#77 Visiting a Business Client｜French Business Conversation

When visiting a business client, you will often need to interact with reception staff, confirm an appointment, or be shown to a meeting room.

By mastering a few basic French phrases, you can feel more at ease, even during a first meeting.

In this lesson, I will introduce useful French expressions for business visits, along with sample dialogues and grammar notes.

Dialogue

A

Bonjour, j’ai rendez-vous avec Monsieur Dupont à 10 heures.
(Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Dupont at 10 o’clock.)

B

Très bien, je vais prévenir Monsieur Dupont. Veuillez patienter un instant, s’il vous plaît.
(Very well, I will inform Mr. Dupont. Please wait a moment.)

A

Merci beaucoup.
(Thank you very much.)

B

Monsieur Dupont va arriver tout de suite. Voulez-vous entrer dans la salle de réunion ?
(Mr. Dupont will be here shortly. Would you like to enter the meeting room?)

A

Oui, merci.
(Yes, thank you.)

1. Expressing an Appointment

The first thing to mention upon arrival is that you have an appointment with someone.

The phrase “avoir rendez-vous” means “to have an appointment.” By adding “avec + person’s name,” you specify with whom.

Adding a time makes the statement more precise:

2. Asking Someone to Wait

Receptionists and assistants often use polite expressions such as:

Here, “Veuillez …” is the imperative form of vouloir, used to make very polite requests. The verb patienter means “to wait,” and “un instant” means “a short while.”

Literally, the phrase means “Please wait for a short moment,” and is a highly formal way to ask someone to wait.

3. Offering to Show Someone In

When guiding a visitor to a meeting or reception room, you may hear:

The expression “Voulez-vous … ?” means “Would you like to … ?” and is used to politely ask.

The noun “salle de réunion” means “meeting room” (réunion = meeting). The verb accompagner means “to accompany” or “to guide.”

4. Basic Greetings and Polite Expressions

In a business visit, formal greetings are essential.

Enchanté(e) is particularly useful when meeting someone for the first time.

In response to thanks, “Je vous en prie” is the polite equivalent of “You’re welcome,” and gives a courteous impression.

Summary