how do you say application letter in french

See our tips for writing a CV in French .

Jerome Feys

Job in Berlin's Founder

As a recruitment expert and founder of Job in Berlin, I have corrected over 1,000 resumes. Since 2015, I've been sharing my expertise and delivering tips on resume and cover letter writing, as well as techniques for a successful job interview.

👋 Receive the latest job offers via email 1x per week

Job in Berlin is the job board for French speakers in Berlin: Customer Services jobs, Sales and Marketing jobs, Communication and much more.

Find a job in Berlin

Customer Service Jobs

Marketing Jobs

Communication Jobs

Area Sales Manager Jobs

Resume Templates

French CV Templates

Best CV Templates 2023

© 2024 Job in Berlin. All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy .  Imprint .

How to Write Letters and Emails in French 📨

Today, I’m going to tell you about writing letters in French. Everything written in French tends to be more formal than in English; business letters, emails… and there are some quite archaic formulas that are still very much used nowadays.

In this “French letter guide”, I will focus on how to start and end your French letter: we use very precise salutations and closings in French letters, and some archaic expressions are still common for business letters.

French people will be forgiving if you make mistakes in the core of the text, but for example writing “ma chérie” to a friend could send the wrong message.

And choosing an inappropriate letter closing like “je vous embrasse” for a business partner would be a big faux-pas!

So let’s study how to write letters in French.

5 Common French Salutations in Letters

Before you even start writing your French letter, you need to select the correct French salutation or greeting.

When you don’t know who you are writing to

If you don’t know who you are writing to, start your letters by “Messieurs”.

Other French salutations

• If you are addressing your letter to “le Responsable des livraisons” but you still don’t know his/her name, start your letter with “Monsieur,” (even if you don’t know whether the person is a man or a woman).
• If you know the name of the person, start your letter by “Monsieur X, or Madame X,”. Note that for a business letter, Mademoiselle is no longer used in writing.
• If you are writing to someone you know, you met, or if you are answering to someone who wrote you first, then you can start with “Cher Monsieur X,” or “Chère Madame X,” or even “Chère Mademoiselle X”. Use this French salutation you feel like being a bit more friendly, not if you are writing to complain!
• When writing to a friend, start with “Cher Pierre,” ” Chère Anne,” – it’s common, but still a bit formal.
• You can also drop the formal salutation altogether and just say hello in French : “salut Pierre”, “Coucou Anne”…

About “cher” in French

In the context of a salutation to start a French letter, “cher” means dear.

• cher + masculine singular noun = cher Pierre
• chère + feminine masculine noun = chère Anne
• chers + plural = chers Anne et Pierre
• chères + plural feminine only = chères Anne et Marie

“Cher” can be followed by “Monsieur/ Madame / Mademoiselle” Cher Monsieur, or with “Monsieur/ Madame / Mademoiselle ” + a last name Cher Monsieur Dupont

However, I suggest you don’t write “Cher Monsieur Pierre”. This would be frowned upon in higher social classes.

Be careful with “Chéri” ❤️

“Chéri(e)” (do say the final “i”), is a common French love nickname for sweetie.

So, if you write “Pierre chéri”, or “mon chéri”, Pierre is going to think you are in love with him.

It’s rare nowadays to use “chéri(e)” with friends, although it was common about 50 years ago. But it has changed.

How to Close Your French Letter

A typical way to close a french business letter is “dans l’attente de vous lire, je vous….” and then you add the French closing expression.

French Business Letters Closing Expressions

These common closings will work for French business letters or very formal letters.

• For a very formal letter “Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the salutation), l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.” Je vous prie d’agréer, chère Madame Dupont, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
• VERY formal, but you are the one providing the service or the good, write: “Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the salutation), l’expression de mes salutations dévouées.”
• A bit less formal: “Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the salutation), l’expression de mes meilleures salutations.”
• Still formal but you know the person – not a friend, but it’s a personal relationship, not business:  “Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the salutation), l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.”  For example, you are writing to the oncle of your friend, to thank him for giving you the name of a plumber. And they’re a very formal family: “Je vous prie d’agréer, Cher Monsieur Dupont (or even Cher Frank if you are on a first name basis), l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.”

Best regards in French?

To translate ‘best regards’ in French, write:

• “Meilleures salutations,”
• “Salutations distinguées,”

note these expressions end with a comma.

Warm regards in French?

To say warm regards in French, write “Cordialement”. I use this one all the time.

Yours truly in French?

Yours truly is “Bien à vous” or “bien à toi” if you are saying “tu” to the person.

Check out French Today’s audiobook about French greetings and politeness .

Master French politeness without hesitation and avoid embarrassing faux-pas.

More Details & Audio Samples

Personal Letters

When you are writing a pesonnal letter in French to acquaintances, or friends who are quite formal – or maybe older friends – write:  “Amicalement,” or “Je vous adresse toute mon amitié,” both closings meaning kind of like “warmest regards”.

What is Bisous at the end of a French letter ?

Many foreigners have been confused with a French friend ending a letter or email with bisous… Did you miss a romantic signal?

No you didn’t. Ending a French letter to a friend with “bisou” or “je t’embrasse” is very common, and not necessarily romantic!

With closer friends and family you may close your letter with:

• More formal : “Affectueusement”, “affectueuses pensées” kind of like “Fondly”, or “Je vous embrasse” which is “hug and kisses” but using the formal “vous”.
• Less formal: “Je t’embrasse (bien fort),” or “Gros bisous,” “Grosses bises,” or “Bisous,” , the equivalent of “hugs and kisses”in French
• Absolutely not formal: “Bizoux”, “bizoudou”… like 😘

Note that for all these expressions, the “vous” can also be used as a plural, and in this case may, or may not be as formal.

Don’t use XOXO in French

In American English, it’s very common to end a text with XOXO – meaning hugs and kisses.

The French don’t hug, and don’t know this symbol nor would they understand it.

How to Write the Name on the French Envelop?

You’ll write the address in the front of the envelop, pretty much the same way you’d do anywhere in the US or Europe.

For the name, you have plenty of options: so let’s take my name for example.

• My first name is Camille.
• My maiden name is Chevalier.
• My married name is Chevalier-Karfis (hyphenated names are not common for French people: most wives would just take their husband’s last name).
• My husband’s first name is Olivier.
• His last name is Karfis.

So you could write:

• Camille Chevalier-Karfis – straight and to the point – that’s the one I would use for a business kind of letter
• Madame Camille Chevalier-Karfis – pretty common in standard automated business letters
• Madame Chevalier-Karfis – that’s the one I would use if I wrote a personal letter
• Madame Olivier Karfis – very very old-fashioned and a tad snob. Using my husband’s first name and last name to define me… That’s the one my Mom would use…

How to Label the Envelop to France?

Once you’ve taken care of the name on the envelop, write the info from the smallest to the biggest entity:

• start with the name (if it’s the business letter, then maybe the salutation, department, certainly the name of the company),
• Apartment number, po box,
• street number and address,
• town (sometimes followed by Cedex + a number in French).

Camille Chevalier-Karfis French Today 63 rue de Goas Plat 22500 Paimpol France

It’s my actual address: feel free to write me a letter, a postcard, or lavish me with gifts 🤣

Where to Write Your Return Address?

In France, the return address is written in the back of the letter, at the very top, across the width of the letter.

However that can be confusing for your home country.

So, as a precaution, when sending a letter internationally, I always write “from” and then cross the return address, just in case (as shown on the picture of the envelope featured above)

This “from” in French would be – “de: X”, or “de la part de: X”, – or “expéditeur: X”

💌 How to Write a French Love Letter

If you are writing to your loved one, you may start with a French love nickname . “Ma chérie” when writing to a woman, “mon chéri” for a man are the norm.

At the end, you’ll probably say I love you in French : “je t’aime”, “je t’aime de tout mon coeur”. Click on the link to see variations.

Then you’ll probably end with some kind of kiss: here again, there are many ways to send kisses in French . “Je t’embrasse amoureusement” is a safe one on the formal side. “Mille bisous d’amour” is a cuter way to send kisses to your loved one.

How to Write a Condoleance Letter in French

I hope you won’t have to write a condoleance letter in French.

To express your sympathy in French, the most used phrase would be:

Je vous adresse mes (sincères) condoléances Please receive my (sincere) condolences/my sympathy.

Here are other typical examples – I won’t translate them : the words don’t translate well literally but I’m sure you’ll get the idea.

Be careful to choose the appropriate politeness formula: choosing vous or tu, and conjugating the French verbs accordingly. To start and finish your letter, you’d use the regular French letter writing expressions.

• En ces moments difficiles, je suis désolé de ne pas pouvoir être avec toi, mais je tenais à te faire part de mes sincères condoléances.
• Prenant part à votre douleur, je vous présente mes sincères condoléances, à vous et à votre famille.
• C’est avec grande tristesse que nous avons appris le décès de… nous partageons votre peine et vous faisons part de nos sincères condoléances.
• Nous sommes profondément émus par ce deuil qui vous affecte. Dans cette difficile épreuve, nous vous assurons de notre amitié et vous envoyons toute notre affection.
• Nous vous offrons toute notre affection et notre soutien pendant ces moments difficiles. Nous pensons bien fort à vous et à votre famille et vous adressons nos condoléances les plus sincères.
• Je tiens à m’associer à votre peine et à vous apporter tout mon soutien en ces durs moments que la vie nous impose.

Expressing your sympathy in a little bit less formal way:

• C’est avec une immense tristesse que j’ai appris la mort de…. Je te présente mes condoléances les plus sincères et si tu as besoin de parler, je suis là. Tu peux toujours compter sur moi, n’hésite pas. Bien affectueusement.
• Un petit mot pour dire que nous pensons bien à toi et à toute ta famille dans ces moments difficiles. Je garderai un excellent souvenir de… et de sa gentillesse. Si tu veux te changer les idées et venir nous voir, ça serait avec plaisir. Gros bisous.

How to Write a Thank you Note in French

Since I lived both in France and in the US, I can tell you that writing thank you notes is less frequent in France than it is in the US.

We also have a much smaller market for greeting/special occasion cards and don’t send out these too often.

In very posh families, it’s not uncommon to have a special pad made out with your name at the top, and you use that to answer invitations or send thank you notes. But it’s disappearing nowadays.

The norm would be to start your thank you note with “merci pour”… or “j’écris pour te/vous remercier pour….”. More ways of saying Thank you in French .

