#197 Explaining Additional Details About Data｜French Business Phrases

In meetings and presentations, you will often be asked to provide additional explanations about figures and graphs shown in your materials.

When explaining data in French, it is not enough to simply add information. You need to communicate step by step what the data represents, why changes are occurring, and how the information should be interpreted.

In this section, I will explain useful French expressions that you can use when providing supplementary explanations about data, following the flow of a typical conversation.

Dialogue

B

Pourriez-vous préciser ce que représente ce chiffre dans le tableau ?
（Could you clarify what this figure in the table represents?）

A

Bien sûr. Ce chiffre correspond aux ventes réalisées au cours du dernier trimestre.
（Of course. This figure corresponds to the sales achieved during the last quarter.）

B

Je vois. Et pourquoi observe-t-on une hausse aussi marquée en juin ?
（I see. And why do we observe such a significant increase in June?）

A

Cette augmentation s’explique par le lancement d’une nouvelle campagne promotionnelle.
（This increase is explained by the launch of a new promotional campaign.）

B

Cela clarifie la situation. Merci pour ces précisions.
（That clarifies the situation. Thank you for the explanation.）

1. Clarifying What the Data Represents

When you provide supplementary explanations, the first step is to clearly state what the number or graph actually means.

The structure “correspondre à + noun” means “to correspond to” or “to represent.”

After the preposition à, you must use a noun or noun phrase. If you want to express an action, it must be nominalized, for example through a past participle or a “noun + de” construction.

The phrase “les ventes réalisées” means “sales achieved” or “completed sales.”

Here, the past participle “réalisées” modifies the noun “ventes” from behind, allowing you to add descriptive information concisely.

When a past participle modifies a noun like an adjective, you must ensure agreement in gender and number. Since “ventes” is feminine plural, the participle becomes “réalisées.”

2. Responding to Questions About Data

In meetings or presentations, you will often receive questions about the meaning or trends shown in your data.

The form “observe-t-on” is an inverted question based on “on observe.”

When the verb ends with a vowel and the subject pronoun begins with a vowel, the linking “-t-” is inserted purely for pronunciation purposes.

The pronoun on functions as an indefinite subject, meaning “people,” “we,” or “one.” In data explanations, using on helps maintain an objective and impersonal tone.

This phrasing emphasizes the objectivity of the information rather than the speaker.

The expression “aussi marquée” means “so pronounced” or “so significant.” The adjective “marqué(e)” frequently appears in data analysis contexts.

Because “une hausse” is feminine, the adjective takes the feminine form “marquée.”

3. Explaining the Reason Behind Changes

When explaining changes in data, you need to clearly present the underlying cause or background.

The reflexive verb “s’expliquer” literally means “to explain itself,” but in practice it is used to indicate an objective cause behind a phenomenon.

The structure “par + noun” expresses cause or reason, meaning “due to” or “because of.”

In this structure, “par” is typically followed by a noun or noun phrase.

Summary