Consulting a Colleague｜French Conversation Phrases

At work, there are many occasions when you need to consult a colleague about how to proceed with a task or to share ideas.

Being able to say naturally in French expressions like “May I ask your advice?” or “What do you think?” makes communication much smoother.

In this lesson, I will introduce useful phrases for consulting a colleague and explain the key grammar points.

Dialogue

A

Salut, tu as un moment ? J’aimerais te parler d’un projet.
（Hi, do you have a moment? I’d like to talk to you about a project.）

B

Oui, bien sûr. De quoi s’agit-il ?
（Yes, of course. What is it about?）

A

J’ai des difficultés avec la présentation. Tu peux me donner ton avis ?
（I’m having some difficulties with the presentation. Could you give me your opinion?）

B

Pas de problème. Montre-moi ce que tu as préparé.
（No problem. Show me what you’ve prepared.）

Grammar and Expression Points

1. Asking “Do you have a moment?”

A useful way to start a consultation is:

This is casual and natural when speaking to a colleague you know well.

For a more polite expression, use:

In French, tu is used with close colleagues and friends, while vous is used in formal situations or when speaking to superiors. Switching between tu and vous depending on the context is very important.

2. Introducing the Consultation

When starting a consultation, it is natural to first state the subject you want to discuss.

“J’aimerais …” means “I would like to …” and is a polite, considerate way to make a request.

When you need help, another useful phrase is:

The structure “avoir besoin de …” (“to need …”) is widely applicable in daily situations.

3. Asking for Opinions

The essence of consultation is to ask for someone’s opinion. Common expressions include:

Here, avis means “opinion.” The phrase donner son avis means “to give one’s opinion.”

For a more polite version:

Using pourriez-vous (conditional of pouvoir) softens the tone and makes the request more formal.

4. Common Responses from Colleagues

When a colleague agrees to help, the following expressions are commonly used:

The phrase “Montre-moi …” is a very handy expression for asking someone to show you something.

Summary

泉（Izumi）

Author

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