⚠️ Punctuation When Typing a French Letter

Some rules of punctuation used when typing out a text are different in French than in English.

• Un point d’exclamation ! Un point d’interrogation ? Space BEFORE and after
• Les deux points : un point virgule ; space BEFORE and after
• Une virgule,  a comma – no space before, space after
• Un point. A period – no space before, space after
• Trois petits points (also called les points de suspension)… – no space before, space after
• ” les guillemets ”  ouvrez les guillemets – fermez les guillemets – space after/before
• (les parenthèses) no space

French Letter Vocabulary

Let me just list the common French letter vocabulary

• une enveloppe – envelop
• un timbre – stamp
• affranchir – to stamp
• l’expéditeur – expeditor
• le destinataire – recipient
• la poste – post office
• le courrier – mail
• la boîte aux lettres – letterbox

Voilà, I hope this article will help you next time you write a letter in French. 

I post new articles every week, so make sure you subscribe to the French Today newsletter – or follow me on  Facebook , Twitter  and  Pinterest .

Good luck with your French studies.

Camille Chevalier-Karfis

Born and raised in Paris, I have been teaching today's French to adults for 25+ years in the US and France. Based on my students' goals and needs, I've created unique downloadable French audiobooks focussing on French like it's spoken today, for all levels. Come to Paimpol and enjoy an exclusive French immersion homestay with me in Brittany .

More Articles from Camille Chevalier-Karfis

You Might Also Enjoy...

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

More free lessons

• How to say I love you in French 20 ways to say I love you in French and 14 softer alternatives
• Talking about the weather Always a useful conversation icebreaker
• French food guide French food is brie-ond belief!
• French Numbers Made Easy The correct French number pronunciation from zero to one billion
• 30 ways to say yes in French In French it’s just a oui-bit different
• French clothes 150 French clothes names, English translation, audio recordings
• Ultimate French Time Guide How to ask and give the time in French
• Describing the body 100+ French body part names and fun videos featuring the Sims
• French jokes Bring a bit of laughter in your French studies
• French Conversation Starters For when you are feeling a bit shy in French
• A to Z French Vocabulary 150 really useful French vocabulary lists with English translations

I publish posts every week. Want to keep up to date with the new content? ✉️ Subscribe to my weekly newsletter

Recorded at 3 different speeds + Study Guide + Q&A + Full Transcript

Copyright - French Today 2024

• Privacy Policy
• Mentions Légales
• Affiliate Program

Can You Understand Today’s Spoken French?

It’s not just slang. The French everybody speaks in France today is NOT the overly enunciated, extremely formal French usually taught to foreigners.

TAKE YOUR FREE AUDIO TEST NOW

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

The French Compass

Your Roadmap to Fluency

How To Write A Formal Letter In French

Ok, let’s be honest here: who likes receiving formal letters – even in their native language?!

I certainly don’t and whenever I move to another country and receive one of those, even if I speak the language fluently, I’m usually like, “Huh?!” and need to read it slowly at least two or three times before I’m sure I really understand what it is they want from me.

(While living in Germany, I once got a letter that informed me that my visa had expired and I was staying in the country illegally and I’d better get my pretty face to the office soon or they’ll deport me – whoops! Better understand these letters, if you ask me!).

The thing is, administrative language is often different enough from the normal spoken language that it would almost deserve a course of its own! And writing a formal letter is often no easier than reading one.

SO! In this post, I will try to make formal letter writing in French a little more accessible to you.

Unfortunately, this post does not include the main body of the text, since I cannot provide a template that will match every situation. But just getting the frame right will be a good starter and hopefully give you some courage and confidence – so let’s get started!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CHEAT SHEETS!

How to write the date

Paris, le 3 mars 2017

Remember to always write “le” at the beginning of the date and to always write the month in letters (lowercase!) and not in numbers.

How to write the subject of the letter

Objet: xxxxxxxxx

This section consists of a very short sentence describing what the letter is about.

Always start with a noun (without an article at the front!)

• Réclamation
• Demande d’extension de visa
• Inscription au cours de français

How to write “enclosed” for an attached file

Pièce jointe: xxxxxxxxx

Most official documents have a title, so look for the title to insert the appropriate name of the document here.

How to address the recipient of the letter

When you are unsure who will be reading your letter or whether the recipient is male or female, just start with “ Monsieur, Madame “, this is perfectly acceptable.

If you do know who will receive your letter, it is still custom not to add the surname after “ Monsieur ” or “ Madame “.

How to say you will gladly provide further information on request

Je reste à votre disposition pour tout renseignement complémentaire.

How to end your letter

There are various ways of ending a formal letter. It depends on the overall tone, what you said before and how you expect the recipient of the letter to take action.

Here are a few examples.

• Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de ma considération distinguée.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.
• En vous remerciant par avance , je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de ma considération distinguée.
• En attendant votre réponse , je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments les plus sincères.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes meilleures salutations.

The first two sentences are those most commonly used to end a formal letter. It does not really matter whether you start with “ Veuillez agréer ” or “ Je vous prie d’agréer “. However, if you are writing a letter as a group, make sure to end your formal letter with “ Nous vous prions d’agréer ” and “ nos salutations “.

Again, in lieu of “ Monsieur, Madame ” you can use either or if you know to whom the letter is sent. Do not add the person’s surname.

Finally, be sure to always write “ Monsieur ” and “ Madame ” with a capital letter throughout the letter.

What about Emails?

So glad you asked!

Well, the same rules apply for emails with the exception of:

• the date: no need to write that in the body of the email
• objet: that obviously goes in the “subject” bar of your email and you don’t have to add “objet” before stating why you are writing
• pièce jointe: no need to write it (although you can mention your attached file in the body of the email if you wish), just attach your file like you normally would.

I hope that was helpful and if you have any other questions, let me know!

I have made a cheat sheet with ready-for-use phrases for your formal letter.

DOWNLOAD THE CHEAT SHEETS

Have a great day,

You Might Also Like

Reader Interactions

July 22, 2021 at 6:34 am

I like reading French novels and I want to become a very good writer as the native French man.

November 2, 2021 at 1:28 pm

Wow, that’s very ambitious! Wishing you all the best and congrats on your ability to read French novels, it’s no easy feat!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

Experience the best of learning with our affordable, personalized, and flexible model.

Our goal is to redefine education and make a lasting impact in the lives of learners around the world.

Instagram Posts

Social Media

French informal and formal letter format.

You might wonder where to start if you’re new to French letter writing. Writing a letter in French might seem daunting initially, but it can be a rewarding experience with some guidance. 

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll take you through the basics of French letter writing, from the format to the language used.

Introduction To French Letter Writing

Before diving into the specifics of French letter writing format, it’s essential to understand a French letter.  A French letter is a form of written communication used to convey a message to someone, such as a friend, family member, or business associate. 

There are two main types of French letters: formal and informal . In this guide, we’ll focus on informal letters typically used in personal correspondence.  Informal letters allow for more flexibility in terms of format and language, making them a great place to start for beginners.

French Informal Letter Format

The format of a French letter is similar to that of an English letter, with a few key differences. Here’s a basic outline of a French informal letter:

Date (optional) : The date is typically written in the day-month-year format in French. 

For example: “Paris, le 3 Avril 2023” (Paris, April 3rd, 2023).

Salutation:  This is where you address the recipient. You can use “Cher/Chère” (Dear) followed by the recipient’s first name in informal letters.

Body:  This is where you write your message. In French, it’s essential to use the correct level of formality based on your relationship with the recipient. 

For example, you can use informal language if you’re writing to a friend. Still, if you’re writing to an elder or someone you don’t know well, you should use more formal language.

Closing:  In French, there are several ways to close a letter, such as “Amicalement” (Friendly), “Je t’embrasse” (I hug you), or “Cordialement” (Sincerely).

Signature:  This is where you sign your name.

Basic French Letter Writing Tips

Now that you understand the format of a French informal letter, here are some tips to help you write your own:

Start with a greeting:  In French, it’s customary to start a letter with a greeting, such as “Bonjour” (Hello) or “Salut” (Hi).

Keep it simple:  As a beginner, it’s best to keep your language straightforward. Avoid using complex sentence structures or vocabulary you need to familiarize yourself with.

Practise your grammar:  French grammar can be tricky, so practice your grammar skills before writing your letter.

Use online resources, grammar books, or language exchange partners to improve your skills.

End with a closing:  As mentioned earlier, there are several ways to close a French letter. Choose one that fits your personality and the tone of your message.

Here is a sample letter in French:

Paris, le 3 avril 2023

Chère Amélie,

Comment ça va? J’espère que tu vas bien. Je t’écris cette lettre pour te donner des nouvelles et te raconter ce qui se passe dans ma vie.

Je suis actuellement en train de préparer mes examens finaux à l’université. C’est très stressant, mais je suis confiant que je vais réussir. Et toi, comment se passent tes études?

Je pense souvent à notre dernier voyage ensemble en Italie. C’était tellement amusant! J’espère que nous pourrons bientôt planifier un autre voyage ensemble.

Prends soin de toi et écris-moi bientôt!

Amicalement,

English Translation:

Paris, April 3rd, 2023

Dear Amélie,

How are you? I hope you’re doing well. I’m writing this letter to give you some news and tell you what’s going on in my life.

I’m currently preparing for my final exams at university. It’s very stressful, but I’m confident that I’ll succeed. And how are your studies going? I often think about our last trip together to Italy. It was so much fun! I hope we can plan another trip together soon.

Take care of yourself and write to me soon!

Advanced Guide: How To Write A Formal Letter In French

Suppose you must write a formal letter in French, such as a letter of complaint, a job application, or a letter to a government agency. In that case, using the correct format and tone is essential. 

Here are some tips to help you write a professional and effective formal letter in French:

Use a Formal Salutation 

Address the recipient of the letter using their appropriate titles, such as Monsieur (Mr.), Madame (Mrs.), or Mademoiselle (Miss). If unsure of the recipient’s title, you can use the generic “Monsieur/Madame” or “Madame, Monsieur”.

Write a Clear and Concise Subject Line

The subject line should summarise the letter’s purpose in a formal letter. For example, “Demande de remboursement” (Request for a refund) or “Candidature pour le poste de chef de projet” (Application for the position of project manager).

Use Formal Language

You should use more formal language in a formal letter and avoid contractions and colloquial expressions. Use the “vous” form instead of “tu” when addressing the recipient.

Use an Appropriate Closing

End your letter with an appropriate closing, such as “Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées” (Yours faithfully), or “Veuillez agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs” (Yours sincerely).

