French for Work Meetings — Speak Up, Disagree Politely, Survive the Visio

Meetings are where workplace French gets real: no rehearsal, everyone talks fast, and someone’s micro never works. The good news? Meetings run on a small set of fixed phrases. Master them and you’ll sound sharp from the first bonjour to the last prochaines étapes.

Getting it in the diary

You can organiser une réunion or planifier une réunion — both work, organiser is what you’ll hear most. The word you genuinely need is un créneau, a time slot.

• On se cale un créneau jeudi ? — shall we grab a slot on Thursday? (se caler un créneau is everyday office speak)
• Je t’envoie une invitation pour 14 h. — I’ll send you an invite for 2 pm.
• Ça te va, jeudi 10 h ? — does Thursday at 10 work for you?

Opening the meeting

Whoever runs the meeting (l’animateur or l’animatrice) opens with a ritual you can learn word for word:

• Bon, on va commencer. — right, let’s get started. That little bon does serious work: it means small talk is officially over.
• À l’ordre du jour : le budget et le planning. — on the agenda: budget and schedule. L’ordre du jour is THE meeting phrase — memorise it whole.
• Qui prend les notes ? — who’s taking notes? (Cue total silence.)

Giving your opinion — watch the mood

Open with a softener: à mon avis (in my opinion) or pour ma part (as for me). Then comes the grammar trap B1 learners love to hate:

• Je pense que c’est une bonne idée. — affirmative je pense que states a belief, so it takes the indicative.
• Je ne pense pas que ce soit une bonne idée. — negate it and doubt creeps in, so the subjunctive fires: soit, not est.

Same rule for je crois que / je ne crois pas que. Get this right in a live meeting and your French colleagues will quietly upgrade their opinion of you.

Agree, disagree, interrupt — politely

French work culture enjoys a proper debate; the packaging is what keeps it friendly. Your five survival phrases:

• Tout à fait. — absolutely, quite right
• Je suis d’accord avec Karim. — I agree with Karim (naming the colleague earns bonus points)
• Je ne suis pas convaincu. / Je ne suis pas convaincue. — I’m not convinced: firm, yet perfectly polite
• Certes, mais le coût est trop élevé. — admittedly, but the cost is too high: concede a point, then strike
• Si je peux me permettre, on oublie un détail. — if I may, we’re forgetting a detail: the classic polite interruption

Video-call survival kit

Half your meetings are now une visio (a video call), so the tech phrases are not optional:

• Tu peux partager ton écran ? — can you share your screen? And when it’s your turn: je partage mon écran.
• Tu es en mute ! — you’re on mute. Yes, French borrowed mute; ton micro est coupé is the fully French version.
• On t’entend mal. / On t’a perdu. — we can barely hear you / we lost you.
• Je vous envoie le lien de la visio. — I’ll send you the meeting link.

A mini meeting, start to finish

— Bon, tout le monde est là ? On va commencer. À l’ordre du jour : le lancement du site.
— À mon avis, on n’est pas prêts. Je ne pense pas que le planning soit réaliste.
— Certes, mais le client attend une date.
— Si je peux me permettre, on pourrait livrer une première version en mai ?
— Tout à fait. Pour résumer : version simplifiée en mai, version complète en juin. Prochaines étapes : Léa envoie le planning ce soir.

Notice the closing ritual: pour résumer (to sum up), then les prochaines étapes (next steps). End every meeting with those two and people will assume you chaired it.

FAQ

Do I say tu or vous in a French meeting?

It depends on the company. Start-ups and tech: tu almost everywhere. Banking, law, public sector: vous until invited otherwise. When in doubt, open with vous and wait for on peut se tutoyer. Full rules in tu vs vous.

Why does je ne pense pas que take the subjunctive?

Negating pense turns a statement into a doubt, and doubt is subjunctive territory in French. The full list of triggers is in subjunctive triggers.

What’s the difference between une réunion and un rendez-vous?

Une réunion is a group work meeting; un rendez-vous is a one-to-one appointment — client, dentist or, yes, a date. Mix them up and eyebrows rise. For more office vocabulary, head to business French phrases.

Quick practice