Popular Business Vocabulary In French (Office, Meetings, And Emails)

My first “serious” French job interview was in a tiny Paris office above a bakery. I spent the whole morning rehearsing impressive sentences, and then the manager asked:

Vous connaissez le chiffre d’affaires de votre dernière entreprise ? /vu kɔ.nɛ.se lə ʃifʁ da.fɛʁ də vɔtʁ dəʁ.njɛʁ ɑ̃.tʁə.priz/

I caught entreprise /ɑ̃.tʁə.priz/ — company — and completely died on chiffre d’affaires /ʃifʁ da.fɛʁ/ — turnover, revenue. I tried to bluff with Oui, c’était… très intéressant, which is a polite way to say “I have no idea what you just asked, but your office plants are nice.”

That day I realised: if you want to live or work in France, you need actual business vocabulary, not just “baguette” and “bonjour.” This guide will give you the essential French business words for people, places, meetings, money, phone calls, and emails, with clear patterns you can reuse in real life.

Business French Game Plan: Core Ideas First

A few basic words appear everywhere in business contexts:

Three high-frequency verbs:

Common patterns:

Je travaille dans une entreprise internationale.
/ʒə tʁa.vaj dɑ̃z‿yn ɑ̃.tʁə.priz ɛ̃.tɛʁ.na.sjɔ.nal/
I work in an international company.

Je gère une petite équipe.
/ʒə ʒɛʁ yn pə.tit e.kip/
I manage a small team.

Il dirige la société depuis cinq ans.
/il di.ʁi.ʒə la sɔ.sje.te də.pɥi sɛ̃ kɑ̃/
He has been running the company for five years.

Now let’s zoom into specific business areas.

Workplace People, Departments, And Places

Key People And Roles

Usage notes:
In many French offices, responsable /ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl/ is more common than “manager” for titles: responsable marketing, responsable commercial.

Departments And Places

Example:

Je travaille au service marketing, dans les bureaux de Lyon.
/ʒə tʁa.vaj o sɛʁ.vis maʁ.kə.tiŋ dɑ̃ le by.ʁo də ljɔ̃/
I work in the marketing department, in the Lyon offices.

Everyday Office Actions: Useful Verbs And Phrases

Here are verbs you’ll actually use at work, not just in textbooks.

Typical phrases:

Je postule pour un poste de chef de projet.
/ʒə pɔs.tyl puʁ œ̃ pɔst də ʃɛf də pʁɔ.ʒɛ/
I’m applying for a project manager position.

On doit négocier le contrat avec le client.
/ɔ̃ dwa ne.ɡɔ.sje lə kɔ̃.tʁa avɛk lə kli.jɑ̃/
We need to negotiate the contract with the client.

La société a embauché trois personnes.
/la sɔ.sje.te a ɑ̃.bo.ʃe tʁwa pɛʁ.sɔn/
The company hired three people.

Usage note:
In business French, on /ɔ̃/ is very common for “we” in speech: On doit décider, On en parle demain.

Meetings, Projects, And Deadlines

This is the ecosystem of réunions /ʁe.ju.njɔ̃/ — meetings — and projets /pʁɔ.ʒɛ/ — projects.

Example sentences:

On a une réunion demain matin.
/ɔ̃ a yn ʁe.ju.njɔ̃ də.mɛ̃ ma.tɛ̃/
We have a meeting tomorrow morning.

L’échéance du projet, c’est le 15 mai.
/le.ʃe.ɑ̃s dy pʁɔ.ʒɛ sɛ lə kɛ̃z mɛ/
The project deadline is May 15th.

Je t’envoie le compte rendu cet après-midi.
/ʒə t‿ɑ̃.vwa lə kɔ̃t ʁɑ̃.dy sɛ.ta.pʁɛ.mi.di/
I’ll send you the meeting minutes this afternoon.

Usage note:
In many French offices, réunion can mean anything from a quick stand-up to a two-hour PowerPoint marathon. Context (and the size of the coffee) tells you which.

Money, Sales, And Performance

Even if you’re not in finance, these words come up in meetings and reports.

Example:

Le client veut une remise de 10 %.
/lə kli.jɑ̃ vø yn ʁə.miz də dis puʁ.sɑ̃/
The client wants a 10% discount.

On a augmenté le chiffre d’affaires cette année.
/ɔ̃ a oɡ.mɑ̃.te lə ʃifʁ da.fɛʁ sɛ.t‿a.ne/
We increased revenue this year.

Usage notes:

chiffre d’affaires is one of those classic “I live in France now” words. Worth memorising.
devis and facture show up constantly in emails with suppliers and clients.

Emails, Phone Calls, And Polite Business French

French business communication is a whole mini-universe, especially in writing.

Email Essentials

Mini patterns:

Je vous envoie le contrat en pièce jointe.
/ʒə vu z‿ɑ̃.vwa lə kɔ̃.tʁa ɑ̃ pjɛs ʒwɛ̃t/
I’m sending you the contract as an attachment.

Dans l’attente de votre réponse, cordialement.
/dɑ̃ la.tɑ̃t də vɔ.tʁə ʁe.pɔ̃s kɔʁ.dja.lə.mɑ̃/
Looking forward to your reply, kind regards.

