How To Speak Professionally on the Phone in French (Téléphoner Comme Un Pro)

My first French office job came with a headset, a landline with too many buttons, and exactly zero training. On my very first call, I picked up the phone and cheerfully said,
« Allô, c’est le yak ! »
The silence on the other end could have frozen coffee.

Apparently, that’s not how you answer a professional call in France.
Later, my colleague patiently explained that allô /a.lo/ is fine, but you need something more like:
« Société Dupont, bonjour. » /sɔ.sje.te dy.pɔ̃ bɔ̃.ʒuʁ/

That day, I promised myself: never again will I improvise professional phone French.

Let’s give you exactly what I wish I had—clear patterns, ready-made phrases, and natural pronunciation so you can sound calm, clear, and wonderfully professional on the phone in French.

Quick Primer On Professional Phone Calls

Here are the key building blocks you’ll reuse in almost every call:

• téléphoner /te.le.fɔ.ne/ — to phone, to call
  
• un appel /œ̃.na.pɛl/ — a call
  
• raccrocher /ʁa.kʁɔ.ʃe/ — to hang up
  
• décrocher /de.kʁɔ.ʃe/ — to pick up
  
• mettre en attente /mɛtʁ ɑ̃.n‿a.tɑ̃t/ — to put on hold
  
• transférer un appel /tʁɑ̃s.fe.ʁe œ̃.na.pɛl/ — to transfer a call
  

There are three big moments in a professional phone call:

1. How you answer and present yourself
   
2. How you ask questions, clarify, and handle issues
   
3. How you finish the call politely and clearly
   

Once you master these, the rest is just small details and maybe a bit of coffee.

Answering The Phone Professionally

Company or Office Style

In French workplaces, people usually answer by giving:

1. The company or department
   
2. A greeting
   
3. Sometimes their name
   

Common formulas:

If you’re working freelance or from home:

Bonjour, ici [votre nom].
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ i.si votʁə nɔ̃/
Hello, this is [your name].

Asking Who Is Calling

Notice how soft and polite everything sounds. French phone politeness is an art form.

Introducing Yourself When You Call

When you’re the one calling, follow this three-step pattern:

1. Greeting
   
2. Name + company (if relevant)
   
3. Reason for the call
   

Useful verbs:

• appeler /a.pe.le/ — to call
  
• joindre /ʒwɛ̃dʁ/ — to reach (someone)
  

Essential Phrases

Example full start:

Bonjour, ici Claire Martin de la société Lumière. Je vous appelle au sujet de votre commande.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ i.si klɛʁ maʁ.tɛ̃ də la sɔ.sje.te ly.mjɛʁ ʒə vu.za.pɛl o sy.ʒɛ də vɔ.tʁə kɔ.mɑ̃d/

Asking For and Giving Information

A lot of professional calls are just: ask → clarify → confirm.
Here’s your toolkit.

Asking For Information

Spelling and Numbers

Spelling on the phone is normal in French. People often use:

• A comme Antoine
  
• B comme Bernard
  

But even without the spelling alphabet, you can do:

Ça s’écrit M – A – R – T – I – N.
/sa se.kʁi ɛm a aʁ te i ɛn/

For numbers:

Mon numéro est le 06 12 34 56 78.
/mɔ̃ ny.me.ʁo ɛ lə ze.ʁo sis duz tʁɑ̃t kaʁɑ̃t sɛ̃k swa.sɑ̃t diz.ɥit/

Group them by twos like French people do.

Putting Someone On Hold and Transferring The Call

This is peak French-telephone-politeness territory.

Putting On Hold

When you come back:

Transferring a Call

If the person is not available:

Clarifying, Repeating, and Checking Understanding

French is full of polite little cushions when you need to ask for clarification.

Asking for Clarification

Checking Understanding

These phrases make you sound calm and precise, even if your brain is jogging behind the conversation with a tiny French dictionary.

Ending The Call Politely

The end of a professional call in French almost always follows this pattern:

1. Confirm the next steps
   
2. Thank the other person
   
3. Use a polite formula
   
4. Say goodbye
   

Confirming the Next Step

Polite Closing Formulas

You can safely stack them:

Merci de votre appel, au revoir, bonne journée.
/mɛʁ.si də vɔ.tʁa.pɛl o ʁə.vwaʁ bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/

Region Notes

The professional phone formulas stay surprisingly similar across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Québec.

Tiny nuances:

• In Québec, you might hear bonjour, ici [Nom] de [Entreprise X] with a slightly different rhythm, but the structure is the same.
  
• In very formal French offices, some people still use Monsieur / Madame on the phone more often, like:
  « Très bien, Monsieur, je vous remercie. »
  
• In Belgium and Switzerland, the politeness level is also high; your s’il vous plaît /sil vu plɛ/ and merci beaucoup /mɛʁ.si bo.ku/ are always welcome.
  

If you stick to neutral, standard professional French like we’re using here, you’ll sound perfectly appropriate everywhere.