Proofread Your Letter

Before sending your letter, proofread it carefully to avoid spelling or grammatical errors. Here is a sample formal letter in French:

Lyon, le 3 avril 2023

Monsieur/Madame,

Je vous écris pour vous exprimer mon intérêt à postuler pour le poste de chef de projet que vous avez récemment annoncé sur votre site web. Je suis convaincu que mes compétences et mon expérience peuvent être un atout précieux pour votre entreprise.

J’ai travaillé dans l’industrie des technologies pendant plus de 5 ans et j’ai acquis une solide expérience en gestion de projets. Je suis capable de coordonner efficacement les membres de l’équipe, de gérer les budgets et de garantir que les projets sont terminés à temps et dans les limites de coûts.

En outre, je suis à l’aise en communication écrite et orale en français et en anglais, ce qui me permet de travailler avec des équipes multilingues. J’ai également une grande capacité d’adaptation aux différents environnements de travail.

Je suis enthousiaste à l’idée de rejoindre votre entreprise et de travailler avec une équipe dynamique. Vous trouverez ci-joint mon CV ainsi que mes références professionnelles. Je suis disponible pour une entrevue à votre convenance.

Je vous remercie pour votre attention et j’attends avec impatience votre réponse.

Cordialement,

[signature]

Jean Dupont

Lyon, April 3rd, 2023

I am writing to express my interest in applying for the position of project manager that you recently announced on your website. I am convinced that my skills and experience can be a valuable asset to your company.

I have worked in the technology industry for over 5 years and have gained solid experience in project management. I am able to effectively coordinate team members, manage budgets, and ensure that projects are completed on time and within cost limits.

In addition, I am comfortable with written and spoken communication in French and English, which allows me to work with multilingual teams. I also have a great ability to adapt to different work environments.

I am excited about the opportunity to join your company and work with a dynamic team. Please find attached my CV and professional references. I am available for an interview at your convenience.

Thank you for your attention and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Pro Tips To Write An Impressive Business Letter In French

You may need to write business letters in French if you’re a professional or a business person. These letters can be used for various purposes, such as making business proposals, requesting information, or introducing yourself to a potential client. 

Here are some tips to help you write an impressive business letter in French:

Know Your Audience

Before you start writing your letter, it’s important to consider your audience. Who will be reading your letter? What is their position or role in the company? 

Tailor your language and tone to the person or group you are addressing.

You should use formal language in a business letter and avoid contractions and colloquial expressions. Use the “vous” form instead of “tu” when addressing the recipient.

Follow a Professional Format

Use a professional format for your letter, including your contact information, the recipient’s contact information, a subject line, a formal salutation, the body of the letter, and an appropriate closing.

Use Clear and Concise Language 

Use clear and concise language to convey your message. Avoid using complex sentences or technical jargon that may be difficult for the recipient to understand.

Before sending your letter, proofread it carefully to avoid any spelling or grammatical errors. You can also have someone else read it to ensure that it’s clear and effective.

Here is a sample business letter in French:

Monsieur le Directeur Général,

Je vous écris pour vous proposer mes services en tant que consultant en marketing pour votre entreprise. Je suis convaincu que mes compétences et mon expérience pourraient être bénéfiques pour votre entreprise.

Je possède plus de dix ans d’expérience dans le domaine du marketing et j’ai travaillé pour plusieurs entreprises françaises et internationales. Je suis spécialisé dans le développement de stratégies de marketing numérique et j’ai une solide expérience en matière de gestion de projets.

Je serais heureux de vous rencontrer pour discuter plus en détail de mes services et de la façon dont je pourrais vous aider à atteindre vos objectifs commerciaux. Veuillez trouver ci-joint mon CV et mes références professionnelles pour votre examen.

Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Directeur Général, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.

Dear Managing Director,

I am writing to offer my services as a marketing consultant for your company. I am convinced that my skills and experience could be beneficial for your business.

I have over ten years of experience in the marketing field and have worked for several French and international companies. I specialize in the development of digital marketing strategies and have a strong track record in project management.

I would be happy to meet with you to discuss in more detail my services and how I could help you achieve your business objectives. Please find attached my CV and professional references for your review.

Yours faithfully,

Final Takeaway

Writing a letter in French can be a challenging task, but it can also be a rewarding experience. Whether you’re writing a personal, formal, or business letter, it’s important to understand the proper format and language conventions. 

Following the tips and guidelines outlined in this article can improve your French letter-writing skills and effectively communicate your message to your recipient. 

Remember to tailor your language and tone to your audience, proofread your letter, and use clear and concise language to convey your message. With these tips, you can write impressive and effective letters in French.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Sign in to post your comment or sine up if you dont have any account.

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Top Language Courses

Online Arabic Classes

Online French Classes

Online Spanish Classes

Online Spoken English Classes

Recent posts.

• Is Online Tutoring Effective? Discover the Benefits and Success Rates
• 10 Study Tips to Ace Your Exams
• How to Learn to Count in German Successfully
• Colors in French: Pronunciation Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Global Insights: Discovering Nationalities in German

At Auriv, we connect students with skilled tutors. Experience the best of learning with our affordable, personalized, and flexible education model.

Useful links

• Language Courses
• International Baccularte
• Online Tuition

Help & support

• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2024 Auriv Learning

How to write a formal letter in French

by Audrey Sivadier

Published on May 7, 2020 / Updated on January 8, 2024

Do you want to accompany your  CV with a letter , or claim a refund for a product and you don’t know how to write a letter in French? Yes, you will have to go through the delicate task of writing a formal letter. And when it comes to administration and formal written contacts, the French have very strict (and somewhat rigid) rules. Here are the codes to respect, to make sure your letter will be read all the way through!

Start your 7-day free trial

The format of a formal french letter.

The mail you write should have the shape of an official letter with a French format. That is, even from a distance or blurred, you should be able to recognise the different parts of the formal letter. At the top left, you will write your first name, last name, then your address below and finally your telephone number and email address. Then, at the top right, you should write the name and contact details of the addressee. When you’ve finished this, you’ll still have two things to do to get that formal silhouette: below your contact details, you’ll have to write “ objet ” (subject) and summarise in a non-verbal sentence the reason why you want to write. And finally, you will only have to write on the next line, but on the right: the place and date you write, like this:

Starting your French letter

The first thing you need to know is how to address the letter in French. This part is called the “ formule d’appel ” (calling card). If you know the name of the person you are addressing, you can begin your letter by writing in the centre: M. Dupont or Mme Martin. So, “ Monsieur ” or “ Madame ” followed by the last name of the person you are writing to.

If you don’t know, as is often the case when you send your CV or a complaint to an after-sales service, just write, still in the centre of the letter: “ Madame, Monsieur, ”.

But if you are addressing a person with a high professional position, it is absolutely necessary to mention this and write: “ Monsieur le Ministre ”, “ Madame la Présidente ”.

Then, in what is called le corps de la lettre (“the body of the letter”), you must explain in the first paragraph the context of your letter or your claim, for example, what happened in order for you to write this letter.

• Actuellement…  – and you can talk about your personal or business situation depending on the context
• Faisant suite à notre conversation téléphonique… –  Further to our telephone conversation…
• Suite à votre courrier du (+date) – further to your mail of

After you have explained why you want to write, you can skip a line and start a new paragraph by clearly stating your request.

• C’est pour cela qu’aujourd’hui je vous écris pour… –  That is why I am writing to you today to…
• Je me permets de vous écrire concernant…  –  regarding…
• C’est pour toutes ces raisons que je m’adresse à vous pour… – It is for all these reasons that I am addressing you to…
•  Je vous demande de + infinitive  –  I’m asking you to…
• Je vous saurai gré de + infinitive  – I’ll be grateful for…

As you will have noticed, it is unthinkable to write a letter in  French  and to use anything other than “ vous ”. We will keep the “ tu ” for   texting  family or friends, and the “ vous ” remains the only way to address your recipient in a letter.

If you have a problem with a product or service (such as a telephone service) that doesn’t conform to what was sold, you can even make threats, such as:

• Si vous ne remplacez pas ce produit dans les meilleurs délais, je serai obligée d’en informer l’association des consommateurs. –  If you do not replace this product as soon as possible, I will be obliged to inform the consumer association.

Ending your French letter

This is the part that is called the formule de politesse (“greeting”). Yes, it’s a bit weird, even if you just threatened them, you have to end with a polite greeting!

Before you do that, you have to be open to dialogue and you can add a sentence such as:

• Je me tiens à votre disposition pour tout complément d’information.  – I am at your disposal for any further information.

And then you must absolutely end with an extremely long but coded polite sentence:

• En attendant une réponse de votre part, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur,
• En attendant une réponse de votre part, veuillez accepter
• Dans l’attente de… veuillez accepter
• l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
• mes sentiments distingués.
• mes sentiments les meilleurs. – I look forward to hearing from you, Madam and Sir, with my best regards

All that remains is for you to sign at the bottom right-hand corner of the sheet, possibly with your initials or the initial of your first name and your surname in full. Ideally, your letter should not exceed one side of paper.

You are now ready to write letters in French! But don’t torture yourself too much while writing this letter. They say that your addressee will only give it an average of 6 seconds of attention! Oh la la!

Audrey Sivadier

Audrey has been a French teacher for more than ten years now, and a cheese-lover all her life. She comes from the west of France, and after living 2 years in Spain and 4 years in Oxford in England, she has just settled in the heart of France, in Auvergne, a land of cheese, rugby, Michelin tires and ancient volcanoes. Audrey definitely prefers the first one. She speaks French, Spanish and English, and just started German, nothing better to understand her students who tremble at the French grammar! When she is not teaching, she tries to find time to cook or sing in a choir. She loves to invite people to her house to feed them and trap them with musical blind tests designed and adapted to her guests! Find out more about her on her website and LinkedIn .

Jun 05, 2024

Lingoda’s career stories: Meet Urte, Team Lead of Lingoda Teams

Today, we’re interviewing Urte Sinisi, who joined Lingoda in June 2022, inspired by the company’s mission and multifaceted approach. Intrigued...

May 27, 2024

The Monegasque language: Exploring Monaco’s languages

Covering just two square kilometers and with a population of about 40,000, Monaco is a tiny principality with an outsized...

What languages are spoken in Luxembourg?

Did you know that one of Luxembourg’s official languages is Luxembourgish? Or that Luxembourg has three official languages, but more...

