Professional English is not general English. A French speaker who understands a Netflix series perfectly may find themselves stuck when faced with an email from their London counterpart, or silent during a video call with colleagues in Singapore. Why? Because workplace vocabulary follows its own codes, formulas, and registers.
The 5 professional situations where French speakers feel least at ease in English are, in order: (1) chairing or participating in a meeting, (2) writing a formal or semi-formal email, (3) giving a presentation to an English-speaking audience, (4) handling a phone call or video conference, and (5) understanding the sector jargon in their field (finance, marketing, IT, HR). This article covers the first four in full bilingual tables, then offers a quick glossary by sector. In total: 80 expressions, all in context.
Section 1 — Meetings in English: 20 essential expressions
A meeting in English follows very coded rituals. Mastering the opening, floor-taking, clarification, and closing formulas will let you participate actively even if you are not perfectly bilingual. The goal is not to speak without an accent — it is to communicate with precision and fluency at the key moments.
| Expression 🇬🇧 | Usage context | 🇫🇷 French | Formality level |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Let's get started." | Opening — neutral, effective | "On commence." | Neutral / Semi-formal |
| "Shall we begin?" | Opening — slightly more formal | "Pouvons-nous commencer ?" | Formal |
| "Let's kick off the meeting." | Opening — dynamic tone, startup/corporate | "On lance la réunion." | Semi-formal |
| "I'd like to add something." | Taking the floor without interrupting | "Je voudrais ajouter quelque chose." | Polite |
| "If I may…" | Taking the floor carefully | "Si je puis me permettre…" | Very formal |
| "Going back to what you said earlier…" | Referencing a previous contribution | "Pour revenir sur ce que vous avez dit…" | Neutral |
| "Could you elaborate on that?" | Asking for elaboration | "Pourriez-vous développer ce point ?" | Formal |
| "What do you mean by…?" | Asking for direct clarification | "Que voulez-vous dire par… ?" | Neutral |
| "Just to clarify…" | Rephrasing to confirm understanding | "Pour bien comprendre…" | Neutral |
| "I'm not sure I follow." | Indicating you haven't understood | "Je ne suis pas sûr de suivre." | Polite / Direct |
| "Could you speak more slowly, please?" | Asking someone to slow down | "Pourriez-vous parler plus lentement ?" | Very polite |
| "Moving on to the next item…" | Transitioning between agenda items | "On passe au point suivant…" | Neutral |
| "Let's table this for now." | Deferring a topic (American English) | "On remet ça à plus tard." | Semi-formal |
| "We'll come back to that." | Setting a topic aside temporarily | "On y reviendra." | Neutral |
| "To summarize what we've agreed on…" | Summarising decisions | "Pour résumer ce sur quoi on s'est accordé…" | Formal |
| "To wrap up…" | Signalling the imminent end | "Pour conclure…" | Neutral |
| "Let's summarize the key points." | Structured closing | "Résumons les points essentiels." | Semi-formal |
| "Any other business?" | Standard meeting close formula (AOB) | "Y a-t-il d'autres points ?" | Formal |
| "The minutes will be sent by end of day." | Announcing the minutes | "Le compte-rendu sera envoyé d'ici ce soir." | Formal |
| "Thank you all for your time." | Cordial closing | "Merci à tous pour votre temps." | Formal |
Practical tip: In British English, "to table" means to submit a topic for discussion, whereas in American English it means to defer it. If you work with teams on both sides of the Atlantic, prefer "Let's come back to this later" to avoid any confusion.
Section 2 — Professional emails in English: 20 key expressions
Professional emails in English follow very precise conventions. An email that is too informal may seem disrespectful; one that is too formal may feel distant or awkward. The table below covers the three parts of a typical email: opening, body, and closing.
