Basic Conversations for Ordering at a Café｜French Ordering Expressions
Izumi French Garden
Confirming Customer Requests｜French Business Conversation
Izumi
In business and customer service, it is essential to politely confirm the client’s needs.
Being able to say in French expressions such as “What kind of service would you like?” or “Could you give me more details?” will help you ensure smooth communication.
In this lesson, I will introduce useful French phrases for confirming customer requests and explain the grammatical points behind them.
Contents
Dialogue
Bonjour, qu’est-ce que vous souhaitez exactement ?
(Hello, what exactly would you like?)
Nous aimerions organiser une réunion la semaine prochaine.
(We would like to organize a meeting next week.)
Très bien. Est-ce que vous préférez le matin ou l’après-midi ?
(Very well. Do you prefer the morning or the afternoon?)
Le matin serait mieux pour nous.
(The morning would be better for us.)
Parfait, je note votre préférence.
(Perfect, I’ll take note of your preference.)
Grammar and Expression Points
1. Asking About Requests
A common verb used to confirm customer needs is souhaiter (to wish / to desire).
- Qu’est-ce que vous souhaitez ?
(What would you like?)
The verb souhaiter is close in nuance to English “to wish”, and it carries a formal and polite tone, making it suitable for business situations.
To ask for more precision, you can add the adverb exactement (exactly / specifically).
- Qu’est-ce que vous souhaitez exactement ?
(What exactly would you like?)
2. Asking for More Details
After the client expresses their request briefly, you may need to confirm more details. In such cases, the following expressions are useful:
- Pouvez-vous préciser votre demande ?
(Could you clarify your request?) - Pourriez-vous me donner plus de détails ?
(Could you give me more details?)
The verb préciser means “to make precise/clear,” used when asking to clarify vague information. The noun détails (details) conveys the need for more specific information.
Using “Pouvez-vous … ?” or “Pourriez-vous … ?” makes the request polite. In particular, pourriez-vous (conditional form) sounds even more courteous.
3. Offering Options for Confirmation
When confirming the client’s preferences, giving them choices helps the conversation move smoothly. For this, the verb préférer (to prefer) is useful.
- Est-ce que vous préférez le matin ou l’après-midi ?
(Do you prefer the morning or the afternoon?)
Another example:
- Préférez-vous recevoir un devis par mail ou en format papier ?
(Do you prefer to receive the quotation by email or on paper?)
Presenting options makes it easier for the client to answer.
4. Repeating Requests for Confirmation
Verifying that you have understood the client’s request correctly is vital to avoid misunderstandings. A common phrase is:
- Si je comprends bien, vous souhaitez organiser la réunion le matin ?
(If I understand correctly, you would like the meeting in the morning?)
This shows attentiveness and helps prevent errors.
Another useful confirmation phrase:
- Donc, vous préférez une livraison avant vendredi, c’est bien ça ?
(So, you would like the delivery before Friday, is that correct?)
The phrase “c’est bien ça ?” (is that right?) is a set expression frequently used to confirm.
Summary
- souhaiter: basic verb to ask “What would you like?”
- Pouvez-vous préciser … ? / donner plus de détails ?:
polite ways to ask for more details - préférer: useful when presenting options to the client
- Si je comprends bien … / C’est bien ça ?:
common expressions to confirm requests and avoid misunderstandings
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