance!

"Our company is young, but fastly growing."
2. Notre entreprise compte 5OO salariés.
"Our company has 500 employees."
3. Elle dirige une entreprise horticole.

"She runs a horticultural business."
4. C'est une entreprise familiale.

"It's a family business."
5. C'est une start-up.

"It's a start-up."
6. Je travaille pour ma propre entreprise.

"I work for my own company."
1. C'est une entreprise en progression, présente dans toute la France.

"It is a growing company, present throughout France."
2. Olala vend des produits alimentaires. Des conserves, des produits frais, des bocaux et
des surgelés.
"Olala sells food products. Jars, fresh produce, and frozen food."
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Public Speech
In school, unfortunately students may have to perform a public speech in front of all the
class. For a presentation for example. Depending on your job, public speech is not so
common in work life. Sure it's better being able to speak to an audience. If you are too shy
to speak even in front of your colleagues, it might be incapacitating for you.
Useful expression:
1. Ce n'est pas facile de faire un exposé devant toute la classe.

"It's not easy to stand in front of the class and do a presentation."
Intro 13 Asking for Help in a Difficult Business Situation
1 Introducing Yourself in a Business Meeting 14 Making a Business Phone Call
2 Introducing Your New Colleague 15 Apologies in a Business Setting
3 Describing Your Profession in French 16 Passing a Phone Message
4 Talking About Your Job in French 17 Asking For Time Off Work in French
5 Talking About Your Business Routine in French 18 Making a Suggestion in French
6 A Frustrating Situation in France 19 A French Business Presentation
7 Leaving the Office At the End of the Day 20 A French Job Interview
8 Arranging a Business Meeting 21 Making Some Difficult Business Decisions in
9 Going on a French Business Trip France
10 Asking for Directions 22 Do You Like French Ads?
11 Making Small Talk in France 23 Passing on a French Message
12 Asking for Information About Office Procedures 24 Can You Follow French Instructions?
25 Presenting About Your French Company
©2016 Innovative Language Learning, LLC (P)2015 Innovative

Language Learning, LLC presented by japanesepod101.com

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LESSON NOTES

Business French for Beginners S1

COPYRIGHT © 2018 INNOVATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

3. Laurène: Je m'appelle Laurène Pali. Enchantée également. Je suis votre

Fr e nc h English C lass Ge nde r

stagiaire trainee noun masculine

prévenir inform verb

responsable person in charge of noun

directeur director noun masculine

rencontrer to meet verb

J e t e pr éviens, je vais êt r e en r et ar d. Êt r e ou ne pas êt r e.

I'm warning you, I'll be late. "T o be or not to be."

Il est gent il J e suis r esponsable du dépar t ement

On peut se r encont r er à la gar e. J 'ador er ais r encont r er t es par ent s.

"I meet people at my work." "Jacques and me, we are friends."

Allons à la plage t oi et moi ! J acques et moi, nous sommes amis.

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

Vous devez être ~

1. Vous devez être notre nouveau voisin.

In t his lesson, we will lear n:

1. Int r oducing your self in a business set t ing

How t o int r oduce your self:

Gener al self-int r oduct ion:

1. Je m'appelle Linda. Enchantée de vous rencontrer.

Self-int r oduct ion in a business set t ing:

1. Je m'appelle Linda Baker d'Alpha. Enchantée de vous rencontrer.

In the dialogue we heard Laurene say:

1. Je suis votre responsable.

1. Je m'appelle Guillaume, délégué pour les boulangeries Paul. C'est un plaisir..

2. Enchanté de vous rencontrer, je suis le directeur de Delta.

1. Je m'appelle Thomas Mol. Enchanté de vous rencontrer.

"Nice to meet you too." is Enchantée également.

Sample Sent ences:

1. Je travaille à l'hôpital comme infirmier.

2. Je travaille dans les ressources humaines.

4. Je suis nouveau ici.

5. Je suis enchanté de vous rencontrer.

6. Je suis dans le département informatique.

2. Je m'appelle Laurène Pali. Enchantée également. Je suis votre responsable.

Business car ds in Fr ance

Useful expr ession:

1. Voici ma carte de visite.

Business French for Beginners S1

1. Laurène: Bonjour à tous. Je vous présente Thomas, mon nouveau stagiaire.

2. Thomas: Bonjour et merci de m'accueillir. Enchanté de vous rencontrer.

4. Thomas: C'est Thomas !

5. Julien : Bienvenue dans l'équipe. Voici votre bureau.

6. Thomas: Merci beaucoup.

7. Laurène: Et voici tes mots de passe pour te connecter à ton ordinateur de

8. Thomas: Encore merci !

1. Laurène: Hello everyone. I introduce you to Thomas, my new trainee.

4. Thomas: It's Thomas!

5. Julien : Welcome to the team. Here's your desk.

6. Thomas: Thank you very much.

8. Thomas: Thank you again!

Fr e nc h English C lass Ge nde r

accueillir greet verb

répéter repeat verb

comprendre to understand verb

c'est it's, this is, that is contraction

bienvenue welcome expression

ordinateur computer noun masculine

mot de passe password phrase