Opening phrases
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| "I hope this email finds you well." | "J'espère que vous allez bien." | Standard opening — any formal context |
| "I hope you had a great weekend." | "J'espère que vous avez passé un bon week-end." | Warm opening — Monday morning, established relationship |
| "I am writing to…" | "Je vous écris pour…" | Direct opening — always appropriate |
| "Further to our conversation…" | "Suite à notre conversation…" | After a spoken exchange (meeting, call) |
| "As per your request…" | "Suite à votre demande…" | In response to an explicit request |
| "I am reaching out to…" | "Je me permets de vous contacter pour…" | First contact or re-establishing contact |
Body phrases
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| "Please find attached…" | "Veuillez trouver ci-joint…" | Sending an attachment |
| "I would like to bring to your attention…" | "Je souhaite porter à votre attention…" | Flagging something important |
| "Could you please…?" | "Pourriez-vous s'il vous plaît…?" | Formulating a polite request |
| "I would appreciate it if you could…" | "Je vous serais reconnaissant(e) de bien vouloir…" | Formal request with deference |
| "Please note that…" | "Veuillez noter que…" | Drawing attention to information |
| "I would like to confirm that…" | "Je souhaite confirmer que…" | Written confirmation of a verbal agreement |
| "Could you let me know by [date]?" | "Pourriez-vous me faire savoir d'ici le [date] ?" | Request for a response with deadline |
Closing phrases
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | Formality level |
|---|---|---|
| "Please do not hesitate to contact me." | "N'hésitez pas à me contacter." | Formal — standard |
| "Looking forward to hearing from you." | "Dans l'attente de votre réponse." | Semi-formal — very common |
| "Thank you for your time and consideration." | "Je vous remercie de l'attention portée à ma demande." | Formal |
| "Best regards," | "Cordialement," | Semi-formal — most common in business |
| "Kind regards," | "Bien cordialement," | Slightly warmer than "Best regards" |
| "Yours sincerely," | "Veuillez agréer l'expression de mes salutations distinguées," | Very formal — official correspondence |
| "Warm regards," | "Chaleureusement," | Semi-formal — established relationship |
The difference between "Best regards" and "Kind regards": "Best regards" is the most neutral and universal formula — it is appropriate in virtually all professional contexts. "Kind regards" is slightly more personal and suggests a positive existing relationship. Both are correct; "Yours sincerely" is reserved for very formal or official correspondence and has become rare in everyday emails.
Section 3 — Presentations in English: 20 structuring expressions
Giving a presentation in English requires a vocabulary for transitions and structuring that is different from what you learn in general English courses. English-speaking audiences expect a clear structure, announced at the outset, and explicit transition signals throughout.
Introduction and structure announcement
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | Use |
|---|---|---|
| "Good morning / afternoon, everyone." | "Bonjour à tous." | Standard opening |
| "Today I'd like to present / talk about…" | "Aujourd'hui je vais vous présenter / parler de…" | Announcing the topic |
| "My presentation is divided into 3 parts." | "Ma présentation est divisée en 3 parties." | Announcing the structure |
| "This should take about [X] minutes." | "Cela devrait prendre environ [X] minutes." | Time management |
| "Please hold your questions until the end." | "Merci de garder vos questions pour la fin." | Managing questions |
Transitions and development
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | Use |
|---|---|---|
| "First… then… and finally…" | "D'abord… ensuite… et enfin…" | Sequential structure |
| "Moving on to my next point…" | "Passons maintenant à mon prochain point…" | Standard transition |
| "This brings me to…" | "Cela m'amène à…" | Linked logical transition |
| "As you can see in this chart…" | "Comme vous pouvez le voir dans ce graphique…" | Referencing a visual |
| "This graph clearly shows that…" | "Ce graphique montre clairement que…" | Commenting on data |
| "I'd like to draw your attention to…" | "J'attire votre attention sur…" | Highlighting an element |
| "Let me give you an example." | "Permettez-moi de vous donner un exemple." | Introducing an example |
Conclusion and Q&A
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | Use |
|---|---|---|
| "To summarize the main points…" | "Pour résumer les points principaux…" | Beginning of conclusion |
| "In conclusion…" | "En conclusion…" | End marker |
| "I'd like to leave you with one key message." | "Je voudrais vous laisser avec un message essentiel." | Memorable conclusion |
| "I'll be happy to take questions now." | "Je suis prêt(e) à répondre à vos questions." | Opening the Q&A |
| "Does anyone have a question?" | "Est-ce que quelqu'un a une question ?" | Direct invitation |
| "That's a great question." | "C'est une très bonne question." | Buys you time |
| "I'm afraid I don't have that information at hand." | "Je n'ai pas cette information sous la main." | Honest response to a difficult question |
| "Thank you for your attention." | "Merci pour votre attention." | Universal closing |
Section 4 — Phone and video calls: 10 survival expressions
Phone calls and video conferences are the professional situations that non-native speakers dread the most: you cannot rely on body language, technical issues add stress, and the pace is often fast. These 10 phrases cover the most common situations.
| Expression 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French | Situation |
|---|---|---|
| "Hello, this is [Name] speaking." | "Allô, c'est [Nom] à l'appareil." | Answering — identification |
| "Could I speak to [Name], please?" | "Puis-je parler à [Nom], s'il vous plaît ?" | Asking for someone |
| "Could you hold on a moment, please?" | "Pourriez-vous patienter un instant ?" | Putting on hold |
| "I'll transfer you to…" | "Je vous transfère à…" | Transferring a call |
| "I can't hear you very well." | "Je vous entends mal." | Audio problem |
| "You're breaking up." | "Vous coupez." | Unstable connection |
| "Could you repeat that, please?" | "Pourriez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ?" | Requesting repetition |
| "I'll follow up by email." | "Je ferai un suivi par email." | Closing with follow-up |
| "Can we reconnect in 5 minutes?" | "Peut-on se reconnecter dans 5 minutes ?" | Technical problem resolved |
| "Talk soon. Goodbye." | "À bientôt. Au revoir." | Cordial closing |
Section 5 — Sector vocabulary: quick glossary (10 terms per field)
Sector vocabulary changes from one industry to another. Here are the most frequent terms in four sectors where English is essential.
