Recommending and advising are some of the highest-frequency speech acts in any language. You should try the soup. Why not take the train? I'd recommend booking ahead. How about leaving early? Every one of these moves a different rhetorical lever — formality, pressure on the listener, intimacy, professional distance. French has at least ten distinct constructions for advising, and choosing among them is one of the clearer markers of B1 vs A2 fluency. A learner who only knows tu dois will sound rude or robotic in half their interactions; a learner who can deploy et si on partait ?, tu devrais essayer, and je vous recommande de sounds like a competent speaker.
This page walks through the full toolkit, from the gentlest suggestion (pourquoi ne pas... ?) to the firmest recommendation (il faut que...), and shows when each is appropriate. Every construction here is high-frequency in everyday spoken French; none is academic or marginal.
The pressure gradient: how strong is the recommendation?
Before learning the constructions, internalize the gradient. Every recommendation strategy sits somewhere on a scale from barely a suggestion to near-command. Native speakers automatically choose a position on this scale based on social context.
| Strength | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Soft suggestion | Et si on... ? / Pourquoi ne pas... ? | Et si on partait ? |
| Polite advice | Tu pourrais... / Vous pourriez... | Tu pourrais essayer. |
| Standard advice | Tu devrais... / Vous devriez... | Tu devrais l'appeler. |
| Recommendation | Je te conseille de... / Je te recommande de... | Je te conseille de partir. |
| Strong advice | Tu ferais mieux de... / Il vaut mieux... | Tu ferais mieux d'attendre. |
| Near-obligation | Il faut que... + subjonctif | Il faut que tu partes. |
Pick the strength to match the situation. A friend asking where to eat doesn't need il faut que — je te conseille is right. A doctor advising you to quit smoking should use je vous conseille fortement or vous devriez vraiment, not pourquoi pas.
Conseiller à quelqu'un de + infinitive
Conseiller is the dictionary verb for advising. Its construction is fixed: conseiller à + person + de + infinitive. The indirect object marks the person being advised, and the infinitive describes what they should do.
Je te conseille de partir tôt — il y aura beaucoup de monde.
I'd advise you to leave early — there'll be a lot of people.
Le médecin lui a conseillé de manger moins de sel.
The doctor advised him to eat less salt.
Je vous conseille vivement de réserver à l'avance.
I strongly advise you to book in advance.
The à + person and de + infinitive structure is rigid. You cannot say je conseille toi; the person must be in the dative (à toi, but pronominalized to te). This pattern is shared with dire à qqn de, demander à qqn de, permettre à qqn de — many French verbs of communication and permission take this structure, and learning it once unlocks all of them.
Recommander à quelqu'un de + infinitive
Recommander is slightly more formal than conseiller and carries an authoritative or professional flavor. A doctor recommande; a friend conseille. A travel guide recommande; a friend conseille.
Je vous recommande de visiter le musée d'Orsay le matin.
I recommend visiting the Musée d'Orsay in the morning.
L'agence nous a recommandé de prendre une assurance voyage.
The agency recommended that we take out travel insurance.
On me recommande de consulter un spécialiste.
They're recommending I see a specialist.
The construction is identical to conseiller — recommander à qqn de + INF. The only difference is register: recommander has the weight of professional or institutional advice.
Suggérer que + subjunctive
Suggérer takes a que-clause with the subjunctive, not an infinitive. This is a key difference from conseiller and recommander, both of which prefer the infinitive in the same construction.
Je suggère qu'on parte tôt pour éviter les embouteillages.
I suggest we leave early to avoid traffic.
Elle a suggéré qu'il prenne quelques jours de repos.
She suggested he take a few days off.
Je suggère que vous y réfléchissiez avant de décider.
I suggest you think about it before deciding.
Suggérer can also be followed by de + infinitive when the subject is the same or implied (je suggère de partir maintenant), but the que + subjunctive form is the most common and signals a careful, often professional suggestion.
Proposer de + infinitive
Proposer is the verb of casual suggestion. It is slightly less authoritative than suggérer and is the standard verb for offering an idea or proposing an activity.
Je propose qu'on mange d'abord, et qu'on parle ensuite.
I propose we eat first and talk afterwards.
Il a proposé de payer la note.
He offered to pay the bill.
On vous propose de visiter les bureaux.
We're offering you a tour of the offices.
When the subject of proposer is the same as the subject of the proposed action, use de + infinitive (il a proposé de partir — he offered to leave). When the subjects differ, use que + subjunctive (je propose qu'on parte — I propose we leave).
Devrais + infinitive: the all-purpose conditional advice
Devoir in the conditional (je devrais, tu devrais, il devrait, nous devrions, vous devriez, ils devraient) is the French equivalent of English should. It is the most common advice verb in spoken French.
Tu devrais lui parler — il s'inquiète pour toi.
You should talk to him — he's worried about you.
Vous devriez goûter ce vin.
You should try this wine.
On devrait peut-être appeler avant de venir.
We should maybe call before coming.
The conditional softens the verb: tu dois (you must) becomes tu devrais (you should). This single transformation is the most useful politeness tool in French. Whenever you would say tu dois, ask yourself if tu devrais would land better.
The conditional past — j'aurais dû, tu aurais dû — flips into regret: I should have, you should have. Useful for retrospective advice or self-criticism.
Tu aurais dû me prévenir.
You should have warned me.
J'aurais dû y penser plus tôt.