Level up your language skills with Lingoda. Take our placement test for free and get started.

What You Really Need to Know About Writing French Letters and Emails

When I was learning French in school, writing letters was one of the most intimidating things we covered. There were so many formules de politesse (polite phrases and salutations) and all of them seemed absolutely required to be included in any formal or business correspondence.

Then, I came to France and found that letter (and now email) writing in French was actually a lot simpler than I’d been led to believe.  I just had to be familiar with some key phrases and remember the purpose of letters and emails in the first place: to communicate.

Let’s look at what you really need to know about writing letters and emails in French.

The two rules of writing letters and emails in French

I could describe what it was like to come to France and have to write and read letters and emails of all sorts, entirely in French. I could talk about the way emails began to influence letter-writing in several ways. But that would make this a veeeery long article. 

So, let’s break it down to two simple things you must remember:

1. Email and text messaging have influenced the rules of French business and formal correspondence

There will still be some situations where you will have to compose an old-fashioned, super-stuffy letter in French, maybe. But these situations are very rare.

Instead, over the past twenty years or so, I’ve seen an evolution of most French formal and business correspondence. While there will always be at least a few formules de politesse that French people will include (and expect) in professional and formal letters and emails, things have become a lot less formal in general.

Nowadays, for instance, that clunky ending formula Veuillez agr éer… à mes salutations distingu ées   has become somewhat of a rarity. Additionally, some companies have opted to eschew formal salutations like Madame, Monsieur, (To Whom It May Concern) for the much more relaxed Bonjour , to seem more approachable.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be polite – French people are notoriously polite. But you can do it in a more relaxed way. So don’t worry if you don’t include a ton of formules de politesse in your email or letter, and don’t expect to receive correspondence peppered with them. (Although in my experience, you should ALWAYS include Cordialement as a sign-off, even in only somewhat formal situations.)

Again, there are exceptions and it’s never a bad thing to veer on the side of caution. But overall, French correspondence is a bit more relaxed than you might expect.

2. Remember your intention

The main goal of a letter or email is to communicate. Whether that’s asking a question, sharing information, or requesting a service, the most important thing is to convey what you mean in a clear way. The formules de politesse won’t let you do this; they’re just there to show your respect and politeness.

So make sure, first and foremost, that your French letter or email is easy for your correspondent to understand. Then check to make sure of the politeness basics:

• Did you open with a polite greeting that matches the gender and number of the person or people you’re addressing?
• If necessary, did you thank them?
• Did you make your request politely?
• Did you sign off with a polite closing (usually Cordialement) ?

If you’ve done all these things, in most cases that’s all you need to worry about. Always focus on making sure your correspondent understands what you need to get across. A letter full of empty, polite phrases and no information is of no use to anyone.

Essential phrases for writing a formal or business French letter or email

There are many formules de politesse – and variations of them – that you might find if you look up “How to write a letter in French” online. But in my experience, the ones I’m including here are the ones you really need to know, either because you’ll use them a lot or because you’ll come across them often.

But first off, make sure you know how to write the date in French .  If you’re writing a formal or business letter (not email), don’t forget to include the date, on the top right of the page above the body of the letter.

One more thing: The exact way to say and spell “email” in French is incredibly varied. The strictly Francophone word is un courriel , but this is rarely used. You will also see the Anglophone-influenced un e-mail or sometimes un é-mail from time to time. But the two most frequent ways I see this word in most formal, professional, and informal correspondence is either un mail or un mél.

Okay, now onto the list….

Essential phrases to start a formal letter in French

Madame, Monsieur – To Whom It May Concern.

As in English, this is used if you don’t know the gender(s) or name(s) of the person or people you’re writing to.  Otherwise, use one of these:

• Madame [Last name]
• Monsieur [Last name]

These formal greetings are used in lieu of Madame, Monsieur if you are absolutely certain of the gender, number, and/or last name of the person or people you’re writing to.

For example, when I write an email or note to my son’s school principal, because I know her gender and last name, I would begin my message: Madame Dupont ,  

Other important phrases to include in a business letter

Je vous écris pour.

I’m writing to/I’m writing in order to

Example: Je vous écris pour résilier mon abonnement. (I’m writing to cancel my subscription.)

Suite à votre lettre/votre message/notre dernière conversation/votre courriel/votre mél

Following up on/Regarding your letter/message/our last conversation/your email

This could also be translated as “As per”, although to my knowledge it doesn’t have the subtly rude connotation that it’s sometimes given in English.

Example: Suite à votre lettre, je vous confirme la résiliation de votre abonnement.   (Following your letter, I confirm that your subscription has been cancelled.)

Je vous prie de…

I humbly request that you… 

Although you may write this phrase, it’s more commonly used by companies or anyone who would be making a demand or request. It’s often used with the phrase bien vouloir  to form the ultra-polite mega phrase Je vous prie de bien vouloir… , which roughly translates to “I humbly request that you kindly oblige by…”

Example: Je vous prie de lire le contrat ci-joint. (I humbly request that you read the enclosed contract.)

ci-joint(e)(s)

enclosed or attached. (Note that this must agree with the word it’s referring to.)

You may also see something like:

Veuillez trouver-ci-joint(e)(s)

Please find attached/enclosed…

Example: Veuillez trouver ci-jointe une photocopie de mon passeport. (Please find attached a photocopy of my passport.)

Merci de bien vouloir

Please have the kindness to…/Please be so kind as to…

This is another ultra-polite phrase, but there is a sense of authority behind it. There really isn’t a choice here; you have to do what’s asked.

Example: Merci de bien vouloir remplir les documents ci-joints. (Please be so kind as to fill out the enclosed documents.)

Je vous remercie de/Merci pour…

I thank you for/Thank you for…. 

These phrases, especially the first one, are formal to general register. You can write Merci pour in a message to a friend as well as in a somewhat formal email or letter.  Je vous remercie is a bit more formal.

Example : Je vous remercie de votre lettre. (I thank you for your letter.)

Merci de ta compréhension/Merci de votre compréhension

Thank you for understanding./I appreciate your understanding.

This can be used for personal matters, or in a more general way, a bit like “We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Example: Nous vous informons que notre bureau sera ferme la semaine prochaine. Merci de votre compréhension. (We kindly inform you that our office will be closed next week. We appreciate your understanding.)

donner suite à (dans les plus brefs délais)

to respond/to follow up on something (as quickly as possible)

Example: Merci pour votre message. Nous y donnerons suite dans les plus brefs délais. (Thank you for your message. We will reply to it as quickly as possible.)

N’hésitez pas à me contacter pour tout renseignement complémentaire

If you need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

This is an extremely common statement to make towards the end of a formal or business letter or email (depending on the context, of course).

This is an extremely polite way to ask someone to do something and is commonly found in business correspondence or instructions.

Example: Veuillez trouver ci-joints les documents demand é s. (Please find attached the documents you requested.)

You’ll also see it tied to an extremely formal sign-off….

Veuillez agréer, ___, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées

Please accept my sincerest salutations.

This very formal closing statement or sign-off has many, many variations.

The phrase has to be completed with the title you used in the greeting of your letter. So for instance, if I addressed the person I was writing to as “Madame Dupont” at the start of the letter, I would write:

Veuillez agréer, Madame Dupont, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées

Most French letters and emails today won’t use this formula, opting to simply go to the all-purpose closing Cordialement instead.  But you will still find it or one of its variants from time to time, and you’ll need to write it if you’re being ultra-polite/groveling/applying for a job in French.

Merci par avance

Thanks in advance.

This is a bit of a loaded phrase because it implies certainty that whatever is being requested will get done.  Personally, I use it for things like routine procedures that the person I’m writing to would be expected to do.

Example: Veuillez trouver ci-joint la confirmation de ma demande de renouvellement d’abonnement. Merci par avance. (Please find attached the confirmation of my renewal request. Thanks in advance.)

How to end a formal French letter

Cordialement – Sincerely/Regards/Best Regards/Respectfully

This is the formal and business French letter or email sign-off par excellence. Even extremely formal correspondence may include it (after an extremely formal closing statement). And on the other hand, it’s often used in friendly yet somewhat formal correspondence between people in everyday life matters, as well.

For instance, if you’re contacting someone about something they’re selling online, you’ll use it and they’ll use it to close at least your initial messages. It’s also used in text messages of this kind, often abbreviated as Cdlmt or sometimes cdlt or cdt . It’s so common that there’s even some backlash against it .  

If you or your correspondent really want(s) to emphasize your good will, Bien can be added to the beginning: Bien Cordialement,

Three real-life examples of French formal letters and emails

Here are a few short formal or professional French letters and emails I’ve received recently (with specific names and references removed or replaced).

You’ll notice that none of them contain every single essential or word or phrase I’ve listed above. To me, this is the best way to show you not to panic. A letter or email in French is the same as it is in any other language; its primary goal is to communicate. It’s not just a patchwork of typical phrases, although you will still come across several of them in each example.

See which ones you find in these three messages:

I. An email regarding school registration

(Note: All names and other personal information have been removed/replaced):

Madame, Monsieur, Je vous envoie un message de la part de Mme Dupont concernant l’inscription pour le CP. Cordialement, Laure Martin

II. An email from my son’s school principal

Madame, Monsieur, Votre enfant ira au CP l’an prochain et vous avez reçu de la Mairie  le certificat d’inscription  pour les écoles de secteur. Je vous prie de bien vouloir remettre ce document à la maternelle 8, rue du Louvre où j’assurerai une  permanence lundi 20 avril et mercredi 22 avril de 10h à 11h.   Prenez soin de vous et vos proches. N DUPONT

III. A registered letter from our building management company

This is a letter sent to my husband by our building management company ( Syndic ), calling for an annual meeting of our building board (again, all names and personal information have been removed or replaced):

Monsieur Nous avons l’honneur de vous convoquer à l’Assemblée Générale de votre immeuble, qui se tiendra le :                                                                                 VENDREDI 2 OCTOBRE 2020 à 18H00 Nous vous prions d’agréer, Monsieur, l’expression de nos sincères salutations.                                                                                                            LE SYNDIC

Tips to write a formal French letter or email

I hope that this list of phrases and the idea that the most essential thing is to clearly communicate will make it easier for you to write a formal or business French letter or email.

If you still don’t feel confident, you may be able to find templates for certain letters by doing an online search for the phrase mod èle de , followed by the type of letter or email you have to write – for instance: mod èle de lettre de motivation (cover/job application letter template).

