Business French for Beginners: Calls, Emails, Meetings and Workplace Etiquette – Paris, 7–18 Jun 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

Organisations that work with French-speaking partners often route every call, email and visit through one bilingual colleague or an interpreter, which slows routine exchanges and weakens relationships. This Core Concept business French course takes Arabic- and English-speaking professionals from first sounds and greetings to telephone calls, short emails, simple meetings and polite negotiation, aligned to CEFR levels A1 and A2. Week one builds pronunciation, courtesy, numbers and core verbs; week two applies them to workplace tasks. Participants finish with a recorded workplace role-play and a written French email pack.

Course Objectives:

• Pronounce and spell French names, words and references accurately, using accents, liaison and elision correctly
• Greet, introduce oneself and choose between tu and vous appropriately with French-speaking colleagues, clients and managers
• Exchange numbers, dates, times, prices and practical information when travelling, booking and arranging work
• Handle short telephone calls and write short French emails and messages in the correct register
• Arrange and take part in a simple meeting, describe a company and its figures, and report past work and next steps
• Make polite requests and use basic negotiation phrases while observing etiquette common in French-speaking business cultures

Target Audience:

• Professionals who exchange calls and emails with French-speaking suppliers, clients or head offices
• Coordinators who organise visits, travel and meetings with French-speaking partners
• Sales, procurement and partnership staff who discuss offers and conditions with French-speaking counterparts
• Project and technical staff who report progress to French-speaking colleagues
• Administrative and front-office staff who receive French-speaking visitors and callers

Course Outline:

Day 1: French Sounds, Spelling and First Contact

• French Alphabet and the Five Diacritics: Acute, Grave, Circumflex, Cedilla and Diaeresis
• Nasal Vowels, the French R and the U Versus OU Contrast for Arabic and English Speakers
• Silent Final Consonants, Liaison and Elision in Connected Speech
• Spelling Names, Email Addresses and Reference Codes Aloud with the French Alphabet
• CEFR A1 Self-Assessment Grid and Recorded Baseline Reading Sample

Day 2: Greetings, Introductions and the Tu or Vous Choice

• Bonjour, Bonsoir, Enchante and Au Revoir: Time-of-Day Greeting Conventions
• Tu Versus Vous Decision Chart for Colleagues, Clients and Senior Managers
• Monsieur, Madame and Title-Plus-Surname Forms of Address
• Subject Pronouns with Etre and Avoir for Stating Name, Role and Employer
• Business Card Exchange and Self-Introduction Role-Play at a Trade Fair Stand

Day 3: Numbers, Dates, Times and Money

• Cardinal Numbers to One Million Including Soixante-Dix and Quatre-Vingts Patterns
• Ordinal Numbers, Days, Months and the Day-Month Date Order
• Twenty-Four-Hour Clock, Opening Hours and Appointment Time Expressions
• Prices, Decimal Commas, Percentages and Quantities on French Invoices
• Telephone Number Dictation Drill Using Pairs of Digits

Day 4: Present Tense, Core Verbs and Asking for Information

• Regular -ER, -IR and -RE Verb Conjugation Tables in the Present Tense
• Aller, Faire, Pouvoir, Vouloir and Devoir for Everyday Workplace Actions
• Question Forms: Est-Ce Que, Inversion and Rising Intonation
• Question Words Qui, Quoi, Ou, Quand, Combien and Pourquoi in Information Exchanges
• Negation with Ne Pas and Definite and Indefinite Articles with Gender Agreement

Day 5: Workplace Vocabulary, Travel and Hotel Situations

• Office Vocabulary Set: Departments, Job Functions, Equipment and Documents
• Airport, Taxi and Train Station Dialogues: Tickets, Platforms and Delays
• Hotel Check-In, Room Requests and Complaint Phrases at Reception
• Restaurant Ordering, Dietary Requests and Asking for the Bill with a Client
• Guided Case: Arrival Day Scenario from Airport to Partner Office Reception

Day 6: Telephone French: Calls, Transfers and Voicemail

• Telephone Opening Formulas: Allo, Je Vous Ecoute and Qui Est a l'Appareil
• Asking for a Colleague, Holding the Line and Transferring a Call
• Leaving and Taking a Voicemail Message with Callback Details
• Clarification Phrases: Pouvez-Vous Repeter and Parlez Plus Lentement
• Telephone Role-Play Series with Scripted and Unscripted Calls

Day 7: Short Emails, Messages and Written Register

• French Email Structure: Objet Line, Madame or Monsieur Salutation and Sign-Off
• Cordialement, Bien Cordialement and Veuillez Agreer Closing Register Scale
• Request, Confirmation and Thank-You Email Templates
• Instant Message Abbreviations Versus Formal Written French
• Accent Keyboard Shortcuts and French Spell-Check Settings

Day 8: Meetings, Agendas and Describing a Company

• Arranging a Meeting: Proposing, Accepting and Rescheduling a Slot
• Ordre du Jour Agenda Vocabulary and Meeting Opening Phrases
• Agreement, Disagreement and Opinion Phrases: Je Pense Que and A Mon Avis
• Company Profile Language: Sector, Headcount, Sites and Product Range
• Describing Figures and Trends with Augmenter, Baisser and Rester Stable

Day 9: Reporting, Polite Requests, Negotiation and Etiquette

• Passe Compose with Avoir and Etre for Reporting Completed Work
• Futur Proche with Aller Plus Infinitive for Plans and Next Steps
• Conditional Politeness: Je Voudrais, Pourriez-Vous and Serait-Il Possible
• Negotiation Phrases for Price, Delivery and Conditions: Proposer, Accepter and Refuser
• Etiquette Across French-Speaking Business Cultures: Punctuality, Handshakes, Business Lunches and Hierarchy

Day 10: Capstone: Recorded Role-Play and Written Email Pack

• Capstone Brief: Partner Visit, Meeting and Follow-Up Scenario
• Recorded Workplace Role-Play: Call, Meeting and Negotiation Segment
• Written Email Pack: Meeting Request, Confirmation, Summary and Thank-You Message
• CEFR A2 Descriptor Check on the Recording and Email Pack with Trainer Commentary
• Individual French Practice Plan and Vocabulary Log for Continued Study

Skills You Will Gain:

• French Pronunciation and Spelling
• Formal and Informal Address
• Numbers, Dates and Price Language
• Telephone French
• French Business Email Writing
• Simple Meeting Participation
• Past and Near-Future Reporting
• Polite Request and Negotiation Language

Why Attend This Course:

• Leave with a recorded workplace role-play and a written French email pack you can reuse with real partners
• Handle routine calls, visits and messages with French-speaking counterparts without waiting for an interpreter
• Know exactly where you stand against CEFR A1 and A2 descriptors and what to practise next
• Practise daily with Arabic- and English-speaking professionals from different sectors who face the same partner situations

Conclusion:

Beginner business French becomes useful at work when sounds, courtesy formulas and core verbs are practised in the situations where they are needed. The first week builds pronunciation, spelling, greetings, numbers, the present tense and travel language, ending with a guided arrival-day case. The second week adds telephone French, email register, meetings, company description, past and near-future reporting, polite requests, negotiation phrases and etiquette. The final day records a workplace role-play and assembles a written email pack checked against CEFR A2 descriptors.