French Negotiation Vocabulary: Useful Phrases to Negotiate Successfully

By Melanie Pollock Published: November 18, 2020

3 min read

Learn the words and phrases you need to be able to negotiate in French successfully. Click here to expand your French negotiation vocabulary.

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French Negotiation Vocabulary Negotiating in-depth Agreeing and Disagreeing Negotiating for a better price

Negotiating is an important skill to have, both in our everyday lives and also in business settings.

It’s therefore important to have the vocabulary to be able to negotiate in a wide variety of settings in French.

French Negotiation Vocabulary

Here’s a list of useful words and phrases to help you negotiate in French.

Negotiation VocabularyLe vocabulaire de la négociation
A negotiationUne négociation
A negotiatorUn négociateur/une négociatrice
To negotiateNégocier
To begin negotiations (with someone for something)Engager des négociations (avec quelqu’un pour obtenir quelque chose)
To reach an agreementParvenir à un accord
To be in conflict (with someone)Être en conflit (avec quelqu’un)
To be at a stalemateÊtre dans une impasse

Negotiating in-depth

Negotiating with someone for something, or making a decision can be a difficult task at times. You may need to look into the situation more in-depth. You may need:

A win-win strategyUne stratégie gagnant-gagnant
A point of viewUn point de vue
To establish an environment of trustÉtablir un climat de confiance
To find common groundTrouver un terrain d’entente
To question somethingRemettre en cause
To get to the heart of the matterEntrer dans le vif du sujet
To analyze the stakesAnalyser les enjeux
To make concessionsFaire des concessions
To reach a consensusAboutir à un consensus
To shake someone’s handSerrer la main de quelqu’un

Agreeing and Disagreeing

Negotiating means that you’ll inevitably have to agree or disagree with another person or group. Below are some of the most common ways to agree and disagree with someone.

Agreeing

I agreeJe suis d’accord
I completely agree with youJe suis complètement d’accord avec vous
I’m of the same opinionJe suis du même avis

Disagreeing

I disagreeJe ne suis pas d’accord
I disagree completely with youJe ne suis pas du tout d’accord avec vous
To be right/correctAvoir raison
I’m rightJ’ai raison
To be in the wrongAvoir tort
You are wrongTu as tort (Vous avez tort)

For more information about agreeing and disagreeing in French check out our blog post.

Negotiating for a better price

In certain situations you may be able to negotiate for a better price. Places like flea markets are great to try and get a better deal, or to simply not be ripped off and end up paying tourist prices.

Below are some phrases to help you in negotiating a better price.

How much does this cost?Combien ça coûte?
What’s your best price?Quel est votre meilleur prix?
Can you reduce the price?Pouvez-vous baisser le prix?
Can you give me a good price?Pouvez-vous me faire un bon prix ?
How much for the two, (three, four)?Combien pour les deux, (trois, quatre)?
That’s too expensive (for me)C’est trop cher (pour moi)
I’m paying in cashJe paie en liquide
To haggleMarchander

Want to use this in real conversations?In the French Accelerator, a coach corrects you live, every week, until speaking feels natural.

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