You can also ask Francophone friends or use online forums to see if your letter or email is written correctly. If you’re using a forum or talking to someone you don’t know well, of course be sure to leave out any specific personal information.

Keep in mind that in many cases — for instance if you’re sending a message to request information — the person on the other end just needs to understand you and understand that you’re being polite and respectful; if you make a few small errors, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t let your fear hold you back from asking for something important.

If it is holding you back, one thing I used to do was to start my letter or email with an explanation like:

Je m’excuse par avance pour d’éventuelles erreurs dans cette lettre/ce m é l, le français n’est pas ma langue maternelle.   (I apologize in advance for any possible errors in this letter/this email; French isn’t my native language.)

Informal French letter closings and openings

Writing a friendly email, card, or letter in French is a lot easier than writing a formal or professional one – after all, you’re communicating with people you know and probably are close to, so there’s less pressure and less formality required.  Still, there are a few common things you may want to know how to say, and a few that should probably be included in your message, as well.

Here are the essential words and phrases for opening and closing informal French letters:

Cher(s)/Chère(s) – Dear

Keep in mind that this should agree with the number and gender of the person/people you’re writing to. Although this is a standard way to start a friendly letter or email in French, I’ve personally found that it’s a bit old-fashioned. People of older generations use it in cards or letters, but younger people tend to use greetings like Bonjour , Salut , or Coucou .

Bonjour/Salut/Coucou – Hello, Hi, Hi there

These greetings are more commonly used by French people in informal or friendly correspondence, especially people of younger generations. Check out our article on French greetings to learn more about the specific uses and connotations of each one.

Je vous/te remercie de/pour OR Merci pour (I thank you for/Thank you for).  

As you might have guessed, Merci pour is the more informal, general way to thank someone, while Je te remercie de/pour is a bit more formal. I would use the latter, for instance, with a very old French acquaintance or relative.

Example: Merci pour ta carte. (Thanks for your card.) -I would write this to a friend. Or Je te remercie pour ta carte. (Thank you for your card.) – I would write this to an older French friend or acquaintance.

Passe le bonjour de ma part à – Say hi to ___ for me. 

You may also see this written as Passe le bonjour or Passe-lui le bonjour , where the de ma part is understood.

Example: Passe le bonjour à toute ta famille.

Amitiés – Warm Regards/Kind Regards

This is a friendly yet still somewhat formal way to sign off in non-professional correspondence. You can use it with acquaintances or a group of friends, for example.

Bien à vous – Sincerely yours/Best Wishes

The literal translation of this sign-off is “Good [things] to you.” You can also use it in some friendly business correspondence. Apparently, it’s even more common in Belgian French than in the French spoken in France. Still, I encounter it quite a lot here in letters and emails from people who are quite fond of me and/or my family, but who don’t know us extremely well.

Bisous (à tous) – Love (to you all)

As in English, this is a sign-off that’s used with people you’re very close to, like family and good friends.

Bises – Kisses

This is a bit less formal.

Je t’embrasse/Je vous embrasse/On t’embrasse/On vous embrasse/Nous t’embrassons/Nous vous embrassons – All our love/With love.

This phrase literally means “I/We kiss you”. It’s a bit more formal than the other closings on this list, but I sometimes find that even people close to us, or family members, use it. You’ll sometimes see bien fort added to the end, for instance: Je t’embrasse bien fort. This is the rough equivalent “Big kisses” or “Lots of Love”  and, to me, shows a bit more affection and familiarity.

If you want even more options, this article is a good source of additional openings, phrases, and closings for informal or friendly French letters and emails.

Three examples of informal or friendly French emails and letters

Here are three emails or letters that I’ve recently received from friends and family in France, as well as an example of an informal exchange about selling an item online.  

I. An email from a French friend

(Note: All personal information has been removed or replaced):

Bonjour Alysa, J’ai mis le temps, mais ça y est, j’ai enregistré nos photos de l’anniversaire d’Antoine dans un album Google. Et vous, comment ça va ? Avez-vous pris des vacances pour la Toussaint ? Antoine et moi sommes partis 4 jours au Portugal. Ça nous a fait un bien fou ! Nous vous faisons des bises et vous disons à bientôt, Carole & Antoine

II. A card from French relatives

Alysa, [my husband], [my son], Merci pour votre carte. Nous vous souhaitons de joyeuses fêtes de Noel. On vous embrasse très fort, Nadine et Charles

III. A reply from someone selling a bookshelf online

This is a reply to a message I left on famous French classifieds site Le Bon Coin, regarding some bookshelves I was interested in buying:

Bonjour, les bibliothèques ne sont plus disponibles. Merci pour votre message. Cdt

As you can see from the last message, informal correspondence, especially online, is often very influenced by French texting slang and abbreviations .

Still, the messages on these sites are almost always polite – French people typically take the time to at least end the first one with some form of Cordialement .

Essential French phrases for specific occasions

Here are a few French phrases you’ll commonly see or use for specific occasions and situations:

• Félicitations/Toutes mes félicitations – Congratulations/My heartfelt congratulations
• Joyeux anniversaire – Happy Birthday
• Bonne année – Happy New Year
• Bonnes fêtes/Joyeuses fêtes – Happy Holidays
• Meilleurs vœux – Best wishes/Season’s greetings

Meilleurs vœux shows goodwill for a specific event, for instance, if someone graduated school. But it’s also typically used during the winter holiday season to mean “Season’s greetings”.

• Sincères condoléances/Toutes mes condoléances – My condolences/My sincere/heartfelt condolences
• Merci/Mes remerciements  – Thank you/My sincere thanks
• Tu me manques/Vous me manquez – I miss you.
• Je t’aime – I love you. 

I’ll end this guide to writing a French letter with a short, somewhat formal note:

Chers lecteurs,

J’espère que vous avez trouvé cet article utile, et que vous ne serez pas (ou ne serez plus) intimid é s quand vous devez é crire une lettre ou un m é l en français.

 Bonne continuation et bon courage !

Cordialement,

• What are the best French learning apps in 2024?
• The 16 best websites and apps for French conversation practice
• Duolingo French review: The good, the bad and the ugly

Alysa Salzberg

Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France, for more than a decade. She has taught English and French for more than ten years, most notably as an assistante de langue vivante for L'Education Nationale. She recently published her first novel, Hearts at Dawn , a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling that takes place during the 1870 Siege of Paris. You can read about her adventures here , or feel free to stop by her website .

Writing a Professional Email in French (Sample template included)

Updated: April 24, 2021 by Mylene in Guides and Tips Array  ▪ English Français  

Writing a formal email in French can be a challenge. Many people send multiple emails per day to recap an important meeting, to relay an important update, or simply to contact someone. If you’re looking for a job, you’ll also have to compose and send a cover letter.

Whether you want to make a good first impression or you want to write emails that get replies, you have to learn the basics. Sounding professional in French is not always easy. The key is to use the right formula for the right situation.

In France, the term “e-mail” is commonly used. 

In this article, I’ll give you the sentences you need to write a professional email in French:

• Use the proper greeting
• Introduce yourself
• Be 100% Formal
• How to write “enclosed” for an attached file
• Choose the right object
• Re-read your email
• Useful phrases
• Add your signature
• Infographic

Sample Email in French

How to write a formal email in french, 1. use the proper greeting.

Being polite is important. 

If you don’t know the name nor the gender of the recipient (le destinataire), use:

• Madame, Monsieur,
• Mesdames, Messieurs,

If you know the gender but not the name , then only Madame or Monsieur should be used.

Even if you know the recipient’s name , then Madame or Monsieur is still appropriate.

A formal relationship with someone whose title you know :

• Madame la directrice,
• Monsieur le Président,

A formal relationship with someone whose name you know :

• Monsieur Untel,
• Madame Dupont,

2. Introduce yourself

You have to explain the purpose of your email at first.

After the greetings, introduce your reason for writing. For instance, you can refer to an earlier in-person conversation with the recipient (le destinataire). For example:

• Suite à notre entretien du 14 juin: Following up on our interview on June 14th…
• The following phrases are good choices when your letter’s intent is to inquire about employment Je vous propose ma candidature pour le poste: I would like to submit my candidacy for the position
• Je me réfère à votre annonce parue dans: with reference to your post advertised in
• Votre annonce parue dans… a retenu toute mon attention: Your post advertised in… caught my attention
• Je me permets de poser ma candidature pour le poste de… / au poste de: I wish to apply for the post of…
• Je vous serais très reconnaissant/reconnaissante de : I would be very grateful if you could…

3. Be 100% Formal

When writing formal letters, always use “vous” and never “tu”.

When using you in the singular form, tu implies intimacy and informality, whereas vous is used in formal contexts.

Vous is always used when referring to a group.

4. How to write “enclosed” for an attached file

Most official documents have a title, so look for the title to insert the appropriate name of the document .

• Veuillez trouver le document demandé en pièce: Please find the requested document as asked
• Je vous joins mon CV: I enclose my resume
• Veuillez trouver ci-joint mon CV: Please find attached my resume

5. Choose the right objet

However, just like an email in English, you’ll have a subject or in French “objet” which tells the recipient what the email is about. Choose a keyword that is professional . For example:

• Candidature pour le poste de chef de projet: Application for the position of project manager
• Location appartement: Apartment rental
• Demande de renseignements: Information request

A French business email always ends with a formule de politesse, a closing formula .

Some typical formal ending formulas are:

• Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the title as you started your letter), l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.: Yours sincerely.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame Intel, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.

Another formal sentence would be:

• Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the title as you started your letter), l’expression de mes salutations dévouées.
• Je vous prie d’agréer, (repeat the salutation), l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.

The following sentence adds an extra thank you at the beginning for some extra respect points.

• Avec mes remerciements, je vous prie de trouver ici, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués. 

If you’re waiting on a response from someone in a formal situation, you can add “waiting for your response” to the beginning of one of these expressions: 

• Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.

7. Re-read your email

Re-read your email out loud to ensure it makes sense. By reading the whole email, it will save a lot of stress for you, your colleague, and the client. To avoid any complications and awkward situations you have to always read business-related emails very carefully. Keep in mind that he or she may be having a super busy day so you need to be concise and provide all the necessary information.

So proofread your e-mail before sending. Take your time ! Check the list of recipients, title, content, attachments.

