Holding your own in a French business meeting is one of the most useful skills you can develop as a working professional with French clients, colleagues, or partners. It's also one of the most intimidating.

The vocabulary is more formal than casual French. The pace is faster than what you're used to in lessons. People interrupt, jump topics, and use idioms that nobody bothered to teach you. By the time you've figured out what someone said, the conversation has moved on twice.

The good news is that French business meetings follow patterns. The same phrases come up again and again, in the same situations, across industries. Once you've internalized those patterns, you can navigate almost any meeting with confidence, even when your French isn't perfect.

So here are 30 phrases I'd want any of my professional students to have ready before walking into a French meeting. They're organized by what you'll actually need to do: greet, propose, agree, disagree, ask for clarification, summarize, and close. Memorize the ones that fit your role, and you'll show up sounding like someone who belongs in the room.

If you want to know exactly what level you're at, you can take my free placement test here before we dive in.

Opening the meeting

The first three minutes of a French meeting are mostly ritual. Greetings, polite small talk, and a slow start. Don't rush this part. Showing up with the right opening phrases sets the tone for the rest of the meeting.

1. Bonjour à tous. — Hello everyone.

The default greeting when you walk in or join a video call. Always plural ("à tous"), even if there are only two other people.

2. Merci de me recevoir. — Thank you for having me.

Use this when you're a guest, an external partner, or in someone else's office. It's polite without being overly formal.

3. Je suis ravi(e) de vous rencontrer. — I'm delighted to meet you.

For first meetings, more elegant than enchanté(e) in a professional setting. The "(e)" is silent but added in writing if you're female.

4. Comment allez-vous ? — How are you?

The formal version. Use vous by default in business meetings, even with younger colleagues, until someone explicitly invites you to use tu.

5. Si vous le voulez bien, on peut commencer. — If you don't mind, we can start.

The polite way to signal you're ready to begin without sounding pushy.

Stating the purpose

Whoever is leading the meeting needs to clearly state why everyone is there. These phrases work whether you're running the meeting or just helping orient the conversation.

6. L'objectif de cette réunion est de... — The objective of this meeting is to...

Direct, professional, sets the tone for a productive discussion.

7. Aujourd'hui, nous allons aborder... — Today, we're going to address...

Use this to walk the group through the agenda. Aborder means "to tackle" or "to address," and it's the standard verb for introducing meeting topics.

8. Avant de commencer, je voudrais... — Before we start, I'd like to...

For when you need to flag something before getting into the main discussion.

Proposing and giving your opinion

This is where most professionals get stuck. You have something to say, but you're not sure how to say it without sounding too casual or too aggressive. These phrases give you the right professional register.

9. Je propose que... — I propose that...

Followed by the subjunctive. Je propose que nous reportions la décision. (I propose that we postpone the decision.) Direct and confident.

10. Je pense que... — I think that...

Simple and useful. Followed by the indicative. Je pense que c'est une bonne idée. Avoid overusing this — it can sound timid if every sentence starts with it.

11. À mon avis... — In my opinion...

A confident way to introduce a viewpoint. Slightly stronger than je pense que.

12. Si je peux me permettre... — If I may...

The polite way to interject when you have a counterpoint or a slightly contrasting view. Si je peux me permettre, je verrais les choses un peu différemment. (If I may, I'd see things a little differently.)

13. Il me semble que... — It seems to me that...

A softer alternative when you want to express an opinion without sounding dogmatic. Useful when you're newer to the group or pushing back gently.

Agreeing

French professionals don't usually agree with the casual "yeah, totally" energy of English meetings. The phrasing is more measured.

14. Je suis tout à fait d'accord. — I completely agree.

Strong, professional, frequently used. The phrase tout à fait (completely / absolutely) is one of the most common in business French.

15. Vous avez raison. — You're right.

A simple, direct affirmation that French speakers use without hesitation in meetings.

16. C'est exactement ce que je pensais. — That's exactly what I was thinking.

Useful when someone has just made a point you wanted to make yourself. It builds rapport and shows alignment.

17. C'est une excellente idée. — That's an excellent idea.

For when you want to genuinely endorse someone's contribution. The French don't throw around excellent lightly, so it lands when you mean it.