Mini Dialogues

Dialogue 1 — Answering a Professional Call

Bonjour, service client Lumière, Julie à l’appareil.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ sɛʁ.vis kljɑ̃ ly.mjɛʁ ʒy.li a la.pa.ʁɛj/
Hello, Lumière customer service, Julie speaking.

Bonjour, ici Thomas Martin. Je vous appelle au sujet de ma facture.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ i.si tɔ.ma maʁ.tɛ̃ ʒə vu.za.pɛl o sy.ʒɛ də ma fak.tyʁ/
Hello, this is Thomas Martin. I’m calling about my bill.

Très bien, Monsieur Martin. Vous pouvez me donner votre numéro de client, s’il vous plaît ?
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ məsjø maʁ.tɛ̃ vu pu.ve mə dɔ.ne vɔ.tʁə ny.me.ʁo də kljɑ̃ sil vu plɛ/
Very well, Mr Martin. Could you give me your customer number, please?

Oui, c’est le 4582.
/wi sɛ lə katʁ sɛ̃ kəvɛ̃ də/
Yes, it’s 4582.

Merci, ne quittez pas, je regarde.
/mɛʁ.si nə ki.te pa ʒə ʁə.ɡaʁd/
Thank you, please hold, I’ll check.

Dialogue 2 — Calling and Asking For Someone

Bonjour, ici Claire Dubois de la société Nova.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ i.si klɛʁ dy.bwa də la sɔ.sje.te nɔ.va/
Hello, this is Claire Dubois from Nova.

Bonjour Madame.
/bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.dam/
Hello, Madam.

Je voudrais parler à Monsieur Lefèvre, s’il vous plaît.
/ʒə vu.dʁɛ paʁ.le a məsjø lə.fɛvʁ sil vu plɛ/
I’d like to speak to Mr Lefèvre, please.

Je suis désolé, il n’est pas disponible pour le moment.
/ʒə sɥi de.zo.le il nɛ pa dis.pɔ.ni.bl puʁ lə mɔ.mɑ̃/
I’m sorry, he isn’t available at the moment.

Dans ce cas, je veux bien laisser un message.
/dɑ̃ sə ka ʒə vø bjɛ̃ le.se œ̃ mɛ.saʒ/
In that case, I’d be happy to leave a message.

Très bien, je vous écoute.
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ ʒə vu ze.kut/
Very well, I’m listening.

Dialogue 3 — Clarifying and Ending The Call

Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas bien entendu votre nom.
/ɛk.sky.ze.mwa ʒə nɛ pa bjɛ̃.n‿ɑ̃.tɑ̃.dy vɔ.tʁə nɔ̃/
Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.

Oui, c’est Durand, D – U – R – A – N – D.
/wi sɛ dy.ʁɑ̃ de y u ɛʁ a ɛn de/
Yes, it’s Durand, D – U – R – A – N – D.

Parfait, Monsieur Durand. Je récapitule : vous souhaitez modifier la date de livraison.
/paʁ.fɛ məsjø dy.ʁɑ̃ ʒə ʁe.ka.pi.tyl vu swe.tɛ mɔ.di.fje la dat də li.vʁɛ.zɔ̃/
Perfect, Mr Durand. Let me summarize: you’d like to change the delivery date.

Exactement.
/ɛɡ.zak.tə.mɑ̃/
Exactly.

Très bien, je vous envoie une confirmation par e-mail.
/tʁɛ bjɛ̃ ʒə vu.zɑ̃.vwa yn kɔ̃.fiʁ.ma.sjɔ̃ paʁ i.mɛl/
Very well, I’ll send you a confirmation by email.

Merci beaucoup, bonne journée.
/mɛʁ.si bo.ku bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
Thank you very much, have a nice day.

Bonne journée, au revoir.
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne o ʁə.vwaʁ/
Have a nice day, goodbye.

Quick Reference

Five-Minute Practice Plan

1. Answering Drill
   Say out loud five variations of answering the phone, for example:
   
   • Service client [Nom], bonjour.
     
   • Bonjour, ici [Nom].
     
2. Call Opening Script
   Create one full introduction with: greeting + name + company + reason for calling. Repeat it three times until it feels automatic.
   
3. Hold & Transfer Phrases
   Practice the mini-sequence:
   Ne quittez pas, s’il vous plaît… Je vous mets en attente… Merci d’avoir patienté.
   
4. Clarification Practice
   Say three sentences starting with:
   
   • Excusez-moi, je n’ai pas bien entendu…
     
   • Vous pouvez répéter, s’il vous plaît ?
     
   • Si je comprends bien, vous…
     
5. Closing Mini-Routine
   Build your own closing formula with two parts, for example:
   Je vous envoie un e-mail de confirmation. Merci de votre appel, bonne journée, au revoir.
   Repeat it until it flows smoothly.
   

Hanging Up With Yak-Level Phone Confidence

Once you have these patterns in your mouth, professional French phone calls stop feeling like a high-wire act and start feeling like a simple dance: greet, explain, clarify, confirm, close. With a few polite formulas and a calm voice, you’ll sound like the kind of person who lives permanently next to a French office coffee machine—and that, professionally speaking, is a very good sign.