8. Useful phrases

You can embellish an email with the following common phrases :

• J’ai une question concernant: I have a question about
• Je serai disponible le: I’m available on
• Je reste à votre entière disposition pour tout renseignement complémentaire: Please do not hesitate to contact me should you need any further information.
• Nous vous remercions de votre compréhension: Thank you for your understanding

9. Add your signature

The signature is a tool to maintain contact with an interlocutor.

It can be found at the very end of your email. This is to provide the recipient with more detailed information and contact details of the sender. There are compulsory information which must appear in the signature, and which are the following:

• First name and name
• Position in the company
• Legal status of the company
• Full company address
• Company Website
• Sender or company phone number and email address

Additionally, you can include links to social media or the company logo in the signature. However, some users have blocked image files in emails for security reasons, it should therefore be ensured that the signature is acceptable without the logo.

5 ways to improve Your Professional email in French

• Be 100% formal
• Use the proper closing

Objet : Candidature – Chef de projets

Madame Intel, Votre annonce pour un poste de chef de projets a retenu toute mon attention.

Mes précédentes expériences m’ont permis de développer des compétences que je souhaite aujourd’hui mettre au service de votre entreprise.

Participer à l’évolution de votre structure serait une très belle opportunité.

En m’appuyant sur mes connaissances, mon sens de l’adaptation et mes expériences dans divers secteurs d’activités je suis convaincue d’avoir les qualités requises pour ce poste.

Je vous laisse le soin de découvrir mon parcours à la lecture de mon CV et j’aurais le plaisir de discuter de ce poste avec vous.

Dans l’attente de vous faire part de mes motivations, veuillez agréer, Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.

Mylène Bidule

Here how the French version translates to English:

Your job posting for a project manager position caught my attention.

My previous experiences have allowed me to develop skills that I now want to put at the service of your company.

Participating in the evolution of your structure would be a great opportunity.

Based on my knowledge, my adaptability and my experience in various business sectors, I am convinced that I have the qualities required for this position.

I leave it to you to discover my background by reading my resume and I would have the pleasure to discuss this position with you.

Yours sincerely, Mylène Bidule

Keep learning

This guide gives you the flexibility to tweak and the freedom to use any of the suggested sentences. In addition, the template is a good start for you to get inspired when writing a professional email in French. So, hope you’ll find it useful.

I have also published a number of how-to articles that you can check to learn how to think in French or also how to be successful when taking online courses .

How to learn French better: 5 keys for success

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

How to Write a Formal Letter in French

When you're studying French, there may be instances where you need to write a formal letter in French. For example, if you're applying for an exchange program in a campus in France. If you have zero clue in writing a letter in French, no worries. I've got you covered.

Serina Rajagukguk

When you're studying French, there may be instances where you need to write a formal letter in French. For example, if you're applying for an exchange program in a campus in France. If you have zero clues in writing a French letter, no worries. I've got you covered.

It may sound unbelievable, but in the world of texts, Snapchats, and Instagram stories, French people still hold writing skill very dearly .

It is no wonder then, for French people, eloquent formal letters are taken in high regard . A well-written formal letter often gets more attention than one that doesn't look as polished.

Also, some formal letters are considered legally binding in France, for example, letters that are used to inform your boss of your resignation.

The funny thing is: formal French letters tend to be more formal than formal English letters . For starter, in French, there's a strict structure to follow. It's advised to avoid all abbreviations as well.

To be completely honest, even the native French dread to write a formal letter in French.

However, there's no need to weep in a fetal position if you need to write one.

Follow the step-by-step in this article to write a great formal letter in French. I'll also include ready-to-use French letter phrases that you can copy and paste directly into your letter.

And because we're super nice people, you can download a French formal letter example at the end of this article!

Before You Start to Write a Fench Letter

Before anything else, you need to know a few things to "prime" your letter. Understanding these will help you be in the right state of mind right from the start.

1. Know Your Reader

The politest thing to do is address your letter directly to the person: 'Monsieur Dupont' or 'Madame Bijoux'.

• This will show you've done your research – thus impress the person reading it, and
• It helps you visualize the person you're writing to. This seems like a useless thing, but writing by keeping a particular person in your head helps a great deal in choosing the words.

What if, after a ton of research, you still don't know? In that case, try as best as you can to know the gender of the person to be able to say 'Monsieur' or 'Madame'.

If you still can't find that, use 'Madame/Monsieur'. Some people will tell you to use only 'Monsieur' or 'Messieurs' (Sir or Sirs), and some will even tell you that French still do this sexist practice. Not in 2018, mes amis!

To summarize, here’s a quick reference guide for an opening a formal letter opening: If you know the name of the person- Monsieur X / Madame X If you do not know the gender OR name of the person- Madame, Monsieur If you know the gender but do not know the name or title- Madame / Monsieur If you want to address it very generally (a bit old-fashioned)- Messieurs If you know the gender and title- Monsieur le Directeur / Madame la Directrice

2. Be 100% Formal

French letter writing is a form of art which asks you to be rigorous and creative at the same time. In practice, this means:

• It's always 'vous' and never 'tu' in a formal letter.
• Never use a slang word or phrase , EVER.
• Dot all the i's and cross all the t's. In French, this translates into not forgetting any accent , capital letter or apostrophe.
• Try to avoid grammar mistakes as much as you can. However, if the reader knows you're a learner, errors are very forgivable.

3. One Page Maximum

Write it well, write it efficiently. Unless you can't do otherwise, fit your words on one page.

This is even more important when it's a resume (Curriculum Vitae in French) or an application letter. It's then crucial to delete any fluff and edit your sentences like a hawk .

The Structure of a Formal French Letter

Believe it or not, there's a structure to follow in how to write a formal letter in French that very few people dare to deviate from. It's like the unspoken golden rule.

When I was studying to get my degree in French letters, this was a module. That's how important this structure is.

• Your name and address
• The name and the address of the person you're writing to
• Place and date
• The purpose of your letter
• Opening paragraph – 1 paragraph
• The "meat" of your letter (why you're writing) - 2 to 3 paragraphs
• Closing paragraph – 1 paragraphs
• Your signature

To see how this structure pans out in real life, check out the example below!

Let's Write a Formal Letter in French!

Let's do a walk-the-talk part, shall we?

Here at Speechling , we take pride in helping you practice as we believe that doing is the best way of learning.

We're going to use sentences and words that one often uses when writing a formal letter so you can re-use them. You can also download the final product at the end of this article.

You WILL need to change some if not many of the elements here, so use your best judgment.

For the sake of continuity with my example in the very beginning, let's do a school application letter . For example, one you'll need to write if you want to be an exchange student at a university in France.

In French, this is called 'une lettre de motivation'.

This means that you're supposed to:

• detail your motivation to apply – emphasizing on why you're interested in their program.
• give the reasons why you think you deserve to be accepted.

1. The Letter Head

To make things simpler, let's follow the structure of the letter provided above.

The easy part: put your name and address in the top left corner of your letter .

After you've found out the exact person you're adressing to, put his/her name and address in the top right corner of your letter .

For the purpose of example, let's say that we don't know who's responsible for the student exchange program. So, you can write something like this:

Directeur du Programme d'échanges Université Panthéon-Sorbonne 1 17 rue de la Sorbonne 75005 Paris

If you feel that addressing it to the Head of Department is better, use this:

Directeur de la Faculté de Langues

(or whatever faculty it is you wish to enter).

• After, put a place and date of writing. You can put this under the name and address of the person you're writing to.

Sydney, le 3 mai 2018

• Don't forget to put the purpose of your letter.

Objet: Candidature pour un semestre académique à la Faculté de langues

Translation: Subject: Application to a semester of exchange at the Languages Faculty

2. Opening Your Letter

Now, the top of your letter is done. PHEEW!!

Let's write the "real" thing.

• As we said earlier, we don't know the gender of the person reading your letter. So, open your letter like this:

Madame, Monsieur,

However, if you know the name of the person, use his/her family name only:

Monsieur Dupont,

Avoid using 'Cher Monsieur' or 'Chère Madame' to open your letter (Dear Sir or Dear Madam). Remember that this is a 100% formal letter.

Keep the 'Dear Sir/Madam' if you know him/her personally only.

• Then, write your one opening paragraph. Keep this short!

The smartest way to do this it to avoid the fluff 'My name is Serina, and I'm writing to you because...'

Instead, write something like this:

Étudiant(e) en 3ème année en Lettres Françaises à l'Université de Sydney, je souhaite vivement intégrer votre formation afin de réaliser un semestre académique via le programme d'échanges.

(As a 3rd-year student in French Letters at the University of Sydney, I would very much like to follow an academic semester in your faculty via the exchange program.)

Yes, that's one sentence that's also a paragraph. It already packs a bit of who you are and why you're writing this particular letter.

3. The Content of Your Letter

Let's continue our letter with the 'meat of our sandwich', aka the most important part of your letter.

This is an example:

Pour me préparer au mieux au monde de travail après mon cursus universitaire, séjourner en France représente un réel tremplin. Grâce au programme d'échanges proposé à l’Université Panthéon-Sorbonne 1, je pourrai à la fois parfaire mes connaissances en Français et découvrir une culture à laquelle je m’intéresse depuis plusieurs années.

(To prepare myself better for the professional world after my studies, living in France would be a real springboard. Thanks to the exchange program offered by the University Panthéon-Sorbonne 1, I will be able to both practice French and discover the culture which I have been interested in for years.)

Aussi curieux(euse) que motivé(e), je saurai tirer profit personnellement mais aussi professionnellement de ce programme en France. Je vois également ce séjour dans une université française comme une étape incontournable de mes études supérieures et un atout majeur dans la construction de mon projet professionnel.

(As a curious and motivated person, I'll be able to take advantage personally and professionally of this program in France. I also see this exchange in a French university as an essential step in my studies and a major asset as I'm building toward my professional project.)

In these two short paragraphs, you have managed to:

• Give pertinent details of who you are and why you're a great fit (you're interested in the culture, motivated and curious).
• Elaborate on the reasons you're applying (you're planning to use this opportunity to build personal character and jumpstart a career in the future).

4. French Letter Closing

Ideally, write your closing in one paragraph only.

But if there's a minor additional detail you wish to say and or don't like the cramped look, it's better to have a two 'faux-paragraphs' in this section.

For example:

J'attache mon Curriculum Vitae à cette lettre pour que vous puissiez en prendre compte.

is better written as a small paragraph of its own.

Translation: I attach my resume to this letter so that you can take it into account.

Otherwise, you can use this as your closing paragraph:

Je me tiens à votre entière disposition pour tous renseignements complémentaires et vous prie, Madame, Monsieur, d'agréer l'expression de mes respectueuses salutations.

