Business French Online Classes
With Live French, work on the French you actually use at work. Native teachers with a business background coach you through industry vocabulary, meetings, emails, presentations, and job interviews. Lessons are private, scheduled around your calendar, and matched to your sector and your goals.
French is one of the most spoken business languages in the world. If you work with France, francophone Africa, Belgium, Switzerland, Quebec, or Luxembourg, mastering professional French changes how you negotiate, lead meetings, and build trust with francophone colleagues and clients.
Start with a free 30-minute trial lesson
Who business French lessons are for
These lessons work best for: executives leading meetings or negotiations in French | expats relocating to a French-speaking country for work | consultants working with francophone clients | professionals preparing for a job interview in French | employees of companies with a French parent, subsidiary, or partner | candidates preparing the DFP (Diplôme de français professionnel) | sales, finance, legal, medical, or hospitality professionals working with French-speaking counterparts
A B1 level (intermediate) is recommended to get the most out of the course. If you are a complete beginner, start with our French for Beginners course, then move into business French once you have the foundations.
What you work on in a business French lesson
Lessons are built around the situations you actually face at work. Your teacher tailors each session to your industry, your role, and the specific moments where you need to perform in French.
- Industry-specific vocabulary: finance, legal, medical, IT, sales, marketing, HR, hospitality, logistics, consulting
- Running and participating in meetings in French
- Writing professional emails, reports, and proposals
- Preparing and delivering presentations
- Negotiation and persuasion in a francophone context
- Job interview rehearsal: common questions, answer structures, sector vocabulary
- French corporate culture: hierarchy, communication norms, written conventions
- Current affairs and business news through articles from Le Monde, Les Échos, La Tribune, and others
When to choose business French over other Live French courses
Live French offers several private course formats. Use this table to choose the one that fits your level and goal.
| Course | Best for | Level | Format | Lesson focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business French | Working in French at the office, interviews, DFP prep | B1 to C1 | Professional scenarios from your sector | Meetings, emails, presentations, negotiations, interview rehearsal |
| Conversation | Reactivating spoken French, building general fluency | B1 to C1 | Open discussion on topics you choose | Speaking, pronunciation, vocabulary in context |
| Beginners | Starting French from zero | A1 to A2 | Structured lessons | Grammar foundations, basic communication |
| DELF / DALF prep | Passing an official French diploma | A1 to C2 | Exam-format practice | The four skills, exam strategy |
Prepare for a job interview in French
If your French is going to be tested in an interview, the lessons turn into focused rehearsal. Your teacher plays the recruiter, runs you through the most common French interview questions (“Parlez-moi de vous,” “Pourquoi notre entreprise,” “Vos points forts et vos axes d’amélioration”), corrects your phrasing, and builds the vocabulary you need to talk about your career, your achievements, and the role with the right register. You walk into the interview having said the answer out loud, in French, to a native speaker. That alone changes how you perform.
Business French certifications: DFP and beyond
If you need a recognized credential for an employer, a visa, or a procurement file, the most common business French certification is the DFP (Diplôme de français professionnel), administered by the CCI Paris Île-de-France. The DFP is sector-specific and comes in several variants:
- DFP Affaires (general business, B1 to C1)
- DFP Juridique (legal French)
- DFP Médical (healthcare professionals)
- DFP Relations Internationales (diplomacy, NGOs, international organizations)
- DFP Tourisme, Hôtellerie et Restauration (hospitality)
- DFP Mode (fashion industry)
Live French teachers can build your lesson plan around the format and content of the DFP variant you are targeting. We also work with candidates preparing the TEF (Test d’évaluation de français) and TCF (Test de connaissance du français), administered by CCI Paris and France Éducation International respectively, when those tests are required for immigration, study, or naturalization.
For details on a specific exam, see our French exams and DELF/DALF page.
Note: The DFP and the TEF/TCF are administered by separate bodies. Confirm requirements directly with your employer, school, or immigration authority before booking your test.
How business French lessons work
After registering for a free trial or course, you get access to your Member Area. From there you browse teacher profiles, check availability, and book lessons in real time.
We offer two formats:
- Zoom or Google Meet: interactive video lessons with screen sharing, real-time vocabulary notes, and links to articles. Use your webcam if you want, or stay audio-only. See our Zoom French lessons page for details.
- Phone: practice in conditions close to a real professional call. Useful if you take or make calls in French at work. See French by phone.
Online business French with Live French
Live French is a well-established online French school with native, qualified teachers averaging 9 years of experience teaching French as a foreign language. Many of our business French teachers also bring direct corporate experience in finance, law, marketing, sales, hospitality, or consulting, which means your sessions reflect how French is actually spoken in those environments, not a textbook version of it.
Since 2007, we have helped thousands of professionals communicate in French with more precision and confidence. You will work with a French tutor online who tailors every lesson to your sector, your role, and your timeline.
Take a French level test if you are not sure where you stand, then book a free trial and start preparing your next meeting, email, or interview today.
Frequently Asked Questions about our Business French Classes
We recommend a B1 level (lower intermediate) to get the most out of the course. At B1 you can already follow basic French conversations and have a working vocabulary. The lessons then build the professional layer on top: industry terms, meeting language, written conventions, and interview phrasing. If you are A1 or A2, our French for Beginners course covers the foundations first.
Business French lessons last 30 or 45 minutes. To make visible progress before a deadline (a meeting, an interview, a relocation, a DFP exam), we recommend at least two lessons per week. Many professionals book three to five sessions weekly during high-pressure periods.
Pricing depends on lesson length and package size. Packages start at 199 euros. Full details are on our Pricing page.
Yes. Tell your teacher what you need: legal vocabulary, healthcare terminology, sales pitches, financial reporting, hospitality interactions, IT project meetings, HR conversations. Lessons are private, so the content is built around you. You can also send a French document or email you have to write, and work on it together in real time during the session.
The trial lasts 30 minutes and takes place on Zoom. You meet a qualified French as a foreign language teacher with a business background, who assesses your level, discusses your professional goals, and proposes a tailored program. No credit card is required to sign up.
Yes. Lessons can be turned into interview rehearsal: common questions, sector vocabulary, structuring answers (problem, action, result), and the right register for the company you are applying to. The closer you get to the interview date, the more we recommend stepping up to three or four sessions a week.
Yes. We support candidates preparing all DFP variants (Affaires, Juridique, Médical, Relations Internationales, Tourisme Hôtellerie Restauration, Mode). Lessons are built around the exam format: written and spoken production, reading comprehension, professional simulation. Confirm exam dates and registration directly with the CCI Paris Île-de-France.
All our teachers are native French speakers and hold a qualification in teaching French as a foreign language (DAEFLE, Master’s in FLE, or equivalent). Many also have direct corporate experience in their domain. You can browse profiles and pick the teacher whose background matches your sector.
Yes. As long as you have a stable internet connection or a phone line, you can keep your lesson schedule from a hotel room or co-working space anywhere in the world. Many of our students book during business trips precisely because the time difference works in their favor.
Ready to work on your professional French?
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