#199 Confirming Task Priorities at Work｜French Business Phrases

To work efficiently, you need to determine the priority of the tasks you are handling.

When you are dealing with multiple tasks at the same time, proceeding without clearly identifying priorities can easily lead to misunderstandings and inefficiencies.

In this section, I will explain useful French expressions that you can use when confirming task priorities, based on a realistic workplace dialogue.

Dialogue

A

J’aimerais faire le point sur les tâches à venir, si vous avez un moment.
（I would like to review the upcoming tasks, if you have a moment.）

B

Bien sûr, allez-y.
（Of course, go ahead.）

A

Parmi ces dossiers, lequel devrait être traité en priorité ?
（Among these files, which one should be handled as a priority?）

B

Le rapport client est le plus urgent, car il doit être finalisé avant vendredi.
（The client report is the most urgent, as it must be finalized before Friday.）

A

Et pour la présentation interne, peut-on la reporter jusqu’à la semaine prochaine ?
（And regarding the internal presentation, can it be postponed until next week?）

B

Oui, ce n’est pas prioritaire pour le moment.
（Yes, it is not a priority at the moment.）

A

Merci pour ces précisions. Cela m’aide à mieux organiser mon travail.
（Thank you for the clarification. It helps me organize my work more effectively.）

1. Stating the Purpose of the Discussion First

When you want to confirm task priorities, I recommend first explaining why you are seeking clarification.

This helps the other person clearly understand your intention.

The expression “faire le point” means “to review,” “to assess,” or “to take stock of a situation.”

It naturally conveys the idea that you want to organize information and ensure that work proceeds appropriately.

The structure “faire le point sur + noun” means “to review” or “to clarify” a specific topic.

2. Asking About Specific Priorities

When confirming priorities, you should clearly specify the scope of your question.

The expression “parmi + noun” means “among” or “within a group,” and placing it at the beginning of the sentence clarifies the range of options.

“Lequel” is an interrogative pronoun meaning “which one,” referring back to the preceding noun (dossiers).

Even though “dossiers” is plural, “lequel” is used because the question asks you to select one item from the group.

The phrase “en priorité” functions adverbially and means “as a priority.”

In many cases, “en + noun” acts as an adverbial phrase.

3. Confirming Deadlines and Urgency

Task priorities are closely linked not only to importance but also to deadlines. Therefore, I recommend confirming time constraints as well.

This structure combines: “devoir + être + past participle”

It expresses necessity in the passive voice. The pronoun “il ” here functions as an impersonal subject, focusing attention on the task rather than on who performs it.

Using the passive voice allows you to emphasize the task itself, which is particularly useful when responsibilities are shared or unspecified.

This active construction sounds more direct and clearly identifies responsibility.

4. Confirming Lower-Priority Tasks

By also confirming which tasks are less urgent, you can focus your time and effort more effectively on critical work.

The key structure here is “pouvoir + infinitive,” which expresses permission or feasibility rather than ability.

The verb “reporter” means “to postpone” and is commonly used in business contexts involving meetings, deadlines, or projects.

The preposition “jusqu’à” means “until” and indicates the endpoint of a time period.

Using “jusqu’à” clarifies the full duration of the postponement.

Summary