(I'm at your disposition if you need any additional information and I wish that you would, Madame, Monsieur, accept my respectful salutations.)

Another common French letter closing:

En vous remerciant de l'attention que vous portez à cette lettre, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.

(I thank you for the attention you gave to this letter, and please accept, Madame, Monsieur, the assurances of my highest considerations.)

In the right bottom corner of your letter, write your name preceded by:

Respectueusement,

(Respectfully,)

To summarize, here are some great options for closing a formal letter: Je vous prie d’agréer, X, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées/ mes sentiments distingués- The literal translation doesn't sum up the meaning, but it's a way to close a very formal letter in French. Careful to spell “distingué” correctly! “Salutations” is feminine but sentiments is masculine, thus the difference! Je vous prie d’agréer, X, l’expression de mes salutations dévouées- similar to the above, but usually used in a letter from someone who is providing a service. Je vous prie d’agréer, X, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.- very formal, but a bit more personal Respectueusement, Cordialement- much less formal, but still polite

If you have a digital signature handy, you can use that too, to sign your letter.

And... you're done! High five!

5. Download and Use This Letter

To download this example of a formal French letter, click here . Do not forget, however, to edit it as your need/situation.

If you're a girl, use 'étudiante,' 'motivée' and 'curieuse.'

Change also the program/university/faculty name as your real need.

Also, important note: If you know the name of the person, change all 'Madame, Monsieur' into the person you're writing to.

En vous remerciant de l'attention que vous portez à cette lettre, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame Bijoux, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.

Well, how can I write a letter in French to my friend?

Don’t worry—I got you covered with some suggestions on how to write a letter in French to a friend or family member, too!

Since you wouldn’t have to worry so much about a heading, you really only need to know how to open the letter (Dear….) and close it out (From…). The rest is up to you!

Suggestions on how to start your letter in French: Opening: Cher X (for a boy), chère X (for a girl) - translates as "dear" (if you’re going for plural, it’s chers/chères) Salut, X! - Hi! Coucou! - Hiya! Literally means knock, knock Bonjour, X! - Hello, X!

Closing: Bises, bisous-kisses (this isn’t just romantic! Friends and family say it, too!) Je t'embrasse – I hug you, or “hugs”! Je vous embrasse – I hug you all (meant for more than one person)

But what about how to write an email in French?

In the electronic age, you may very well not only write a formal letter; you may also write a formal email.

Colleges, businesses, jobs--they all often communicate by email. That means that you need to be able to project a positive image of yourself across a keyboard. And that's also why it's just as important to know how to write an email in French.

The good news? For the most part, most of the rules stay the same. A formal letter in French can be found on paper or in an inbox. The French simply prefer more formal means of communication.

However, just like an email in English, you’ll have a “subject” or, in French, “objet” which tells the recipient what the email is about. Choose a keyword that is professional, such as “appartement” or “poste de professeur.”

An email in French will probably be a bit shorter. For the rest of it, like the salutation and closing, you can stick to the reference guide above in very formal situations, such as applying for a job, writing a customer or asking a business for a service.

In fact, let’s also add to the list the very formal: "Dans l’attente de votre réponse, nous vous prions d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, nos salutations les meilleures."

Since emails are by nature more brief than a letter, you can also opt for "Cordialement" and "Mes Salutations." This is especially more appropriate when responding to an ad for a product someone is selling, for example.

You can find a sample email from someone wanting to rent an apartment. Just don’t forget to edit it as needed!

And voilà...that's it!

Final Words

There are many reasons to write a formal letter, and we've just covered one of them. However, the phrases we used above are very versatile, and you can recycle them to fit your purpose.

The most important thing to remember is this: do NOT panic.

Your letter doesn't have to be perfect. You can have it looked at by your French teacher, for example. But really, even if it's not 100% polished and in perfect grammar , everything's is going to be okay.

As I always say, "French people really appreciate the fact that you're learning their difficult language." Here's a standing ovation for your efforts!

Speechling is a nonprofit app and website that combines human coaching with technology to improve your foreign language speaking.

Write a cover letter in French

• February 9, 2022
• , A2 , B1 , B2 , Tips

Table of contents

In today’s lesson, let’s take a look at what a cover letter in French looks like. This lesson can be useful for A2 to B2 students (but if you are still wondering at C1 and C2, please feel free to stick around).

How to write a cover letter in French – Écouter

La lettre de motivation en français – cover letter in french, la structure de la lettre de motivation en français.

Expéditeur : Le nom et l’adresse de la personne qui envoie la lettre / Name and address of the person sending the letter

Destinataire : Le nom et l’adresse de la personne qui reçoit la lettre / Name and address of the person receiving the letter

Par exemple, le nom de la personne et son poste:

Monsieur Dupont

Directeur des ressources humaines

[Nom de l’entreprise]

Si vous ne connaissez pas le destinataire, écrivez directement le poste: 

À l’attention du directeur des ressources humaines

Date : La date de rédaction / Date of writing

Objet : L’objet, le titre de la lettre / The subject, the title of the letter

Généralement, vous allez y écrire une phrase simple, sans verbes, comme : 

Candidature pour un poste de cuisinier

Candidature pour l’offre d’emploi ABC25X

Formule d’appel : Les salutations / Greetings.

Si vous connaissez le destinataire, écrivez directement: 

Madame (si c’est une femme)

Monsieur (si c’est un homme)

Si vous ne connaissez pas le destinataire, vous pouvez y écrire: 

Madame, Monsieur,

Contenu de la lettre : Le contenu de votre lettre de motivation / The content of your cover letter

Formule de politesse : Avant de signer, une formule pour prendre congé / Before signing, an expression to say goodbye

Signature : La signature de l’expéditeur / Sender’s signature

You might also like

Dictée A2 – Les vêtements d’automne

Need help in learning french.

A platform that I can highly recommend would be LanguaTalk.com . There, you can find some very talented native tutors from France and Belgium. Prices depend on the tutor you choose and start from around 14 US dollars (or 12 euros). You can see tutors’ reviews and videos then book a 30-minute free trial session with them. 

If you want to check out their podcast in slow French, you can click here !

Le plan de la lettre de motivation en français

Pour le contenu de votre lettre de motivation en français, il est généralement conseillé de l’écrire en trois parties: MOI, VOUS, NOUS . 

For the content of your cover letter in French, it is generally advised to write it in three parts: ME, YOU, US .

Moi : le candidat. Il doit se présenter d’une manière intéressante pour l’employeur (ou le recruteur). Il doit mettre en avant ses points forts : expérience professionnelle, cursus universitaire, études, formations… Il faut savoir se mettre en valeur (sans en faire trop !).

Moi : the candidate. They must present themselves in an interesting way for the employer (or recruiter). He/she must put forward his/her strong points: professional experience, academic background, studies, training… You have to know how to highlight yourself (without doing too much!).

Vous : L’entreprise. Il faut mettre en avant les aspects positifs de l’entreprise. Pourquoi répondez-vous à l’annonce de l’offre d’emploi ?  Ceci n’est pas “juste une candidature”. Vous visez  le poste que vous rêvez de décrocher ! Pour réussir cette partie, il est indispensable de d’abord faire quelques recherches sur l’entreprise et son secteur d’activité.

Vous : The company. You should highlight the positive aspects of the company. Why are you responding to the job posting? This is not “just an application”. You are aiming for the job you dream of getting! To succeed in this part, it is essential to first do some research on the company and its sector of activity.

Nous : La collaboration. Il faut synthétiser votre collaboration avec l’entreprise. Que pouvez-vous vous apporter mutuellement ? Soulignez la compatibilité de votre profil avec le poste recherché, le domaine d’activité. Le candidat mettra au service de l’entreprise toute son expérience. C’est l’idée qu’il faut appuyer afin d’encourager l’employeur à rencontrer le candidat.

Us : Collaboration. You need to synthesize your collaboration with the company. What can you bring to each other? Emphasize the compatibility of your profile with the position that they’re trying to fill in, the field of activity. The candidate will put all their experience at the service of the company. This is the idea that must be supported in order to encourage the employer to meet the candidate.

La formule de politesse

Saying goodbye  

Il existe énormément de formules de politesse pour terminer une lettre de motivation en français. N’oubliez pas de remercier le destinataire ! 

Je vous remercie de l’attention que vous avez porté à ma candidature.

Je vous remercie de l’attention que vous avez accordé à ma candidature.

(Vous pouvez aussi les écrire au futur simple)

Je vous remercie de l’attention que vous porterez à ma candidature.

Je vous remercie de l’attention que vous accorderez à ma candidature.

Pour prendre congé, celles que j’utilise le plus souvent sont: 

Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.

Je vous prie de croire, Madame, Monsieur, à ma considération distinguée.

Je vous prie de recevoir, Madame, Monsieur, mes salutations distinguées.

Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes sincères salutations.

Let’s now take a look at an example of cover letter in French. 

An example of cover letter in French

Mme. Marie Dupont

35 avenue de la Liberté 

M. Jean Martin

Agence ML Communications

23 rue des Lilas 69004 Lyon

Le 5 décembre 2022

Objet : Candidature pour le poste d’assistante de direction

Je me permets de vous soumettre ma candidature pour un poste d’assistante de direction au sein de votre entreprise. Je suis actuellement titulaire d’un diplôme professionnel d’Assistante de Direction.

Grâce à mon expérience professionnelle de 5 ans, j’ai acquis et développé des compétences que je souhaite mettre à votre disposition, notamment en informatique et comptabilité.

Mes années d’expérience en tant qu’assistante de direction ont également contribué à renforcer mon sens de l’organisation mais aussi mon sens de l’anticipation et ma réactivité, des compétences que je juge indispensables dans ce domaine.

J’ai donc l’habitude de collaborer avec un grand nombre de services et de directions. J’ai entendu parler de votre agence spécialisée dans la communication et l’histoire de votre entreprise ainsi que votre façon de travailler m’ont fortement interpellée. Votre expertise et votre professionnalisme ont su former votre réputation.

C’est pour cette raison que je pense que mon profil pourrait convenir au poste d’assistante de direction. Je souhaiterais intégrer votre équipe afin de vous apporter mon expérience au profit de votre agence.

Je souhaite ainsi vous rencontrer afin de vous faire part plus longuement de mes motivations et de ce que je pourrais vous apporter dans le cadre de futures collaborations.

