Speaking Up in Meetings｜French Business Conversation

In French-speaking workplaces, it is not enough to simply listen during a meeting. You are expected to express your opinions and proposals clearly.

To do so effectively, it is important to master polite ways of starting to speak, standard phrases for giving opinions, and expressions for making concrete proposals.

Here, I will introduce useful French expressions for meetings, together with explanations of their grammar and usage.

Dialogue

A

Excusez-moi, je voudrais dire quelque chose.
(Excuse me, I would like to say something.)

B

Oui, allez-y.
(Yes, please go ahead.)

A

À mon avis, ce projet est très important pour notre équipe.
(In my opinion, this project is very important for our team.)

B

Je comprends. Avez-vous une proposition concrète ?
(I understand. Do you have a concrete proposal?)

A

Oui, je propose de commencer par une réunion plus petite.
(Yes, I propose starting with a smaller meeting.)

Grammar and Expression Points

1. Beginning to Speak

In meetings, it is polite to first get attention and ask permission to speak rather than speaking abruptly.

Here, “je voudrais” (I would like) is in the conditional tense, which conveys polite intention or a modest request.

By contrast, “je veux dire …” (I want to say …) sounds too direct and commanding, and is better avoided in a formal meeting.

2. Expressing Your Opinion

To introduce your opinion, you can use the following common expressions:

“Je pense que …” is the most widely used and works in both casual and formal contexts. “À mon avis …” is also versatile.

“Selon moi …” has a more formal tone, making it suitable for professional meetings.

3. Making Proposals

When suggesting concrete solutions, use the verb proposer (to propose).

The structure “Je propose de + infinitive” means “I propose to do ….”

When proposing something directly to someone, use the structure:
“proposer quelque chose à quelqu’un.”

4. Asking for Others’ Opinions

It is equally important to ask for others’ views:

In “Qu’en pensez-vous ?”, the pronoun en refers to something already mentioned in context, making the meaning “What do you think about that?”

5. Useful Phrases for Meetings

Short responses are often used for agreement, disagreement, or acknowledgment:

These simple but essential phrases will help you participate smoothly in discussions.

Summary

泉（Izumi）

Author

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