I should have thought of it sooner.
Vous feriez mieux de + infinitive
Faire mieux de + infinitive is a stronger version of devrais — closer to "you'd better" or "you'd do well to." It carries a slight implication that not following the advice would be unwise.
Tu ferais mieux d'attendre demain.
You'd better wait until tomorrow.
Vous feriez mieux de relire le contrat avant de signer.
You'd be better off rereading the contract before signing.
Il ferait mieux de se taire.
He'd better keep quiet.
This construction can sound slightly threatening or reproachful depending on tone — closer to a warning than a gentle suggestion. Use it when you genuinely think the alternative is a bad idea.
Il vaut mieux + infinitive
Il vaut mieux is impersonal — it is better — and offers advice without naming the addressee. This generalizes the recommendation: it isn't about you specifically, it's about what's best in general.
Il vaut mieux partir tôt si tu veux éviter la foule.
It's better to leave early if you want to avoid the crowd.
Il vaut mieux ne rien dire dans ce genre de situation.
It's better not to say anything in that kind of situation.
Il valait mieux qu'on attende.
It was better that we waited.
When the advice is for a specific person, il vaut mieux que + subjunctive lets you target them: il vaut mieux que tu partes (you'd better leave). This is roughly synonymous with tu ferais mieux de partir but slightly more impersonal in tone.
Il faut que + subjunctive
Il faut que + subjunctive expresses obligation or strong necessity — closer to you must than you should. It's the strongest of the everyday advice constructions.
Il faut que tu partes maintenant ou tu vas rater le train.
You must leave now or you'll miss the train.
Il faut qu'on se dépêche.
We have to hurry.
Il faut que vous compreniez la situation.
You need to understand the situation.
For softer advice, swap to the conditional: il faudrait que tu partes (you should leave). This single change moves the construction from must to should and is one of the most useful softening tricks in French.
Il faudrait qu'on en parle bientôt.
We should talk about this soon.
Et si on + imparfait? — the conversational suggestion
Et si on... + imperfect is the spoken French way of saying "how about...?" or "what if we...?" The imperfect tense here is not past — it's a hypothetical, the same logic that drives si j'avais l'argent (if I had the money).
Et si on partait à la mer ce week-end ?
How about going to the seaside this weekend?
Et si on commandait une pizza ?
How about we order a pizza?
Et si tu lui demandais directement ?
What if you asked him directly?
This is the warmest, most conversational suggestion in French. It is informal — you wouldn't use it in a business meeting — but it is everywhere in everyday speech among friends and family. Mastering it makes you sound dramatically more natural in casual conversation.
Pourquoi ne pas + infinitive? — the open-ended suggestion
Pourquoi ne pas... offers a suggestion in the form of a question, without pressuring the listener to commit. It is the equivalent of "why not...?"
Pourquoi ne pas essayer cette nouvelle méthode ?
Why not try this new method?
Pourquoi ne pas en parler avec elle directement ?
Why not talk to her about it directly?
Pourquoi ne pas prendre quelques jours de repos ?
Why not take a few days off?
In speech, the ne often drops: pourquoi pas essayer ? This colloquial form is universal in casual speech. The full pourquoi ne pas sounds slightly more formal or written.
Strategy by relationship: who are you talking to?
| Relationship | Likely strategy |
|---|---|
| Close friend / family | Et si on... ?, Tu devrais... |
| Acquaintance | Tu pourrais..., Pourquoi ne pas... ? |
| Polite stranger | Vous pourriez..., Vous devriez... |
| Customer to professional | Je préférerais que..., Pourriez-vous... ? |
| Professional to customer | Je vous conseille de..., Je vous recommande de... |
| Doctor / authority figure | Je vous recommande..., Il faut que vous... |
| Boss / superior | Il faut que..., Vous devriez vraiment... |
When in doubt, default to tu devrais / vous devriez — the conditional of devoir is appropriate in nearly any context.
Common Mistakes
❌ Je conseille toi de partir.
Incorrect — conseiller takes 'à' + person, not a direct object.
✅ Je te conseille de partir.
I advise you to leave.
❌ Je suggère que tu pars.
Incorrect — suggérer que requires the subjunctive.
✅ Je suggère que tu partes.
I suggest you leave.
❌ Tu devrais à partir.
Incorrect — devrais is followed directly by the infinitive, no preposition.
✅ Tu devrais partir.
You should leave.
❌ Et si on part maintenant ?
Incorrect — et si on takes the imperfect, not the present.
✅ Et si on partait maintenant ?
How about we leave now?
❌ Il faut que tu pars.
Incorrect — il faut que requires the subjunctive.
✅ Il faut que tu partes.
You must leave.
❌ Tu devrais avoir étudié.
Incorrect literal translation of 'should have'.
✅ Tu aurais dû étudier.
You should have studied.
Key Takeaways
Recommendation in French is graded — gentle to firm — and the choice of construction signals not just what you want but how much you want it and how much pressure you're putting on the listener. The conditional softens; the indicative pushes; the impersonal il vaut mieux depersonalizes; et si on + imperfect creates warmth.
The constructions divide cleanly by what follows them: conseiller / recommander à qqn de + INF, suggérer / proposer que + SUBJ, devrais / pourrais + INF, il vaut mieux + INF, il faut que + SUBJ. Memorize the shape of each pattern and you can fill in any specific recommendation effortlessly.
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Start learning French→Related Topics
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