Meeting a coworker

The situation

You: Your first day at a new office in Montreal. A coworker stops by your desk.

Them: A friendly coworker named Sophie.

Goal: Make a good impression — find one shared interest or background detail.

The conversation (French & English)

Salut ! Tu es nouveau ? Moi c'est Sophie, je travaille à la compta.
Hi! Are you new? I'm Sophie, I work in accounting.

Salut Sophie ! Moi c'est Jean. Oui, c'est mon premier jour.
Hi Sophie! I'm Jean. Yes, it's my first day.

Cool, bienvenue ! Tu viens d'où ?
Cool, welcome! Where are you from?

Du Brésil. Je suis au Canada depuis un an et demi.
From Brazil. I've been in Canada for a year and a half.

Ah super ! Et qu'est-ce que tu vas faire ici ?
Oh great! And what are you going to do here?

Je vais travailler comme développeur dans l'équipe technique.
I'm going to work as a developer on the technical team.

Nickel. Si tu as besoin de quoi que ce soit, viens me voir.
Perfect. If you need anything at all, come see me.

Merci, c'est gentil. À plus tard !
Thanks, that's kind. See you later!

Key vocabulary

nouveau / nouvelle	new (m/f)
la compta (la comptabilité)	accounting
mon premier jour	my first day
bienvenue	welcome
tu viens d'où ?	where are you from?
l'équipe	the team
un développeur	a developer
nickel	great / perfect (casual)
quoi que ce soit	anything
à plus tard	see you later

Grammar in this conversation — Tu vs vous — colleague-level register

In a Quebec workplace, colleagues usually tutoyer (use tu) regardless of seniority — much faster shift to first names than France. Vous stays for customers, strangers in service settings, and formal email. If a coworker greets you with "tu", echo with "tu".

• Tu es nouveau ? (coworker)
• Vous avez besoin d'un sac ? (cashier to customer)
• Tu viens d'où ? (peer, friendly)

Phrases to practise aloud

Salut, moi c'est Jean. — Hi, I'm Jean.

C'est mon premier jour. — It's my first day.

Je viens du Brésil. — I'm from Brazil.

Je suis au Canada depuis un an et demi. — I've been in Canada for a year and a half.

Je vais travailler dans l'équipe technique. — I'm going to work on the technical team.

Merci, c'est gentil. À plus tard ! — Thanks, that's kind. See you later!

Check your understanding

1. Who started the conversation?
Answer: Sophie

2. What department is Sophie from?
Answer: Accounting (compta)

3. How long has Jean been in Canada?
Answer: 1.5 years

4. What register did they use?
Answer: Tu (casual)

Your speaking challenge

A coworker greets you on your first day. Introduce yourself, say where you're from, how long you've been in Canada, and what your role is.

Salut ! Moi c'est [name]. C'est mon premier jour. Je viens de [country], je suis au Canada depuis [duration]. Je vais travailler dans l'équipe [team]. Et toi, tu fais quoi ici ?
Hi! I'm [name]. It's my first day. I'm from [country], I've been in Canada for [duration]. I'm going to work on the [team] team. And you, what do you do here?