plat versus plan
/pla/ vs /plɑ̃/
Change the contrasting sound while keeping the other sounds steady.
A2+ · Français des affaires
Déjeuner d'affaires: French dialogue with IPA and English
Follow all six turns, inspect the pronunciation, and practise the contrasts that matter inside this situation.
Six turns for this web role-play
French conversation, IPA, and English meaning
- ProOn pourrait déjeuner ensemble pour en parler?1
/ɔ̃ puʁɛ deʒœne ɑ̃sɑ̃bl puʁ ɑ̃ paʁle/
Could we have lunch together to talk about it? - MoiBonne idée, vous connaissez une bonne table?2
/bɔn ide vu kɔnɛse yn bɔn tabl/
Good idea, do you know a good restaurant?Vous connaissez has no liaison /z/ before the consonant /k/. A bonne table means a good restaurant in this context.
- ProIl y a un petit bistrot très calme juste à côté.3
/il ja œ̃ pəti bistʁo tʁɛ kalm ʒyst a kote/
There is a very quiet little bistro right next door. - MoiParfait, on évite de parler de travail au début?4
/paʁfɛ ɔ̃n‿evit də paʁle də tʁavaj o deby/
Perfect, shall we avoid talking about work at the beginning? - ProOui, profitons d'abord du repas et du vin.5
/wi pʁɔfitɔ̃ dabɔʁ dy ʁəpa e dy vɛ̃/
Yes, let's first enjoy the meal and the wine. - MoiC'est ça, la vraie culture des affaires en France!6
/sɛ sa la vʁɛ kyltyʁ dez‿afɛʁ ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/
That's it, the real business culture in France!
How to read this IPA. These are broad French reference readings, edited as complete sentences. Accent, schwa and optional liaison vary; many speakers use /ɛ̃/ where this reference keeps /œ̃/. The mark ‿ highlights a word link; | marks a rhythmic break; ↑ and ↓ suggest pitch movement.
Word readings adapted from Lexique 3.83, Boris New and Christophe Pallier et al.; sentence readings and notes edited by Parle. Revised IPA and notes: CC BY-SA 4.0. See OQLF on obligatory, forbidden and optional liaison. Reviewed .
Culture and context in French
Read the situation beyond the individual lines.
Un déjeuner d'affaires prend du temps. On mange et on parle avant de discuter des dossiers importants. Ce repas aide à créer une bonne relation.
Four focused comparisons
Compare words before another full read.
Follow each card’s label and note. Some words differ by one sound, some share a pronunciation, and others differ more broadly. Use the sentence context when the words sound alike.
verre versus vert
/vɛʁ/ vs /vɛʁ/
These reference readings sound the same. Use spelling and sentence context to tell the forms apart.
menu versus menteur
/məny/ vs /mɑ̃tœʁ/
Compare the complete words. This is not a one-sound minimal pair.
doux versus douze
/du/ vs /duz/
Compare the complete words. This is not a one-sound minimal pair.
Word IPA adapted from Lexique 3.83, Boris New and Christophe Pallier et al., with contextual readings and notes edited by Parle. Comparison transcriptions and notes: CC BY-SA 4.0. Broad reference readings vary with accent and speaking style. See OQLF’s liaison guidance and prosody reference. Reviewed .
Role-play routine
Keep the intention; change one detail.
- Read the exchange once for meaning without stopping at every IPA symbol.
- Repeat one speaker's turns and keep the other turns as prompts.
- Change one time, place, object, or preference while preserving the structure.
- Switch roles and answer without reading the original line word for word.
- Use the sound chart for a reference clip when a sound is difficult.
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