#276 Asking Your Supervisor to Review a Report｜French Business Phrases

After preparing a report or proposal at work, you may need to ask your supervisor to review it before submission.

Having someone check for errors, confirm whether the wording is appropriate, and ensure the overall direction is suitable is an important part of professional communication.

In this section, I will explain useful French expressions for asking your supervisor to review a report, together with key grammatical points.

Dialogue

A

J’ai terminé le rapport sur le projet de cette semaine.
（I have finished the report on this week’s project.）

B

Très bien.
（Very well.）

A

Auriez-vous un moment pour le relire, s’il vous plaît ?
（Would you have a moment to review it, please?）

B

Oui, bien sûr. Vous en avez besoin pour quand ?
（Yes, of course. When do you need it by?）

A

Si possible, j’aimerais l’envoyer au client d’ici demain après-midi.
（If possible, I would like to send it to the client by tomorrow afternoon.）

B

D’accord, je vais y jeter un œil cet après-midi.
（All right. I will take a look at it this afternoon.）

A

Merci beaucoup.
（Thank you very much.）

1. Informing Your Supervisor That the Report Is Finished

Before asking your supervisor to review a report, I recommend first informing them that the document has been completed. This makes the request feel more natural and professional.

The phrase “j’ai terminé” is the passé composé form of the verb “terminer” (to finish / to complete).

The passé composé is formed using: “avoir / être + past participle”

In this example, “ai” is the present tense of “avoir,” and “terminé” is the past participle of “terminer.”

French uses the passé composé to describe actions that have already been completed. Here, it is used to report that the task of writing the report has been finished.

The expression “le rapport sur le projet de cette semaine” means “the report on this week’s project.”

Here, the preposition “sur” means “about” or “regarding.” By using “sur + noun,” you can clearly indicate the subject matter.

2. Politely Asking for a Review

When asking your supervisor to review a report, it is important to use language that takes the other person’s schedule into consideration.

The expression “auriez-vous” uses the conditional form of “avoir” in an inverted question structure.

By using the conditional tense, the sentence gains the nuance of “if possible,” making the request sound more polite and leaving room for the other person to decline if necessary.

The phrase “un moment” means “a moment” or “a little time,” while “pour + infinitive” expresses purpose.

As a result, “Auriez-vous un moment pour ～ ?” can be understood as: “Would you have some time to ～?” This makes it a useful way to ask for someone’s availability politely.

The expression “le relire” (to reread/review it) is also important.

Here, “le” is a direct object pronoun referring to “le rapport” (the report). In French, object pronouns are often used to avoid repeating the same noun, making sentences sound more natural.

In business situations, “relire” often means not only “to reread” but also “to review” or “to check for mistakes.”

3. Explaining the Deadline

When asking for a review, I also recommend explaining when you need the feedback. This makes it easier for the other person to adjust their schedule.

“Si possible” means “if possible.” By placing it at the beginning of the sentence, you can soften the request and avoid sounding too demanding.

The phrase “j’aimerais” is the conditional form of “aimer.” It is commonly used in professional situations to express wishes politely, similar to: “I would like to …”

In “l’envoyer,” the “l’” is an elided form of “le,” referring to “le rapport” (the report). Combined with “envoyer” (to send), it means “to send it.”

Finally, “d’ici demain après-midi” means: “by tomorrow afternoon” The expression “d’ici” is commonly used to indicate a deadline or time limit.

By placing a date, time, or event after “d’ici,” you can express a clear deadline.

Summary