#85 Changing the Date of a Meeting｜French for Business Communication

In professional settings, there are times when you need to reschedule a meeting.

Being able to politely inform someone in French that “the meeting has been postponed” or to propose a new date helps maintain smooth communication.

In this lesson, I introduce practical French expressions you can use when notifying someone of a schedule change, along with related grammatical points.

Dialogue

A

Bonjour, M. Dupont. Je vous appelle pour vous informer d’un changement de date.
(Hello, Mr. Dupont. I’m calling to inform you of a change in date.)

B

La réunion n’aura pas lieu demain ?
(The meeting won’t take place tomorrow?)

A

Non, elle est reportée à jeudi matin, à 10 heures.
(No, it has been postponed to Thursday morning at 10 o’clock.)

B

D’accord, merci de l’information.
(Understood. Thank you for the information.)

A

Merci de votre compréhension. À jeudi !
(Thank you for your understanding. See you on Thursday!)

1. Polite Expression: “To Inform Someone About …”

The phrase “Je vous informe de …” (I am informing you about …) is commonly used in formal business communication.

The verb informer means “to inform.” The pronoun vous serves as the indirect object (“informing you”), and “de + noun” indicates the topic (“about …”).

When communicating by phone, the following expression is often used:

2. Expressing “The Meeting Has Been Postponed”

The phrase “La réunion est reportée à …” means “The meeting has been postponed to ….” The verb reporter means “to postpone” or “to move something to a later time.”

Below are similar verbs that differ slightly in nuance:

Reporter means to postpone, while annuler means to cancel entirely. When rescheduling for a later date, use reporter.

3. The Structure “Avoir lieu” — To Take Place / Not Take Place

The expression “avoir lieu” literally means “to take place” or “to occur.” It is often used for meetings and formal events.

This structure consists of “avoir (to have) + lieu (place).” Literally “to have a place,” it figuratively means “to occur.”

Because it refers to a future event, the simple future form “aura lieu” is used here.

4. Expressing Consideration for the Other Person

When notifying someone of a schedule change, it is polite to add a phrase of appreciation for their understanding or flexibility.

Common expressions include:

At the end of the conversation, it is also common to add: À jeudi / À lundi / À bientôt. (See you Thursday / See you Monday / See you soon.)

Such expressions help leave a positive impression.

Summary