Dialogue
Ask a French presenter whether a price comparison includes tax
Practise a French price-comparison conversation checking tax, setup charges, dates and recurring fees before calculating a twelve-month total.
- B2
- 16 lines
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In short
Ask Ces montants sont-ils HT ou TTC ? Les frais initiaux sont-ils inclus ? Then align the period and effective date. A one-off setup fee and a monthly charge belong in different parts of the calculation.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Two offers appear to cost €20 and €24. The conversation reveals that the first is quoted excluding tax. It also has an initial fee. Practise your questions, then follow the twelve-month comparison on the scope explicitly supplied.
- Presenter
L’offre A coûte vingt euros, contre vingt-quatre pour B.
English
Offer A costs €20, compared with €24 for B.
- You
Ces deux montants incluent-ils les taxes ?
Do both amounts include tax?
English
Do both amounts include tax?
- Presenter
A est affichée hors taxes ; B est toutes taxes comprises.
English
A is shown excluding tax; B includes tax.
- You
Il faut donc les remettre sur la même base.
So we need to put them on the same basis.
English
So we need to put them on the same basis.
- Presenter
Oui. Le montant TTC de A est de vingt-quatre euros.
English
Yes. A’s tax-inclusive amount is €24.
- You
Les frais de mise en service sont-ils inclus ?
Are setup fees included?
English
Are setup fees included?
- Presenter
Non. A demande trente euros TTC au départ, B n’en demande pas.
English
No. A charges €30 including tax initially; B does not.
- You
Ces trente euros sont facturés une seule fois ?
Is that €30 charged only once?
English
Is that €30 charged only once?
- Presenter
Oui, ce n’est pas une mensualité.
English
Yes, it is not a monthly payment.
- You
Et les vingt-quatre euros correspondent bien à un mois ?
And the €24 does correspond to one month?
English
And the €24 does correspond to one month?
- Presenter
Exactement, pour les deux offres.
English
Exactly, for both offers.
- You
De quand datent les tarifs ?
When do the prices date from?
English
When do the prices date from?
- Presenter
Les deux grilles sont valables à partir du premier juin.
English
Both price schedules apply from 1 June.
- You
Sur douze mois, A représente donc trois cent dix-huit euros.
Over twelve months, A therefore amounts to €318.
English
Over twelve months, A therefore amounts to €318.
- Presenter
Et B, deux cent quatre-vingt-huit euros, sur ce périmètre.
English
And B, €288, on that scope.
- You
Je préciserai les taxes, la durée et les frais initiaux dans le tableau.
I’ll specify tax, duration and initial fees in the table.
English
I’ll specify tax, duration and initial fees in the table.
Keep the price labels attached
| Item | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly amount including tax | €24 | €24 |
| One-off setup charge | €30 | €0 |
| Twelve monthly payments | €288 | €288 |
| Displayed twelve-month total | €318 | €288 |
HT abbreviates hors taxes; TTC abbreviates toutes taxes comprises. These labels identify the price basis, while mensualité identifies a repeated monthly payment. Frais de mise en service concern the initial setup. The table’s twelve-month totals include only the supplied monthly payments and setup fees; other unlisted costs are outside this comparison.
Le prix mensuel TTC est identique, mais les frais initiaux diffèrent.
The tax-inclusive monthly price is identical, but the initial fees differ.
If the presenter cannot supply a comparable tax-inclusive price, keep the amounts labelled separately. Do not guess a tax rate or add a charge that the source never mentions. A good question can resolve the basis; an incomplete answer should remain visible in your summary.