The trick to making appointments in French is being prepared for the questions and answers you’ll hear. As long as you know French vocabulary for the who, when, and where of your appointment, you’ll find that you can plug those words into the phrases below.
The following phrases will come in handy when planning for an informal get together with friends and family.
Je suis disponible cet après-midi. Voulez-vous aller au cinéma? (I’m available this afternoon. Do you want to go to the movies? [formal])
Nous devrions-nous retrouver au centre-ville? (Why don’t we meet in the town center?)
On devrait prendre un café demain matin. (We should have coffee tomorrow morning.)
Tu veux aller au cinéma? (Do you want to go to the movies? [informal])
Je ne suis pas libre vendredi, alors si on y allait dimanche? (I’m not free on Friday, so how about Sunday?)
Nous devrions tous aller au parc demain. (We should all go to the park tomorrow.)
On devrait diner ensemble samedi soir. (We should have dinner together on Saturday night.)
If you need to make a more formal appointment with business or doctor’s office, you’ll want to follow a slightly more formal structure. But don’t worry. Just take your time and don’t be afraid to ask the other person to slow down if you start to get lost.
You can use the following phone conversation as a guideline for setting up formal appointments in French.
Julie: Âllo. (Hello.)
Madame. Fosset: Bonjour Madame. (Good morning, madame.)
Julie: Je voudrais prévoir une réunion avec M. debacker. (I would like an appointment with Monsieur Debacker.)
Madame. Fosset: Naturellement. Vous êtes Madame..? (Of course. You are Mrs. . . .?)
Julie: Je suis Julie Parrish. (I am Julie Parrish.)
Madame. Fosset: Comment ça s'écrit? (How do you spell that?)
Julie: pé-a-erre-erre-i-esse-hache. (P-A-R-R-I-S-H)
Madame. Fosset: Pouvons-nous prévoir la réunion pour dix heures mercredi matin? (Can we schedule the meeting for 10:00 Wednesday morning?)
Julie: Répétez lentement s'il vous plait. Quand est la réunion? (Repeat slowly please. When is the meeting?)
Madame. Fosset: Dix heures mercredi matin? (10:00 Wednesday morning?)
Julie: Comment est-ce que je vais au bureau? (How do I get to the office?)
Madame. Fosset: L’bureau est à côté de la gare. (The hotel is next to the train station.)
Julie: Merci Madame, à mercredi. (Thank you, ma'am, see you Tuesday.)
Madame. Fosset: Au revoir. Bonne journée. (Good bye. Have a nice day.)