#100 Renting a Bicycle｜French Travel Phrases
Izumi Curious French
#205 Expressing Changes to Contract Terms｜French Business Phrases
Izumi
In a business setting, you may sometimes find yourself in a situation where you need to modify part of a contract that has already been agreed upon.
The reasons may vary—adjustments to delivery deadlines, revisions to payment terms, or changes to the scope of work. In any case, it is essential that you communicate clearly and politely, avoiding any misunderstanding.
In this section, I will explain useful French expressions for communicating changes to contract terms, following the natural flow of an actual business conversation.
Contents
Dialogue
Merci pour votre collaboration. J’aimerais revenir sur un point du contrat signé la semaine dernière.
（Thank you for your cooperation. I would like to return to one point of the contract signed last week.）
Bien sûr. De quoi s’agit-il ?
（Of course. Which point are you referring to?）
En raison d’un ajustement interne, nous devons modifier légèrement le calendrier de livraison.
（Due to an internal adjustment, we need to make a slight modification to the delivery schedule.）
Je vois. De combien de temps s’agit-il ?
（I see. By how much will it be adjusted?）
Il s’agirait d’un report d’environ deux semaines. Nous tenions à vous en informer dès que possible.
（It would involve a postponement of approximately two weeks. We wished to inform you as soon as possible.）
D’accord. Pourriez-vous nous envoyer une version mise à jour du planning ?
（Understood. Could you please send us an updated version of the schedule?）
Bien entendu. Nous vous l’enverrons dans la journée. Merci de votre compréhension.
（Certainly. We will send it to you later today. Thank you for your understanding.）
1. Introducing the Contract Change
When you need to inform someone of a contract modification, I recommend beginning by carefully reintroducing the topic.
Example
- J’aimerais revenir sur un point du contrat signé la semaine dernière.
（I would like to return to one point of the contract signed last week.）
The structure “revenir sur + noun” is used to bring a topic back into discussion. Although “revenir”literally means “to return,” when combined with sur, it means “to return to” or “to revisit” a subject.
The preposition “sur” corresponds to “on” in English. In this expression, it conveys the idea of going back “onto” a particular point. It cannot be replaced with “de” or “à.”
Related Expressions
- revenir sur un point
（to revisit a particular point） - revenir sur une question
（to return to a specific issue） - revenir sur un sujet
（to return to a topic）
You may also notice that in “contrat signé la semaine dernière,” the past participle signé modifies the noun “contrat.” It adds the information “signed last week” as a descriptive unit.
In such cases, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies:
Points
- le contrat signé
→ masculine singular - la convention signée
→ feminine singular - les contrats signés
→ masculine plural - les conventions signées
→ feminine plural
2. Explaining the Reason for the Change
When explaining the reason for a modification, I suggest presenting the situation objectively and concisely rather than providing excessive detail.
Example
- En raison d’un ajustement interne, nous devons modifier légèrement le calendrier de livraison.
（Due to an internal adjustment, we need to slightly modify the delivery schedule.）
The structure “En raison de + noun (phrase)” means “due to” or “as a result of.”
By nominalizing the reason (for example, “un ajustement interne”), you can present the explanation as an objective circumstance rather than a personal justification.
Related Expressions
- En raison de contraintes logistiques…
（Due to logistical constraints） - En raison d’une mise à jour des exigences…
（Due to updated requirements） - En raison d’un retard de validation…
（Due to a delay in validation）
You may also encounter “À cause de …”, which has a similar meaning. However, there is a nuance difference:
Points
- En raison de
→ Neutral and suitable for formal communication - À cause de
→ Often implies blame or a negative cause
Because “À cause de” can sound more direct or accusatory, I recommend using “En raison de” in business contexts.
3. Stating the Specific Change
When communicating the modification itself, it is important that you clearly indicate what is changing and by how much. This helps prevent misunderstanding.
Example
- Il s’agirait d’un report d’environ deux semaines.
（It would involve a postponement of approximately two weeks.）
The structure “Il s’agit de + noun / infinitive” is used to explain the nature of something.
In this example, the conditional form “s’agirait” is used to soften the statement and avoid sounding overly definitive. It conveys a tentative or considerate tone.
Points
- Il s’agit d’un report de deux semaines.
（It is a postponement of two weeks.）
→ Presented as a confirmed fact - Il s’agirait d’un report d’environ deux semaines.
（It would involve a postponement of approximately two weeks.）
→ Less definitive, more cautious
In French, different nouns express different nuances of delay:
Points
- un report
→ a postponement (a planned rescheduling) - une prolongation (du délai)
→ an extension (of a deadline) - un retard
→ a delay (often unintended or negative)
I recommend choosing the term carefully depending on whether the change is a negotiated postponement, a formal extension, or an actual delay that has already occurred.
Summary
Key French Phrases
- J’aimerais revenir sur un point du contrat.
→ A polite way to introduce a modification. - En raison de ～, nous devons modifier…
→ Used to explain the reason objectively. - Il s’agirait d’un report de ～
→ A cautious and professional way to state the specific change.
