French e-mail greetings

Image illustration Elisabeth newsletter

💌 My method for passing a French milestone

Enter your email address below to subscribe to my newsletter and receive tips for pass a milestone in French. 

🔔 You can unsubscribe at any time.

French e-mail greetings

Mastering French politeness is not easy. We are spoiled for choice, and some formulas can seem endless and difficult to understand to a non-French speaker.

It is important not to confuse them, especially if you are addressing a recruiter or a supervisor. This article will guide you through the minefield of e-mail greetings and show you how to use them wisely.

“Cordialement” is fine, right ?

As you may have noticed, "cordialement" this is by far the most common form of politeness in France. However, as we will see below, it is not adapted to all situations.

"Cordialement" literally translates as "cordially" or "warmly". Although "cordially" is appropriate at the end of an e-mail written in English, it is an obsolete formula that does not correspond to the French usage of "cordialement". It is actually equivalent to "best/warm/kind regards"; a relatively neutral formula, to be used between colleagues, for a familiar client or an unknown person whose position does not require too much formality. You can add a little warmth with "bien cordialement".

As I said above, we have plenty of choices, so don't hesitate to stand out by choosing "sincèrement" or "cordiales salutations" for example. If you know the person, personalize your e-mail by closing it with "à bientôt"or "au plaisir" ("speak soon"), "bonne journée"or "en vous souhaitant une excellente fin de semaine", which can even have an exclamation mark, just like "catch you then! "or "have a good one!

In a more formal context, think of formulas such as "with my sincere consideration", "please accept my best regards" or "please believe in my cordial and respectful feelings"; understand "respectfully yours" in English, ideal for addressing a hierarchical superior or a notable person.

🚀 Transform your understanding of French IN 15 MINUTES A DAY

60 dialogues to boost your understanding of French 🇫🇷

Apply for a job

In English, when you send an application by e-mail, you can be satisfied with a succinct "yours sincerely/faithfully". This is not the case in the language of Molière...

Here is an example of a polite way to address a recruiter: "Me tenant à disposition pour un entretien à la date qui vous conviendra, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame Durant, l’expression de ma considération distinguée. (I am at your disposal for an interview at your convenience. Please accept, Mrs. Durant, the expression of my distinguished consideration.)"

These classic (and endless!) phrases are essential and will demonstrate your respect for procedures. They are broken down into three parts:

  1. – En espérant que ma candidature retiendra votre attention, je vous prie d’agréer (Hoping that my application will be of interest to you, I would like to thank you for)

– Me tenant à disposition pour un entretien à la date qui vous conviendra, je vous prie d’agréer,…(I am at your disposal for an interview at your convenience.)

– Désireux(se) de vous démontrer ma motivation, je vous prie de recevoir (I would like to show you my motivation, please receive, in writing, a copy of my)

  1. - Madam,...

- Sir,...

- Dear Sir or Madam...

- Mr. Director,...

- Mrs. Durant,...

  1. – L’expression de mes sincères salutations. (Yours sincerely)

– L’expression de ma considération distinguée. (The expression of my distinguished consideration.)

NB: you must address your interlocutor exactly the same way at the beginning and at the end of your e-mail. The paragraph on the different e-mail openings will tell you more about the formulas to adopt.

Expressing gratitude

"Vous remerciant par avance pour…" is the equivalent of "thanks in advance" and is a good way to call for action while expressing gratitude.

To say thank you, simply end your e-mail with “avec mes remerciements”, “avec tous mes remerciements”, “avec mes sincères remerciements”.

Get an answer

Using the right wording at the end of an email is a great way to solicit a response while remaining courteous.

Write "dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer mes meilleures salutations" Subtle, but effective. The English equivalent "I look forward to hearing from you" is just as effective, but much less subtle; a direct translation of this formula would risk offending a French interlocutor.

Friends and family

It goes without saying that formulas such as "xoxo", "love" or "take care" in English are to be avoided in a professional context; in the same way, “bisous”, “grosses bises”, “amitiés”, “bien à toi” are to be reserved for your loved ones.

Just as in English, it is possible to individualize your greetings. For example, "musicalement" or "sportivement vôtre" will make you stand out from the crowd.

And to begin with?

When opening an e-mail, to address a work colleague or a person with whom you have an ongoing relationship, "Bonjour Martin" is quite appropriate. For close friends and family, you can allow yourself to be familiar with "salut" or "coucou", which translate into "hi".

If it is a superior, it is advisable to use "dear colleague".

In formal situations such as an application, if the recruiter is unknown, use "Madame, Monsieur" (Be careful! Madame always before Monsieur). However, if you know their name, position or gender, use them accompanied by the adjective "cher(chère)", especially not "bonjour", which is considered too familiar in this context. For example: “Cher Monsieur Dupont/Chère Madame la Directrice/Cher Monsieur”.

🚀 Transform your understanding of French IN 15 MINUTES A DAY

60 dialogues to boost your understanding of French 🇫🇷

Share this post
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Email

Free resources that might interest you

Expressions
Elisabeth

LEARN FRENCH IN 2 MINUTES - French idiom: Poser un lapin

Transcript Hi everyone, hope you're well and having a great day. Welcome to this video where we're going to take a look at a French expression in just a few minutes. Today, we're going to take a look at an expression that's quite

french flag against blue sky
Tips
Mathieu

Why learning French is a good idea?

Granted, mastering French is a real challenge. Nevertheless, it's probably one of the best decisions you can make, for a number of reasons. Is French an easy language to learn? 🙋🏻‍♂️ It's hard to answer

Expressions
Elisabeth

LEARN FRENCH IN 2 MINUTES - French idiom: Boire des coups

Transcript of the video Bonjour tout le monde, j'espère que vous allez bien. Today I'm back with another video about a French expression. The expression we're going to see today is quite familiar. It means to drink. Cheers. Boire

Videos that might interest you

Videos

COME WITH ME GO SHOPPING IN PARIS 🇫🇷

Video transcript Bonjour tout le monde. Today, I'm going to take you on a tour of Paris. It's a great opportunity to discover new vocabulary and see images of the city. I'll be meeting up with a girlfriend and a friend, and we'll be

Videos

How to pronounce 100 job names in French.

Many job names may sound very similar in English and French when you read them, but the pronunciation can be completely different. This is the case, for example, of psychologist in English and psychologue in French. Hi, there,

Image illustration Elisabeth newsletter

🎁 30% discount on my courses

Subscribe to my newsletter and receive 30% discount on my courses. 

Leave your first name and email address below ⬇️

fr_FRFrançais
Scroll to Top