Usage note:
In French business emails, the closing formula can be long and formal. At a minimum, you can survive with:

Bien cordialement /bjɛ̃ kɔʁ.dja.lə.mɑ̃/
Cordialement

Phone Call Basics

Example:

Bonjour, c’est le service commercial, je vous appelle au sujet de votre commande.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ sɛ lə sɛʁ.vis kɔ.mɛʁ.sjal ʒə vu za.pɛl o sy.ʒɛ də vɔ.tʁə kɔ.mɑ̃d/
Hello, this is the sales department, I’m calling about your order.

Usage Notes & Common Mistakes In Business French

Vous First, Tu Later
In French business settings, default to vous /vu/ with colleagues, clients, and superiors unless they clearly invite tu /ty/. Even in “casual” companies, vous is a safe starting point.
Bonjour Before Anything Else
Whether in person, on the phone, or by email, bonjour /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/ comes first.
Even on the phone, don’t start with Je voudrais parler à… without a bonjour.
Don’t Translate “Do” Literally
English uses “do” everywhere; French doesn’t.
- “Do business with” → faire affaire avec /fɛʁ a.fɛʁ avɛk/
- “Do a meeting” → faire une réunion /fɛʁ yn ʁe.ju.njɔ̃/
Mail vs Courriel
- mail /mɛl/ is extremely common in everyday business French.
- courriel /ku.ʁjɛl/ appears more in official or Canadian French contexts.
Job Titles Don’t Always Use “Un/Une”
In introductions, you often say:
- Je suis responsable marketing.
  Not: Je suis un responsable marketing (though it’s not “wrong,” just less typical).

Mini Dialogues: Business Vocabulary In Action

Dialogue 1: At The Office

Tu travailles dans quel service ?
/ty tʁa.vaj dɑ̃ kɛl sɛʁ.vis/
Which department do you work in?

Je suis au service marketing, et toi ?
/ʒə sɥi o sɛʁ.vis maʁ.kə.tiŋ e twa/
I’m in the marketing department, and you?

Je suis responsable commercial, je gère les clients importants.
/ʒə sɥi ʁɛs.pɔ̃.sabl kɔ.mɛʁ.sjal ʒə ʒɛʁ le kli.jɑ̃ ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/
I’m the sales manager, I handle the important clients.

Dialogue 2: Setting Up A Meeting

Bonjour, je vous appelle pour fixer une réunion.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ʒə vu za.pɛl puʁ fik.se yn ʁe.ju.njɔ̃/
Hello, I’m calling to schedule a meeting.

Vous êtes disponible mardi matin ?
/vu zɛt dis.pɔ.nibl maʁ.di ma.tɛ̃/
Are you available Tuesday morning?

Mardi matin, c’est difficile. Je propose mercredi à 10 h.
/maʁ.di ma.tɛ̃ sɛ di.fi.sil ʒə pʁɔ.poz mɛʁ.kʁə.di a døʁ/
Tuesday morning is difficult. I suggest Wednesday at 10.

Très bien, je vous envoie l’ordre du jour par mail.
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ ʒə vu z‿ɑ̃.vwa l‿ɔʁdʁ dy ʒuʁ paʁ mɛl/
Great, I’ll send you the agenda by email.

Dialogue 3: Talking About Results

Alors, le chiffre d’affaires de ce trimestre ?
/a.lɔʁ lə ʃifʁ da.fɛʁ də sə tʁi.mɛstʁ/
So, the turnover for this quarter?

Il a augmenté de 8 %, c’est une bonne nouvelle.
/il a oɡ.mɑ̃.te də ɥit puʁ.sɑ̃ sɛ tyn bɔn nu.vɛl/
It increased by 8%, that’s good news.

Et le budget marketing ?
/e lə byd.ʒɛ maʁ.kə.tiŋ/
And the marketing budget?

Il reste un peu de marge, on peut lancer une nouvelle campagne.
/il ʁɛst œ̃ pø də maʁʒ ɔ̃ pø lɑ̃.se yn nu.vɛl kɑ̃.paɲ/
There’s still some room, we can launch a new campaign.

Quick Reference: Core Business French Vocabulary

Five-Minute Practice Plan: Business French You’ll Actually Use

Your Job In One Sentence
Say out loud:
Je travaille dans… + department + city.
Example: Je travaille dans une entreprise de technologie, à Paris.
Mini Email Template
Write a tiny email you could really send:
- Greeting: Bonjour…
- One sentence: Je vous envoie le contrat en pièce jointe.
- Closing: Cordialement, + your name.
  Read it out loud once.
Meeting Sentence Drill
Practise three variations:
- On a une réunion demain matin.
- Je propose mercredi à 10 h.
- Je vous envoie l’ordre du jour par mail.
Money Snapshot
Say these out loud, swapping the numbers:
- *Le chiffre d’affaires a augmenté de 5/8/12 %. *
- *Le client veut une remise de 10/15 %. *
Phone Call Roleplay
Pretend to answer the phone at work:
- Bonjour, [Nom de l’entreprise], je vous écoute.
- Then: Je vous passe le service commercial.

From Croissant-Level To Conference-Room French

Once words like réunion, échéance, chiffre d’affaires, and pièce jointe feel normal in your mouth, French stops being just café small talk and starts working for you in offices, calls, and interviews. You don’t have to sound like a lawyer; you just need the right business Lego bricks to show you understand how things work. From there, it’s all practice… and maybe the occasional mille-feuille bribe for surviving yet another réunion that could have been an email.