Negotiating salary: Asking for a higher salary politely

💬 Écouter already means "to listen to", so French doesn't need a word for "to": Je vous écoute is literally "I listen you".

💬 With depuis, French uses "I am" for something still going on, where English says "I've been". Likewise, J'habite ici depuis un an means "I've lived here for a year".

💬 After plus meaning "more", use just de, never des or les. So it's plus de travail "more work".

💬 In everyday speech, the question word often goes at the end. The same works with other question words, as in Vous partez quand ? "When are you leaving?".

💬 J'aimerais is a soft "I'd like". Je veux "I want" would sound demanding to your boss.

💬 The q in cinq is pronounced, but the t in cent is silent: (sank poor sahn).

🇫🇷 Tacked onto a request, this softens it into a polite ask rather than an ultimatum. That tone suits a salary talk with a French manager.

🇫🇷 From a manager, this is usually the start of bargaining, not a refusal. Expect a counter-offer to follow.

💬 After a proposal, ça va ? means "does that work for you?", not "how are you?". It's the same words, but the meaning depends on what comes before.

🇫🇷 Saying this before you push back keeps things cordial. It shows you heard the offer without accepting it.

🇫🇷 Putting your ask as a question keeps the tone collaborative rather than demanding. It's a common, polite way to name a figure in a French negotiation.

💬 Name the thing, then add c'est possible ? to turn it into a gentle request. For example, Mardi, c'est possible ? "Would Tuesday be possible?".

💬 Months aren't capitalized in French. À partir de works for any start point, as in à partir de lundi "starting Monday".

🇫🇷 Said in reply to someone else's thanks, it sends the thanks back to them. It's a gracious way to close a meeting with your boss.