un suivi
A follow up in French is un suivi, the word for an action or message that checks on the progress of an earlier task or conversation.
un suivi is common in professional contexts. To say that you are doing a follow up, use faire un suivi or in more formal writing Effectuer un suivi. For the follow up of a specific case or file, French says un suivi de dossier.
What does it mean word for word?
suivi is the past participle of the verb suivre (to follow), so it literally means that which has been followed or tracking.
Which one should you use?
Among friends, people rarely say un suivi. They ask for news instead, with Donne-moi des nouvelles (give me news), T'as des nouvelles ? (any news?) or Je voulais voir où ça en est (I wanted to see where things stand).
How does it change in a sentence?
suivi is a masculine noun, so it takes un or le, as in le suivi.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'follow up' for both people and tasks, using suivi for a person can imply a psychological or social work case file.
- French uses suivre to describe the act of taking a class or a course, which is why un suivi is often used in educational progress reports.
- The word un in un suivi shares a common ancestor with the English word 'one', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁óynos'.
Examples in context
- Je vous contacte pour demander des nouvelles concernant notre projet commun.I am reaching out to ask for an update regarding our joint project.
- Je me permets de prendre de vos nouvelles quant à l'avancement de notre dossier.I am reaching out to inquire about the progress of my file.
- Je me permets de vous écrire pour effectuer un suivi concernant notre récente discussion.I am writing to perform a follow-up regarding our recent discussion.
- Salut Pierre ! Donne-moi des nouvelles de ton voyage en France.Hey Pierre! Give me an update on your trip to France.
- Salut Julie ! T'as des nouvelles de ton entretien d'embauche ?Hey Julie! Do you have any news about your job interview?
- J'ai besoin d'un suivi pour ce dossier.I need a follow up for this file.
- Le client demande un suivi rapide.The client is asking for a quick follow up.
- Il faut prévoir un suivi après la réunion.A follow up must be planned after the meeting.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a project in the office.
- ManonAs-tu envoyé le rapport à Nathan ?Did you send the report to Nathan?
- NathanOui, mais il n'a pas encore répondu.Yes, but he hasn't answered yet.
- ManonJe vais faire un suivi demain matin.I will do a follow up tomorrow morning.
- NathanC'est une bonne idée, merci Manon.That's a good idea, thanks Manon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
