#298 Explaining a Deadline for Document Review｜French Business Phrases

In business communication, there are many situations where you need someone to review documents such as contracts, application forms, or quotations.

In such cases, it is important not only to send the documents but also to clearly communicate by when you would like them reviewed. By specifying a deadline, you help the other person prioritize the task, which allows the workflow to proceed more smoothly.

In this section, I will explain useful French expressions for communicating a deadline for document review.

Dialogue

A

Je vous ai envoyé les documents par e-mail.
（I have sent you the documents by email.）

B

D’accord.
（Understood.）

A

Pourriez-vous les vérifier d’ici vendredi ?
（Could you review them by Friday?）

B

Oui, bien sûr.
（Yes, of course.）

A

N’hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avez des questions.
（Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.）

B

Merci beaucoup.
（Thank you very much.）

1. Telling Someone That You Have Sent the Documents

First, you need to inform the other person that the documents have been sent.

The phrase “ai envoyé” is in the passé composé (compound past), formed with the present tense of “avoir(ai)” and the past participle of “envoyer (envoyé)”. This tense is used to express a completed action in the past—in this case, that the documents have already been sent.

The pronoun “vous” means “to you” or “to all of you” and functions here as an indirect object pronoun indicating the recipient of the documents.

The phrase “les documents” refers to “the documents” in question. The definite article “les” is used because both you and the recipient already know which documents are being discussed.

Finally, “par e-mail” means “by email.” The preposition ”par” is used to express means or method, conveying the idea of “through” or “by way of something.”

2. Communicating the Review Deadline

After sending the documents, it is important to explain by when you would like them to be reviewed.

The phrase “pourriez-vous” is the present conditional form of the verb “pouvoir” (can / to be able to). It conveys the meaning of “Would it be possible for you to…?” and is commonly used for polite requests in professional settings.

The pronoun “les” is a direct object pronoun referring to “les documents” mentioned earlier. Using a pronoun like this helps avoid repeating the noun and makes the sentence more natural and concise.

The verb “vérifier” means “to check” or “to review” and is frequently used when discussing documents, figures, or written information.

The expression “d’ici vendredi” means “by Friday” or “between now and Friday.”

The phrase “d’ici” is used to indicate a deadline extending from the present moment to a future point in time. Rather than simply stating a date, it naturally conveys the idea that you would like the action completed before that point.

3. Letting the Other Person Know They Can Contact You with Questions

To make the review process easier, I also recommend letting the other person know that you are available for questions.

The word “hésitez” is the second-person plural form of the verb “hésiter” (to hesitate).

In the negative imperative “N’hésitez pas à ~,” the literal meaning is “Do not hesitate to…,” but in actual business communication, it functions as a polite way of saying “Please feel free to….”

After “hésiter,” French uses the preposition “à,” followed by an infinitive verb.

Thus, “me contacter” means “to contact me.” The pronoun “me” means “me” and is placed before the verb “contacter.”

The second part, “si vous avez des questions,” expresses a condition meaning “if you have any questions.” Here, “si” means “if,” “vous avez” is the second-person plural form of “avoir” (to have), and “des questions” means “questions.”

Summary