Disagreeing politely

Here's where French business culture gets interesting. The French are direct, but politeness in disagreement is highly valued. Aggressive contradiction is rare. Soft, well-phrased disagreement is the norm.

18. Je ne suis pas tout à fait d'accord. — I don't completely agree.

The standard polite disagreement. The "tout à fait" softens it. You're saying you disagree, but you're acknowledging there's something to what they said.

19. Je comprends votre point de vue, mais... — I understand your point of view, but...

Validate first, then disagree. Standard professional French move.

20. Avec tout le respect que je vous dois... — With all due respect...

Yes, this exists in French too. Use sparingly, only when the disagreement is significant.

21. Permettez-moi de vous contredire. — Allow me to contradict you.

Surprisingly common in French meetings. The phrasing is formal, but it lets you push back firmly without seeming hostile.

22. Je vois les choses un peu différemment. — I see things a little differently.

A softer way to introduce disagreement, especially when you're junior or new to the group.

Asking for clarification

This might be the most important section if you're not yet fully confident in fast French. Don't pretend to understand. Ask.

23. Pourriez-vous préciser ? — Could you clarify / be more specific?

Polite, professional, and respected. Asking for precision is seen as engaged, not weak.

24. Si je comprends bien... — If I understand correctly...

Followed by your summary of what you think the person said. This is the safest way to check comprehension without admitting you didn't catch something. It also forces clarity from the other person.

25. Pourriez-vous me donner un exemple ? — Could you give me an example?

Asking for examples is a great way to slow the pace, get more concrete information, and avoid misunderstandings.

26. Excusez-moi, je n'ai pas bien saisi. — I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that.

The professional way to admit you didn't fully follow without sounding panicked. Saisir is more elegant than comprendre in this context.

Summarizing and concluding

End the meeting (or your contribution) with clarity. Vague closings make French professionals nervous. Strong, specific summaries inspire confidence.

27. Pour résumer... — To summarize...

The standard transition into a meeting wrap-up. Follow it with the key decisions and next steps.

28. Si je récapitule... — If I recap...

A slightly more formal alternative to pour résumer. Same purpose.

29. Quelles sont les prochaines étapes ? — What are the next steps?

The professional French way to ask "what now?" Always good to ask before the meeting ends.

30. Je vous remercie pour votre temps. — Thank you for your time.

The classic professional closing. Sincere, respectful, and standard.

A few cultural notes that matter

Beyond the phrases, here are the unspoken rules that will shape how your French is received in meetings.

Use "vous," not "tu." Even with people younger than you. Even with colleagues you've emailed many times. The default in meetings is vous. Wait for someone to invite the switch.

Don't be falsely cheerful. American-style "great to be here, this is going to be amazing!" energy is rarely used in French business contexts. The French expect competence and seriousness, not enthusiasm. Save the exclamation marks for friends.

Be patient with disagreement. French meetings often involve back-and-forth that English speakers can mistake for conflict. It's not. It's how the French process ideas. Don't take pushback personally, and don't shy away from offering your own.

Take notes visibly. French professionals notice when others are taking the meeting seriously. A notebook open in front of you, a pen in your hand, the occasional jot — these signal engagement and respect for the discussion.

Arrive on time, but not early. French business punctuality is real, but showing up 15 minutes early can feel awkward. Aim for arrival within 5 minutes of the start time.

If you want a bigger collection of phrases organized by professional and everyday situations, my 200 French Cheatsheets cover thousands of expressions you can pull from. And if writing is more pressing than speaking right now, I wrote a guide on how to write a professional email in French that pairs naturally with this post.

How to actually use these phrases

Reading them won't make them stick. You need to use them out loud, ideally before your next meeting.

Pick five from this post that match your role. Just five. If you usually agree more than disagree, focus on the agreement and clarification phrases. If you tend to lead meetings, focus on the opening, proposing, and summarizing ones. Make them yours.

Then, before your next French meeting, practice them. Out loud. Even alone in your kitchen. The goal is for them to come out automatically when you need them, not for you to scramble to remember them in the middle of a high-stakes conversation.

The more you use these phrases, the more your French will start sounding like the French of someone who actually works in the language, not someone who studied it.

If you want a structured way to build the kind of French that holds up in real professional settings, you can try a free sample lesson from my course here and see if my approach is the right fit for you.

À très vite, Clémence