Negotiating salary: Responding to a job offer

💬 Alors at the start of a sentence works like English "so" or "well then", steering the conversation to the main point. The question here is just a statement with rising pitch at the end, which is the everyday way to ask.

💬 Le poste means "position" or "job", while la poste is the post office. The little word in front changes the meaning.

💬 French turns this around: the thing that interests you comes first, then me, then the verb. You can swap in other things: Ce projet m'intéresse "This project interests me".

🇫🇷 Showing real enthusiasm for the role before raising money is a good move in France. It signals you're negotiating in good faith, not just shopping for the best offer.

🇫🇷 In France salary is usually discussed as a yearly gross figure, brut annuel "gross annual", before tax and social charges. Check whether a number is brut "gross" or net "net".

🇫🇷 Opening with mais after showing interest is a soft, polite way to bring up money. It's direct enough to be clear without sounding demanding.

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

🇫🇷 Je vous écoute is a standard professional cue meaning "go ahead, I'm ready to hear it". You'll hear it from receptionists, managers and customer service.

💬 Mille "thousand" never takes an s and never has "one" in front: mille euros is "a thousand euros". The q in cinq is pronounced before mille (sank-meel).

🇫🇷 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.

💬 Spoken French often names the topic first, then sums it up with c'est: Le problème, c'est le prix "The problem is the price". It's extremely common and sounds natural, not sloppy.

💬 Je peux + a verb in its basic form is how you say "I can do" something: Je peux commencer lundi "I can start Monday".

🇫🇷 Meeting partway is the normal outcome in a French salary talk. Here the recruiter splits the difference, and accepting graciously is expected.

💬 Here aller "to go" means "to suit": ça me va is "that suits me". Swap the person: ça vous va ? "does that suit you?"

💬 French often uses the present tense for something about to happen: Je vous envoie means "I'll send you". You can do the same: Je vous appelle demain "I'll call you tomorrow".

🇫🇷 Mail is the everyday word for email in France. The official courriel is common in Quebec but sounds stiff in France.

💬 When there are two little words, vous comes before le: Je vous le donne "I'll give it to you". The re- on renvoyer adds "back", like envoyer "send" to renvoyer "send back".

🇫🇷 Returning a signed contract promptly is good form in France. Saying exactly when you'll do it reassures the employer the deal is closed.

💬 Journée is the day as a stretch of time, so it's the word used in wishes like this. From late afternoon, swap in Bonne soirée "have a nice evening."

🇫🇷 Adding monsieur or madame, with no surname, is the expected polite close with a recruiter. Leaving it off can sound a bit curt.

💬 Vous aussi is the polite form, right for a recruiter or someone you don't know well. With a friend it becomes toi aussi.