#14 Phrases for Buying Tickets at Tourist Sites｜French Travel Conversation
Izumi French Garden
#78 Expressions for Joining an Online Meeting｜French for Business
Izumi
In the business world, online meetings via Zoom or similar platforms have become commonplace.
Knowing basic French expressions such as “Can you hear me?”, “Can you see my screen?”, or “I can’t hear the sound”will help meetings proceed more smoothly.
In this lesson, I will introduce useful French phrases for online meetings through dialogues and explain the key grammar points.
Contents
Dialogue
Bonjour, est-ce que vous m’entendez bien ?
(Hello, can you hear me well?)
Oui, très bien. Et est-ce que vous voyez mon écran ?
(Yes, very well. And can you see my screen?)
Pas encore… Ah voilà, maintenant je vois.
(Not yet… Ah, there it is. Now I can see it.)
On peut commencer la réunion.
(Let’s begin the meeting.)
1. Phrases for Sound Check
At the beginning of an online meeting, it is common to check if your voice can be heard.
- Est-ce que vous m’entendez bien ?
(Can you hear me well?)
The verb here is entendre (to hear). In French, there is a distinction between:
- écouter: to listen attentively (active)
- entendre: to hear (passive)
In the context of checking audio in an online meeting, entendre is the correct verb.
2. Confirming Screen Sharing
Another important step is to confirm whether the screen is visible.
- Est-ce que vous voyez mon écran ?
(Can you see my screen?)
The verb voir (to see) refers to visual perception.
- Vous voyez la présentation ?
(Can you see the presentation?) - Je ne vois pas votre écran.
(I can’t see your screen.)
3. Expressions for Connection Problems
Technical issues are common in online meetings. Here are useful phrases to handle them:
- La connexion est mauvaise.
(The connection is bad.) - L’image est figée.
(The screen is frozen.) - Le son coupe.
(The sound is cutting out.)
figé literally means “frozen,” used when the screen freezes.
couper means “to cut,” and is used when audio cuts in and out.
4. Expressions to Start or Move the Meeting Forward
Once the connection is stable, these phrases are useful for progressing the meeting:
- On peut commencer la réunion.
(Let’s begin the meeting.) - Passons au prochain point.
(Let’s move on to the next item.) - Revenons au sujet principal.
(Let’s return to the main topic.)
“On peut …” is a polite way to suggest “we can …”
“passer à …” means “to move on to …” and is standard in business meetings.
5. Practical Tips for Real Meetings
For smooth communication in online meetings, remember the three essentials: checking, requesting, and thanking.
- Checking: Est-ce que vous m’entendez bien ?
(Can you hear me well?) - Requesting: Pouvez-vous rallumer votre micro ?
(Could you turn your microphone back on?) - Thanking: Merci pour votre patience.
(Thank you for your patience.)
Using considerate expressions like these helps create a more comfortable atmosphere during virtual meetings.
Summary
- Est-ce que vous m’entendez bien ?
→ Essential phrase to check audio. - Est-ce que vous voyez mon écran ?
→ Necessary when starting a presentation. - On peut commencer la réunion / Passons au prochain point
→ Phrases to start or move the meeting forward. - Use “Pouvez-vous … ?” for polite requests and “Merci …” to show appreciation.
