French course

Lesson 153 of 240

New here? This is lesson 153 of a free 240-lesson French course.

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Set up a meeting in French

Claire wants a short meeting about the museum audio guide. She hates long meetings, so the time and the list of topics have to be clear.

Sam suggests Tuesday at three. Claire will agree if the agenda is on her desk first.

By the end, you'll ask to pencil in a meeting, offer a time, say how long it lasts, and confirm.

By the end of this lesson

Ask for a meeting time and agree on an agenda.

  • On peut se caler une réunion ?Can we pencil in a meeting?
  • Mardi à quinze heures, ça te va ?Does Tuesday at three work for you?
  • Ça devrait durer une heure, pas plus.It should last an hour, no more.
  • Je t'envoie l'ordre du jour ce matin.I'll send you the agenda this morning.
  • On se voit en salle ou en visio ?Shall we meet in a room or on a video call?
  • On confirme pour mardi, alors ?So we confirm for Tuesday?

Scene — a short meeting

Monday morning in the small office two metro stops from rue des Tilleuls. Claire has a laptop under one arm and a museum-guide kit on the desk.

Sam has notes about the new audio guide. She wants a short meeting, not a long one.

A small Paris office in morning sun with Sam, Claire, and Gaspard; a museum-guide kit sits on the desk.

Learn — pencil in a time

Six short lines cover asking for a slot, offering a time, how long it lasts, sending the agenda, and confirming.

Claire uses tu with Sam, so these lines stay on tu.

  1. Sam turns toward Claire with notes in one hand and a questioning gesture about setting a meeting.

    On peut se caler une réunion ?

    Can we pencil in a meeting?

    When to use it: Ask a colleague if you can book a work meeting.

    Se caler here means fitting a meeting into a busy diary.

    Say it: The on at the end of réunion is a nasal vowel.

  2. Claire angles a blank laptop toward herself to check whether a time is free.

    Mardi à quinze heures, ça te va ?

    Does Tuesday at three work for you?

    When to use it: Offer a day and a time to a colleague who uses tu.

    Quinze heures is three in the afternoon on the twenty-four hour clock.

    Say it: The s in quinze links into heures as a z.

  3. Over Claire's shoulder, Sam holds both hands a modest width apart over a pile of notes.

    Ça devrait durer une heure, pas plus.

    It should last an hour, no more.

    When to use it: Say how long the meeting will last and keep it short.

    Devrait means should, a guess rather than a hard promise.

    Say it: The last t in devrait is silent.

  4. Sam sits at the desk, sliding pages toward a blank laptop as if sending the agenda.

    Je t'envoie l'ordre du jour ce matin.

    I'll send you the agenda this morning.

    When to use it: Promise the agenda before the meeting, later the same morning.

    L'ordre du jour is the work agenda, not a social plan.

    Say it: T'envoie is te plus envoie, said as one word.

  5. Claire stands in profile between a glass meeting room and a laptop, offering a choice of a room or a video call.

    On se voit en salle ou en visio ?

    Shall we meet in a room or on a video call?

    When to use it: Ask whether you meet in a room or on a video call.

    Visio is the everyday office word for a video call.

    Say it: The s in visio sounds like z.

  6. Sam leans across the desk toward Claire with a confirming nod and an open hand to lock in the plan.

    On confirme pour mardi, alors ?

    So we confirm for Tuesday?

    When to use it: Check that the day is locked in before you both leave.

    Alors here wraps up the plan you just made.

    Say it: The s in alors is silent.

Story — the agenda first

Watch Sam and Claire lock a short meeting about the audio guide. She wants the agenda first.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Claire stops at Sam's desk, laptop under her arm.
  2. ClaireOn peut se caler une réunion ?Can we pencil in a meeting?
  3. SamOui, bien sûr. Sur le guide audio ?Yes, of course. About the audio guide?
  4. ClaireOui. Je veux un plan court, en mots simples.Yes. I want a short plan, in plain words.
  5. SamMardi à quinze heures, ça te va ?Does Tuesday at three work for you?
  6. She checks the diary on her laptop.
  7. ClaireMardi à quinze heures, ça me va.Tuesday at three works for me.
  8. ClaireÇa devrait durer une heure, pas plus.It should last an hour, no more.
  9. SamJe t'envoie l'ordre du jour ce matin.I'll send you the agenda this morning.
  10. ClaireD'accord. Je le veux sur le bureau avant midi.Okay. I want it on the desk before noon.
  11. SamOn se voit en salle ou en visio ?Shall we meet in a room or on a video call?
  12. ClaireEn salle. Moins de mails, plus d'idées.In a room. Fewer emails, more ideas.
  13. SamOn confirme pour mardi, alors ?So we confirm for Tuesday?
  14. ClaireOn confirme. Pas de souci.We confirm. No problem.

Practice — room or video

Ten quick exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay on the meeting, so the round moves fast.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    On peut se caler une réunion ?Drop the English here
    Je t'envoie l'ordre du jour ce matin.Drop the English here
    On se voit en salle ou en visio ?Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Claire asked to pencil in a meeting. Suggest Tuesday at three and check that it works.

  4. Fill the gap

    I'll send you the agenda this morning.

    Je t'envoie l'ordre du ____ ce matin.

  5. What does it mean?

    On se voit en salle ou en visio ?

  6. Build the line

    It should last an hour, no more.

    , .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Swap the word

    The time is set. Lock in Tuesday before you both leave.

    On confirme pour ____, alors ?

  8. Pick the reply

    Claire says:

    En salle. Mardi à quinze heures.

    In a room. Tuesday at three.

    And you reply with:

  9. True or false?

    This means you agree.

  10. What do you say?

    Tuesday is locked in. Tell Claire there is no problem.

Say it — confirm Tuesday

Now you're Sam at the office with Claire. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. Sam (you)Ask if you can pencil in a meeting.

    On peut se caler une réunion ?

    Can we pencil in a meeting?

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
On peut se caler une réunion ?Can we pencil in a meeting?
Mardi à quinze heures, ça te va ?Does Tuesday at three work for you?
Ça devrait durer une heure, pas plus.It should last an hour, no more.
Je t'envoie l'ordre du jour ce matin.I'll send you the agenda this morning.
On se voit en salle ou en visio ?Shall we meet in a room or on a video call?
On confirme pour mardi, alors ?So we confirm for Tuesday?
Next: lesson 154The meeting runs long

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Want to keep these meeting lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your meeting lines ready for Claire.

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