Plans with friends · 5 minute read

Make plans in French

To invite a friend for coffee, try Ça te dit de prendre un café samedi ? — “Fancy having a coffee on Saturday?” If they say yes, settle the time and place. Those three details turn a nice idea into a plan.

These are example text conversations between friends. They use tu and everyday wording suitable for casual chats in France.

Start with an activity and a day

Both work as friendly invitations. Ça te dit de… is useful to keep as a whole phrase. Follow it with an infinitive, such as prendre or aller.

You can leave the activity open with Tu es libre dimanche ? — “Are you free on Sunday?” — but be ready to explain what you have in mind.

Accept and choose a time

Vers 15 h means “around 3 pm”. À 15 h gives a specific time. In a written plan, the 24-hour form makes afternoon and morning clear: 15 h is 3 pm, while 3 h is 3 am.

For a particular Saturday, use samedi. Le samedi can describe a routine — “on Saturdays” — although context can also make it refer to a specific Saturday already under discussion.

Agree on where to meet

On se retrouve… is a useful way to arrange a meeting. Here on means “we”. If the place is unfamiliar, ask Tu peux m’envoyer l’adresse ? — “Can you send me the address?”

Say no and offer another option

You don’t need a long explanation. If you don’t want to propose another day, Merci pour l’invitation, mais je ne peux pas venir — “Thanks for the invitation, but I can’t come” — is enough.

Be careful with peut-être (“maybe”). Use it when you really haven’t decided or don’t know, rather than when you already mean no.

Change a plan you’ve already agreed to

If you are only running late, say so directly: Je vais avoir dix minutes de retard — “I’m going to be ten minutes late.” For a later time on the same day, On peut se retrouver à 15 h 30 plutôt ? means “Could we meet at 3:30 pm instead?”

“Ça va ?” or “Ça te va ?”

Use Ça te va ? to check whether the proposed time, place or arrangement works for your friend. Reply Oui, ça me va — “Yes, that works for me.” The little words te and me matter here.

For checking how someone is doing, see our guide to replying to ça va. For the chat before you suggest a plan, try French small talk.

Your turn: suggest a different time

Your friend writes On se retrouve à midi devant le musée ? — “Shall we meet at noon outside the museum?” You can come at 1 pm instead. Keep the place and suggest the new time.