Some of you are learning French because you want better jobs. And it’s super legit because speaking another language makes you more attractive to employers. You’re generally paid more. You have more chances to be promoted.
Sounds like something nice right? Well, let’s be real for one second.
Learning French for pleasure is not the same as learning business French. So make sure to follow this article until the end.
Someone learning French for travelling should definitely not learn the same things as someone learning French to communicate with clients, or his boss.
Obviously, there’s still some basics of grammar and vocabulary in common.
It might sound obvious. To learn anything you have to know why.
But it is more common than you think to forget about it, especially when it comes to language learning.
That’s why today we are going to look at specific things you need to tackle in order to learn business French.
And I’ll help you on your way because I have plenty of free stuff for you!
Suit up!
French Business Etiquette
The first thing you need to learn is French business etiquette.
Because, more than your pronunciation or listening, it’s your attitude, and your knowledge of French culture that will take you far.
Language and culture come hand in hand! Don’t forget that when you are learning a language.
Follow these simple rules:
- Handshake when you introduce yourself. Everyone, all the time. The bise is reserved for people you really know. And yes, it can be the case for some of your colleagues, but, first encounter is handshake. No exceptions.
- Be formal at first, then tip-toe your way to casual. In some companies, it’s ok to be casual, but as a rule of thumb you should always present yourself formally.
- Dress formally for a interview, but not so formally later on. It does depend on the company but business casual’s winning the race.
- Think long-term. Whether it is for a job or a partnership, we like to think long-term. And we’re talking years here. So, try to avoid strong negotiation techniques, or half-truth. It’ll get you in trouble.
- Ask questions. In all situations, make it clear that you are interested and ask questions to make sure that you understood correctly.
Master formal French
- No slang. Just avoid it all together. If you want to sound a bit more fluent, use expressions and idioms.
- Your writing communication must be spotlessly formal. Unless, it’s a super quick email to someone you know, always use the ‘formules de politesse’ at the end, and make sure there’s no typo or mistake.
- Master one or two greeting lines that you can use in all situations.
- Use VOUS, unless you both accepted to use tu.
Check out the vocab you'll need
All jobs are different. And therefor, all jobs require different vocabulary. It’s up to you to select the vocabulary you need.
One way to do that is to read blogs (in French) about your expertise. I’ve included some of those resources in the bundle.
If you need ressources for specific jobs or domains, contact me and I’ll see what I can do. But you can already start with these:
Resources to learn French from:
8 TED Talks in French you need to watch 🎤
TED Talks give us inspiration, make us think and… make us learn new languages? Try these 8 TED Talks in French if you are a French learner.
Best books to learn French 📚 and my tips on how to read in French 📖
What are the best books to learn French for beginners? the best French books for intermediates? the best French books for advanced? I’m telling you how to read in French.
Learn some sentences
Sentence mining is going to be a great help for you here. Because generally, when you work, you have a tendency to repeat the same sentences structures over and over again.
So if you learn them with your vocabulary, you’ll have less troubles when it comes to basic grammar. (Won’t have to learn all about adverbs, tenses, irregular words,.. to use them correctly).
There are 100 business French sentences in this sentence pack:
Select the right learning resources
Not all resources are created for the same purpose. So make sure to select ones where you’ll actually learn some BUSINESS vocabulary.
This includes your learning apps as well. Prefer Mosalinga to Duolingo, where you can select the kind of vocabulary you need.
Grammar and vocabulary have to be tailored for your goal.
There’s also a couple of things you can do :
- Read blogs on your expertise subject
- Listen to the radio (that's good for your French pronunciation)
- Read business books that have been translated from English to French (very useful for specific American vocabulary in French)
- Read the newspapers
More on – Business French Learning Tools you need
