Business French: A Practical Starting Point for Professionals
Professional French essentials: email phrases, meeting vocabulary, and the vous-only default - a practical starting point for the workplace.
Getting started in business French means defaulting to vous, opening emails with Bonjour or Madame/Monsieur and closing with cordialement, and knowing core meeting phrases like je propose de… (I suggest…) and je suis d’accord (I agree). This is a starting point, not a substitute for role-specific vocabulary.
Quick answer
Getting started in business French means defaulting to vous, opening emails with Bonjour or Madame/Monsieur and closing with cordialement, and knowing core meeting phrases like je propose de… (I suggest…) and je suis d’accord (I agree).
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The vous-only default
Professional French almost always uses vous, even with colleagues you’d address informally outside work in some cultures. See using tu vs vous correctly for the full etiquette map.
Email openers and closers
Bonjour + name, Madame/Monsieur (formal cold-email), cordialement, bien à vous. For the full template guide, see how to write an email in French.
Meeting essentials
Je propose de…, je suis d’accord / pas d’accord, pouvons-nous reporter la réunion ?, à qui la parole ? (whose turn to speak?). For the fuller professional phrase set, see French business phrases for work and meetings.
Presenting yourself professionally
Use the formal register block from how to introduce yourself in French as your professional introduction script.
What this page doesn’t cover (honest scope)
Negotiation nuance, industry-specific jargon, and legal/contract French are all beyond this starting-point guide - treat this as your foundation, not a complete business-French course.
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Questions about this note
Do I use tu or vous in French business settings?
Vous is the safe default, even in casual work cultures.
How do you start a professional French email?
Bonjour [Name], or Madame/Monsieur for formal cold contact.
How do you close a business email in French?
Cordialement is the standard neutral closing.
How do you say "I agree" in a meeting?
Je suis d'accord; to disagree: je ne suis pas d'accord.
Is this enough French for a job in France?
It's a starting point - real fluency needs ongoing practice and industry-specific vocabulary.