#295 Asking for Your Supervisor’s Decision｜French Business Phrases

In the workplace, you may sometimes face situations that you cannot decide on by yourself.

For example, when dealing with important clients, making budget-related decisions, or handling policy changes that affect the entire team, you may need to seek your supervisor’s judgment.

In this article, I will explain useful French expressions for asking for your supervisor’s decision, along with conversation examples based on realistic business situations.

Dialogue

A

Nous avons reçu une nouvelle demande du client.
（We have received a new request from the client.）

B

D’accord. De quoi s’agit-il ?
（I see. What is it about?）

A

Le client souhaite modifier le planning du projet.
（The client would like to modify the project schedule.）

B

Merci pour vos explications. J’ai bien compris la situation.
（Thank you for the explanation. I understand the situation.）

A

Quelle décision devrions-nous prendre ?
（What decision should we make?）

B

Je pense qu’il faut d’abord évaluer l’impact sur le calendrier.
（I think we should first evaluate the impact on the schedule.）

A

Très bien, merci pour votre avis.
（Understood. Thank you for your advice.）

1. Explaining the Situation Clearly First

Before asking for your supervisor’s decision, I recommend explaining the current situation as clearly as possible.

The phrase “nous avons reçu” is the passé composé form of the verb “recevoir” (to receive).

In French, the passé composé is used to describe events that happened in the past or actions that have already been completed. In this case, the event of receiving a request from the client has already occurred, so this tense is used.

The verb “recevoir” is irregular, and its past participle is “reçu.” Therefore, “we received” becomes “nous avons reçu.”

The phrase “une nouvelle demande” means “a new request.” The adjective “nouveau” (new) changes to the feminine form “nouvelle” because it modifies the feminine noun “demande.”

Also, “une demande du client” means “a request from the client.” Here, “du” is the contracted form of “de + le.”

2. Asking for a Decision

Once you have explained the situation, you can ask for your supervisor’s opinion or decision.

The phrase “quelle décision” means “what decision” or “which decision.” The interrogative adjective “quel” changes to “quelle” to match the feminine noun “décision.”

The form “devrions-nous” is the inverted present conditional of the verb “devoir” (must / should).

By using the conditional form “devrions-nous,” the question sounds softer and more polite, giving the nuance of “What should we do?” in a respectful business context.

The expression “prendre une décision” means “to make a decision.”

3. Understanding Your Supervisor’s Opinion

After asking for a decision, it is important that you understand your supervisor’s priorities and reasoning accurately.

The phrase “je pense que” means “I think that” and is one of the most common ways to express an opinion in French.

The expression “il faut” means “it is necessary to” or “we need to.” The subject il here is a dummy subject and does not refer to a specific person.

After “il faut,” you use a verb in the infinitive form.

The adverb “d’abord” means “first” or “to begin with.” It is often used when prioritizing actions in situations where multiple responses are possible.

The verb “évaluer” means “to evaluate” or “to assess.” In this context, it refers to analyzing how the schedule may be affected.

Summary