Classroom French and workplace French are not the same register, and French working culture differs in ways that surprise people who expect German- or Dutch-style directness. Hierarchy is often more visible: decisions tend to come from a manager rather than a flat group discussion, and formal address matters. The line between vous and tu is real — many workplaces keep vous with managers and clients for years, while a team of peers may switch to tu quickly, and it is usually the more senior person who suggests it. Requests are commonly softened with the conditional ("Pourriez-vous…", "Je voudrais…") rather than stated bluntly, and lunch is often a proper sit-down break rather than a sandwich at the desk. Written French carries particular weight: a well-formulated email with the right greeting and closing is read as a marker of professionalism, and spelling mistakes get noticed. Asagno covers this as its own strand alongside grammar: meeting phrases, professional emails, giving updates, and the cultural expectations that shape how those phrases land.
What you'll learn
- Meeting phrases: proposing a point (Je propose que…), asking for a status update (Où en est-on sur… ?), disagreeing politely (Si je peux me permettre…)
- Writing a professional email: a greeting with the person's name, a clear request, and a closing such as Bien cordialement
- Tu or vous: who suggests switching, and why staying with vous is never the wrong default
- Softening requests with the conditional: why "Envoyez-moi le rapport" sounds sharper than "Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le rapport ?"
- Workplace and HR vocabulary: le CDI and le CDD (permanent and fixed-term contracts), la fiche de paie (payslip), la mutuelle (top-up health insurance), les congés payés (paid leave)
- Culture notes throughout: hierarchy, meeting style, the lunch break, and the weight given to written French
Three phrases for professional emails
"Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le rapport d'ici vendredi, s'il vous plaît ?" — "Could you send me the report by Friday, please?" The conditional pourriez-vous is the normal, polite way to make a request to a colleague or a manager.
"Je me permets de vous relancer concernant ma demande du 3 mars." — "I am following up on my request of 3 March." The standard, polite way to chase an unanswered email — firm, but never impatient.
"Bien cordialement," — "Kind regards," A safe, neutral closing for colleagues and clients. The long formula "Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées" belongs in formal letters, not everyday emails.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use tu or vous with colleagues?
Start with vous, and switch when a colleague suggests it ("On peut se tutoyer ?"). Practice varies a lot by company — startups and some tech teams use tu almost from day one, while more traditional firms keep vous much longer, especially with managers and clients. Starting with vous is never the wrong choice.
Is French workplace communication indirect?
More formal than indirect. French colleagues can be very frank in a debate about ideas, but requests and written messages are usually wrapped in polite formulas and the conditional. A request translated word for word from a more direct language can come across as abrupt, which is why the workplace strand teaches the formulas, not just the vocabulary.
Does this replace learning grammar?
No — workplace vocabulary and culture notes sit alongside the regular grammar path, not instead of it; you need both to actually communicate at work, and in French especially, to write well.