My own business
Mon entreprise
- Discuss plans for starting a business.
- Talk about daily bookkeeping responsibilities.
This A2 French lesson covers essential vocabulary for starting a business, focusing on terms like "entreprise" (business), "comptabilité" (accounting), and "gestion" (management). You'll practice discussing daily financial tasks and project planning to confidently talk about your own business ideas.
Vocabulary (19) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercice 1: Conversation exercise
Instruction:
- Do you run your own business? Do you have a partner? (Do you run your own business? Do you have a partner?)
- Did you ever have an idea for your own business? (Did you ever have an idea for your own business?)
- What doubts did you have? (What doubts did you have?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Je ne gère pas ma propre entreprise. C'est trop de responsabilités pour moi. I don't run my own business. It is too much responsibility for me. |
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Je tiens une boutique de vêtements en ville. J'ai un partenaire et cela se passe très bien. I run a clothing shop in the city. I have a partner and it is going great. |
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Quand j'avais une vingtaine d'années, je voulais ouvrir un café. When I was in my early twenties I wanted to open a coffee shop. |
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Je n'ai jamais eu d'idée pour créer ma propre entreprise. Je préfère travailler pour quelqu'un d'autre. I never had an idea for my own business. I prefer to work for someone else. |
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J'ai renoncé à ma propre entreprise car c'est moins épuisant. I decided against my own business because it is less exhausting. |
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Je pense encore à créer ma propre entreprise. C'est moins sûr cependant, c'est la raison pour laquelle je ne l'ai pas encore fait. It am still thinking about opening my own business. It is less secure though, that is the reason why I haven't done it yet. |
| ... |
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. J'___ beaucoup de temps dans mon projet d'entreprise.
(I ___ a lot of time in my business project.)2. Tu ___ de la rentabilité avant de commencer.
(You ___ the profitability before starting.)3. Il ___ son rêve en créant une entreprise innovante.
(He ___ his dream by creating an innovative company.)4. Nous ___ avec un partenaire pour assurer le succès.
(We ___ with a partner to ensure success.)Exercise 4: Launching a new business
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Avoir - Have
Passé composé
- j'ai eu
- tu as eu
- il/elle/on a eu
- nous avons eu
- vous avez eu
- ils/elles ont eu
Investir - Invest
Passé composé
- j'ai investi
- tu as investi
- il/elle/on a investi
- nous avons investi
- vous avez investi
- ils/elles ont investi
Douter - Doubt
Passé composé
- j'ai douté
- tu as douté
- il/elle/on a douté
- nous avons douté
- vous avez douté
- ils/elles ont douté
Réaliser - Realize
Passé composé
- j'ai réalisé
- tu as réalisé
- il/elle/on a réalisé
- nous avons réalisé
- vous avez réalisé
- ils/elles ont réalisé
Avoir - Have
Présent
- j'ai
- tu as
- il/elle/on a
- nous avons
- vous avez
- ils/elles ont
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Investir to invest Share Copied!
Passé composé
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'ai investi | I invested |
| tu as investi | You invested |
| il/elle/on a investi | he/she/one invested |
| nous avons investi | we invested |
| vous avez investi | You invested |
| ils/elles ont investi | they invested |
Douter to doubt Share Copied!
Passé composé
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') j'ai douté | I doubted |
| tu as douté | You doubted |
| il/elle/on a douté | He/she/one doubted |
| nous avons douté | We doubted |
| vous avez douté | You doubted |
| ils/elles ont douté | they doubted |
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Overview of the Lesson: Starting Your Own Business in French
This lesson is designed for A2 level learners who want to develop their ability to discuss starting and managing a small business in French. The content focuses on everyday business communication, especially about setting up an enterprise, managing daily accounting, and financial planning.
Main Topics Covered
- Business Project Discussions: Learners practice dialogues about business ideas, managing daily operations, and accounting responsibilities.
- Accounting Responsibilities: Conversations highlight the importance of recording sales, expenses, and invoices regularly.
- Advice for New Entrepreneurs: Simulated exchanges offer practical tips on business planning, financial management, and software use.
- Past Tense Verb Usage: The lesson includes conjugation practice with verbs common in business contexts, especially in the passé composé tense.
- Mini Story: A short narrative illustrates a timeline of starting a business with key verbs in context, reinforcing past tense usage.
Important Vocabulary and Expressions
- ouvrir une boutique en ligne — to open an online store
- gestion quotidienne — daily management
- faire la comptabilité — to do the accounting
- notes des ventes — sales records
- factures pour les impôts — invoices for taxes
- logiciel de comptabilité — accounting software
- journal des opérations — ledger or transaction journal
- rentabilité — profitability
- plan clair — clear plan
Grammar Focus: Passé Composé with Common Business Verbs
The lesson provides practice with verbs such as avoir (to have), investir (to invest), douter (to doubt), and réaliser (to realize) in the passé composé tense. For example, sentences like J'ai investi beaucoup de temps and Nous avons réalisé que c'était la meilleure solution help learners understand how to narrate past business events clearly and correctly.
Differences Between English and French Instructions on Business Terms
In French, daily accounting is often referred to as faire la comptabilité or tenir un journal des opérations, emphasizing the routine task aspect. English speakers might simply say "keep the books" or "do the accounting." French also uses more formal terms like factures pour les impôts (invoices for taxes), which ties closely to specific tax documentation. Phrases like gestion financière are directly equivalent to "financial management," showing straightforward translation but with gendered nouns and adjective agreements to keep in mind.
Useful business phrases include:
- As-tu réfléchi à ton idée d'entreprise ? — Have you thought about your business idea?
- Il faut faire la comptabilité chaque jour. — You need to do the accounting every day.
- Je vais utiliser un logiciel de comptabilité. — I will use accounting software.
- Nous avons investi dans une nouvelle usine. — We invested in a new factory.
The use of the passé composé to describe completed actions is essential, just like the past simple in English, but French requires auxiliary verbs and past participles. This lesson helps build confidence in such structures within a practical business context.
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