Expressing Thanks in Emails｜French Business Phrases
Izumi French Garden
Confirming and Adjusting Deadlines｜French Business Conversation
Izumi
In business situations, there are many occasions when you need to confirm delivery dates or project deadlines, and sometimes request adjustments if necessary.
Knowing the right phrases in French will help you manage schedules and transactions smoothly.
In this lesson, I will introduce key French expressions for confirming and adjusting deadlines, along with important grammar points.
Contents
Dialogue
Bonjour, je voudrais confirmer la date de livraison.
(Hello, I would like to report a problem.)
Oui, la livraison est prévue pour le 15 avril.
(Yes, what kind of problem is it?)
Est-ce possible d’avancer la livraison d’une semaine ?
(The system has not been working since this morning.)
Je vais vérifier avec l’équipe, mais cela risque d’être difficile.
(I see. Have you already restarted the computer?)
Dans ce cas, pourriez-vous garantir la livraison avant la fin du mois ?
(Yes, but the problem still persists.)
Oui, c’est possible. Nous allons nous organiser pour respecter ce délai.
(All right, I will contact the technical department.)
Grammar and Expression Points
1. Confirming Delivery Dates
The standard expression to confirm a delivery date is: “confirmer la date de livraison” (to confirm the delivery date)
- Je voudrais confirmer la date de livraison.
(I would like to confirm the delivery date.)
Here, “je voudrais 〜” is a polite way to make a request, equivalent to English “I would like to …”, and is commonly used in business settings.
Other ways to refer to “delivery deadline” include:
- la date limite (the deadline)
- le délai de livraison (the delivery deadline)
2. Asking to Advance or Postpone Deadlines
When adjusting deadlines, the key verbs are avancer (to bring forward) and retarder (to delay).
- Est-ce possible d’avancer la livraison ?
(Would it be possible to move the delivery earlier?) - Nous devons retarder la livraison d’une semaine.
(We need to delay the delivery by one week.)
The phrase “Est-ce possible de … ?” is a polite and indirect way of asking, “Is it possible to …?”
3. Vocabulary Related to Deadlines
Some useful words and expressions for discussing deadlines:
- délai: deadline, time limit
- échéance: contractual or financial deadline
- au plus tard le 20 avril: no later than April 20
- avant la fin du mois: before the end of the month
4. Polite Requests
When requesting an adjustment, it is important to use polite expressions rather than direct ones.
- Pourriez-vous garantir la livraison avant vendredi ?
(Could you guarantee delivery before Friday?) - Je vous prie de respecter le délai convenu.
(I kindly ask you to respect the agreed deadline.)
“Pourriez-vous … ?” is a standard polite way to ask, “Could you …?”
“Je vous prie de …” is often used in formal contexts such as business emails, meaning “I kindly request that you …”.
Using these expressions helps maintain smooth communication without putting too much pressure on the other party.
Summary
- confirmer la date de livraison
→ the basic phrase for “confirming the delivery date.” - avancer / retarder la livraison
→ “to move up / delay the delivery.” - délai / échéance
→ important words for deadlines and contractual due dates. - Est-ce possible de … ? / Pourriez-vous … ?
→ polite ways to request an adjustment. - Je vous prie de …
→ formal request phrase, often used in business correspondence.
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