Finance and accounting
| Term 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French |
|---|---|
| Budget | Budget / Enveloppe budgétaire |
| Forecast | Prévision |
| ROI (Return on Investment) | Retour sur investissement |
| Revenue | Chiffre d'affaires / Revenus |
| Turnover | Chiffre d'affaires (UK) / Rotation du personnel (RH) |
| Cash flow | Flux de trésorerie |
| Stakeholder | Partie prenante |
| P&L (Profit and Loss) | Compte de résultat |
| Overhead | Frais généraux |
| Bottom line | Résultat net / L'essentiel |
Marketing and communications
| Term 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French |
|---|---|
| Lead | Prospect qualifié |
| Conversion | Conversion (passage à l'acte) |
| Funnel | Entonnoir de vente |
| KPI (Key Performance Indicator) | Indicateur clé de performance |
| Target audience | Cible / Audience cible |
| Brand awareness | Notoriété de la marque |
| Content marketing | Marketing de contenu |
| Engagement | Engagement (likes, partages, interactions) |
| Reach | Portée (nombre de personnes touchées) |
| Call to action (CTA) | Appel à l'action |
IT and development
| Term 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French |
|---|---|
| Deployment | Déploiement |
| Agile | Méthode agile |
| Sprint | Sprint (cycle de travail court) |
| Backlog | Liste des tâches en attente |
| API | Interface de programmation |
| User story | Récit utilisateur / Fonctionnalité décrite du point de vue utilisateur |
| Bug | Anomalie / Bogue |
| Release | Version publiée / Mise en production |
| Scope creep | Extension non contrôlée du périmètre |
| Bandwidth | Bande passante (aussi : disponibilité d'une personne) |
Human resources
| Term 🇬🇧 | 🇫🇷 French |
|---|---|
| Onboarding | Intégration d'un nouvel employé |
| Performance review | Entretien d'évaluation |
| Headcount | Effectif |
| Benefits | Avantages sociaux |
| Retention | Fidélisation des employés |
| Turnover (staff) | Rotation du personnel |
| Talent acquisition | Recrutement / Acquisition de talents |
| Soft skills | Compétences comportementales |
| Hard skills | Compétences techniques |
| Remote work | Télétravail |
FAQ — Frequently asked questions about professional English vocabulary
1. How can you improve your professional English quickly?
The most effective method combines three pillars: regular exposure (reading emails, reports, and articles in English in your sector), active practice (writing emails in English even when it is not required), and targeted memorisation (a table of 10 expressions per week, with usage context). There is no shortcut, but 20 minutes of daily practice in a real professional context progresses much faster than 2 hours of occasional theoretical lessons.
2. What expressions should you use in a formal English email?
For a formal email, follow this structure: impersonal opening ("I am writing to inform you that…"), factual body with "Please find attached…" or "I would like to bring to your attention…", and distant closing ("Yours sincerely," or "Yours faithfully,"). Avoid contractions ("I'm" → "I am"), idiomatic expressions, and overly warm formulas in a first contact.
3. How can you speak English in a meeting when you are not comfortable?
Prepare 5 key formulas before each important meeting and practise saying them aloud. During the meeting, use "If I may…" to take the floor politely, "Could you elaborate on that?" to buy time and understand better, and "Just to clarify…" to rephrase and check your understanding. Ease comes from repeating the same formulas, not from having a very wide vocabulary.
4. What is the difference between "Best regards" and "Kind regards"?
"Best regards" is the most neutral and universal formula — it suits virtually all professional contexts, from first contact to established relationship. "Kind regards" is slightly more personal and warm; it implies that a positive relationship already exists. In practice, both are interchangeable in 95% of cases. "Yours sincerely" is reserved for very formal correspondence (official letters, job applications) and has become rare in everyday emails.
5. How can you understand a native English speaker who talks fast in a meeting?
Several strategies: first, politely ask them to slow down ("Could you speak a bit more slowly? My first language is French.") — native English speakers are generally very understanding. Second, enable subtitles or automatic transcription if the video conferencing platform allows it (Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet all offer this feature). Third, after the meeting, ask for the notes or minutes ("Could you send me the minutes?"). Understanding 80% of a meeting is already very good — focus on the decisions and actions, not on every single word.