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DELF B1 interaction: negotiate when your first solution is refused

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Work through four linked French negotiation stages after a room request is refused: acknowledge, find the constraint, offer an alternative and confirm the agreement.

In short

After a refusal, ask which constraint the next proposal must satisfy. Quelle est l’heure limite ? gives you something concrete to work with. Then change a relevant part of the plan and confirm the resulting agreement, including time to tidy and leave.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Organisers arranging chairs and allowing time to tidy a meeting room.
Negotiate an alternative that respects the closing constraint. Teaching illustration: Atelier

These four scenes form one continuous negotiation. The initial request keeps a room until 20 h, but the building closes at 19 h. The alternative moves the start earlier instead of repeating the impossible request. Notice how each answer supplies a fact that shapes the next proposal.

1

Acknowledge the refusal

The first plan is an evening meeting in a room whose building closes at 19 h.

YouSerait-il possible de garder la salle jusqu’à vingt heures ?Would it be possible to keep the room until eight p.m.?
The room organiserNon, ce ne sera pas possible.No, that will not be possible.
YouD’accord, je comprends que ma première proposition ne convient pas.All right, I understand that my first proposal does not work.
The room organiserNous devons respecter les horaires du bâtiment.We have to respect the building’s hours.
YouJe vais chercher une autre solution avec vous.I will look for another solution with you.
The room organiserOui, voyons ce qui reste possible.Yes, let us see what remains possible.
2

Find the constraint

Ask for the condition that a workable alternative must satisfy.

YouQuelle est l’heure limite pour quitter la salle ?What is the latest time for leaving the room?
The room organiserDix-neuf heures, car le bâtiment ferme ensuite.Seven p.m., because the building closes afterwards.
YouFaut-il aussi prévoir du temps pour ranger ?Do we also need to allow time to tidy up?
The room organiserOui, dix minutes avant la fermeture.Yes, ten minutes before closing.
YouIl faudrait donc terminer l’activité à dix-huit heures cinquante.So we would need to finish the activity at six fifty.
The room organiserExactement.Exactly.
3

Offer a different solution

Change the start time so that the activity ends before tidying.

YouEt si nous commencions une heure plus tôt ?What if we started an hour earlier?
The room organiserVous pourriez arriver à dix-sept heures ?Could you arrive at five?
YouOui, et terminer à dix-huit heures quarante-cinq.Yes, and finish at six forty-five.
The room organiserCela laisserait assez de temps pour ranger.That would leave enough time to tidy up.
YouCette solution vous conviendrait-elle ?Would that solution work for you?
The room organiserOui, la salle est libre à partir de dix-sept heures.Yes, the room is available from five.
4

Confirm the agreement

Restate the final plan with its practical limit.

YouJe récapitule : nous arrivons à dix-sept heures.Let me recap: we arrive at five.
The room organiserOui, la clé sera à l’accueil.Yes, the key will be at reception.
YouNous terminons l’activité à dix-huit heures quarante-cinq, puis nous rangeons.We finish the activity at six forty-five, then tidy up.
The room organiserEt vous quittez le bâtiment avant dix-neuf heures.And you leave the building before seven.
YouD’accord. Pouvez-vous me confirmer ces horaires par message ?All right. Could you confirm those times by message?
The room organiserBien sûr, je vous l’envoie maintenant.Of course, I will send it now.

Acknowledge without giving up the goal

Je comprends que ma première proposition ne convient pas accepts the response about that proposal. It does not cancel the activity. The follow-up asks about the closing time and tidying requirement, so the speaker can find a plan that fits both needs.

Change the part that creates the conflict

An earlier start solves the timing conflict because the organiser confirms that the room is free from 17 h. Finishing at 18 h 45 leaves fifteen minutes before closing, more than the ten minutes requested for tidying. The final summary includes leaving before 19 h, not merely stopping the activity at that time.

Question 1No account needed
What prevents the original request?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

The building closes at 19 h.. The organiser states the building’s closing time.

Question 2No account needed
Which question reveals an additional practical requirement?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Faut-il aussi prévoir du temps pour ranger ?. The tidying question establishes time needed before departure.

Question 3No account needed
What makes the alternative workable?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Starting earlier in a room confirmed free from 17 h.. The revised start fits the available period and the closing limit.

For practice, keep the goal but alter one constraint, such as room availability from 17 h 30. Offer a fresh schedule that still leaves tidying time. Responding to the changed fact is more useful negotiation practice than memorising a fixed successful ending.

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