Je vous remercie de l’attention que vous porterez à ma candidature.  Dans cette attente, je vous prie de recevoir, Monsieur, mes salutations distinguées.

Marie Dupont

How to write a cover letter in French – Conclusion

I hope that you enjoyed today’s lesson on how to write a cover letter in French ! 

À bientôt ! 

Join the Facebook community

Share this post

Recent posts.

Ma routine | Practice time in French

Why French is hard to learn

French Job Interview Dialogue | Intermediate

1 thought on “write a cover letter in french”.

BONJOUR MADAME JUSTE JE SUSI ECRIRE ICI POUR LA TESE

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

I accept the Privacy Policy

Learn To French

• Free Resources
• 1-800-567-9619
• Subscribe to the blog Thank you! Please check your inbox for your confirmation email. You must click the link in the email to verify your request.
• Explore Archive
• Explore Language & Culture Blogs

Writing a Letter in French Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 28, 2009 in Culture , Grammar , Vocabulary

Do you ever need to write a letter in French either for work, school or pleasure?  Well, today, I’m going to try to help you out a bit with this task.  First, let’s talk about a formal/business letter.  Let’s say you need to write a letter to a company asking for information.  You can put your company name and address in the top, left-hand corner.  You place the city you are writing from, a comma, and the current date in the top, right-hand corner.  About four lines down you write the name and address of the place you’re writing to again in the top, right-hand corner.  If you are writing in response or in relation to anything that has a reference number, place that reference number aligned to the left after the words “ Ref. ” or “ Objet “.  Another four lines down, you write “ Madame, ” (if you’re writing to a woman) or “ Monsieur, ” (if you’re writing to a man) to the left.  You can write the name of the person before the comma if you know who you are writing to.  If you don’t know whether the person receiving the letter is a man or woman, you can write “Monsieur,Madame,” Then, you indent once and begin the body of your letter.  After you finish the body of the letter, you write one of the ready-made long closings ( f ormule de politesse ) just like a paragraph.  Finally, you sign the letter aligned to the right.  If you’d like you can include your job position/written name aligned to the right just above your signature.   And that’s it!  Your letter might look something like this:

Club de Français 105, rue de la Gaité 75014 PARIS

Monsieur, Madame,

Voulez-vous avoir l’obligeance de m’envoyer une documentation sur votre club (cotisation, programme d’activités, etc.) à l’adresse suivante :

M. Sylvain BOUCHON 15, rue d’Espagne 34000 MONTPELLIER

Avec mes remerciements, veuillez agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.

Sylvain BOUCHON Sylvain Bouchon

Here are some different closings you can use.  They pretty much just mean “Yours Faithfully” or “Sincerely”: V euillez agréer, Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués (the most common) Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur, à l’expression de ma vive sympathie. (replace  Monsieur with  Madame in the above if writing to a woman instead of a man)

Do any of you know of another f ormule de politesse ?  Please share with us in a comment!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: Transparent Language

Transparent Language is a leading provider of best-practice language learning software for consumers, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses. We want everyone to love learning language as much as we do, so we provide a large offering of free resources and social media communities to help you do just that!

Au Plasir! (formule de politesse)

I love this website it tells you everything you need to know about writing a letter in french. I wrote a letter by using this website i just love it.

well sick mate

The website has helped me to prepare adequately for my DELF A1 exams. Merci beaucoup.

Toolkit: Writing a Letter or Email in French

Writing a letter or email in french.

Writing a formal letter or email in French may seem like a daunting prospect, especially as the language that you need to use has to follow certain patterns of etiquette that you would never hear in everyday speech. However, when you break down the letter down into the different set phrases employed within it, you will see that it is not that different from the type of document that you would write in English.

Opening Salutations

If you have never met the person that you are addressing before, and want to say the equivalent of ‘To whom it may concern’, you should write ‘ Madame, Monsieur ’ . However, if you know their name, you can write ‘Monsieur X’ or ‘ Madame X’ . The tone changes slightly if you have met them before, in which case you can be slightly less formal and say ‘Cher Monsieur X’ or ‘Chère Madame X ’.

The Body Of The Letter

If you are struggling to open your letter or email, you could turn to one of the following sentences:

• If you are following up a message that your destinataire ‘recipient’ has previously sent to you, you may write ‘en réponse à votre lettre’ or ‘je vous remercie de votre lettre’. If it is formal correspondence, as you probably know, you should always use ‘vous’ rather than ‘tu’.
• If it is you who is beginning the exchange, a straightforward ‘je vous écris pour…’ is perhaps a good way to begin.
• When enclosing or attaching documents, it is customary to write ‘veuillez trouver ci-joint…’ (‘please see attached…’), and if you want the recipient to send something to you, a polite way to ask is ‘ veuillez me/nous faire parvenir…’ .
• While writing your letter, pay attention to French punctuation rules, and how they sometimes differ from the English. When using an exclamation mark, a question mark or a colon, there is a space between the word and the symbol.

Closing Remarks

• Just like in English, there are several different set phrases that you can use to close a letter or email in French. If you want to say ‘I look forward to hearing from you’, you can either put ‘ dans l’attente de vous lire’ or ‘dans l’attente de votre réponse’, and if you think that they may want to get in touch with questions or queries, you would write ‘ n’hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avez des questions’ .
• To sign off a very formal letter, it is normal to use the very elaborate phrase ‘ je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur/Madame X, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées’. If the message is fairly formal, ‘meilleures salutations’ will suffice, and if you are writing to someone that you know but still want to maintain a certain level of respect, ‘ (Bien) Cordialement’ or ‘Bien à vous’ is the best thing to say.

You write the address of the destinataire on the front of the envelope, using the same formula as you would in the UK or the USA, but it is also customary to write the details of the expéditeur (‘sender’) in one line across the back:

Finally, if you need help navigating the French post office system, click HERE .

Click HERE for more handy language toolkits.

What to do in Paris France in April 2024

Boat Party – September 2024

French traditions

Utilities and Bills in France

Where to Live in Paris?

Intraduisibles

Referral Programme

Les Mardis de Babylangues

Free Guided Tours

Arbeiten in Frankreich

Toolkit: Flat Hunting

Writing an Email in French: My best tips

• November 22, 2021

How do you write an email in French?

Let’s say you want to send an email to thank your teacher for your progress in French. Should you use “ Tu ” or “ Vous ” ? How do you start and end an email? Which sentences can you use?

Let’s dive in.

Want all the vocabulary of the lesson ?

1) write an email in french: greetings.

So what’s in an email, after l’objet (= the subject line) ?

Before diving into the heart of the email, let’s start with the first line.

It’s usually a greeting of some sort, such as:

• Bonjour (= Hello )
• Bonsoir (= Good evening )
• Salut (= Hi! , informal, with friends)
• Coucou (= Hi! , informal and a bit more intimate)

Just as in spoken French!

Click here to learn more: Mastering the Basics: French Greetings + How to Practice Your French

Or you can be more formal, and write your email like you’d write a letter:

• Monsieur, madame, (= Dear Sir / Madam , cold and formal, if you don’t know who’s going to read the letter.)
• Cher monsieur, (= Dear Sir, warmer but still formal)
• Chère madame, (= Dear Madam, same but for a woman)

We would never really use these in spoken French.

Here, Cher / chère means “ dear ,” but as you probably know, it also means “ expensive ” when talking about things you can buy.

• Une montre chère = an expensive watch
• Un ami cher / un cher ami = a dear friend

Le truc en + : Some French adjectives have two meanings like “ cher ,” one more down-to-earth, the other more metaphorical. When the adjective comes after the noun, it’s usually the concrete meaning. When it comes before the noun, it’s usually the metaphorical meaning. For instance : un grand homme = a great man, un homme grand = a tall man.

By the way, Chéri (Chérie / Mon chéri / Ma chérie) means “ my love, my dear. ” Don’t make the embarrassing mistake of sending that greeting to your French teacher instead of “ cher ” !

It’s becoming more common to start an email the “American way,” with simply the name of your reader: Géraldine, … (I’m not fond of this greeting in French.)

2) Write an email in French: Ending an email

Ending an email also relies on a few usual expressions:

• Bisous (= kisses ) → Informal and intimate, for family and close friends
• Bonne journée (= Have a nice day ) → Neutral, friendly
• Cordialement (= Cordially ) → More formal. Common in letters and emails, never used in spoken French.
• Bien à vous (= Yours / Kind regards ) → Formal but warm and friendly.
• Veuillez agréer, Madame, mes sincères salutations… (= Please accept, Madam, my sincere greetings… ) → Very formal. I never used it, even in writing, and it’s never used in conversations.

We can use Bisous (with close friends and family) and Bonne journée (with anyone) in real spoken French conversation.

Variations on Bisous are a bit more outdated but more elegant:

• Bises = Kisses
• Grosses bises = “Big kisses”, hugs and kisses
• Bons baisers de Paris = “Big kisses from Paris” = From Paris with love

These are all “kisses” like la bise , the French informal greeting of an “air kiss”. It’s not a romantic thing!

Click here to learn more : French Culture Lesson — La Bise – Comme une Française

Finally, you can use “goodbye” like we use at the end of a conversation:

• À demain (= “See you tomorrow” – also applies for “writing tomorrow”)
• À bientôt (= “See you soon” )
• À très vite (= “See you very soon” )

3) Write an email in French: “Tu” or “Vous” ?

“ Tu ” (= singular “ you ”) is the informal, intimate pronoun to use when talking to friends and family. It conveys friendliness, closeness.

“ Vous ” (= plural “ you ”) is the respectful, more distant pronoun to use when talking to someone you don’t know and aren’t friends with, like a baker, a counter clerk or any administration. It conveys respect and formality.

There’s a grey area in the middle. For people you technically don’t know, that you do respect, but still want to be friendly with. For friends of friends for instance. Or an in-law. Or a teacher on the Internet that sends you an email every week! 😉

Well, it depends. Use what you’re comfortable with. Three thoughts on that:

• Some people will feel weird if you use “ tu ” with them. Especially if they’re people who are just doing their job.
• Some people will feel weird if you use “ vous .” Since “ vous ” is often used for elders, it might make them feel old!
• So there’s no real “safe” pronoun here. But don’t worry! If you’re sincere and polite, nobody will mind which pronoun you use. You’re not fluent, you’re allowed to make mistakes, we understand.

Click here to learn more about “Tu” and “Vous” and how we switch between them: Tu or Vous? How to say “you” in French

In the examples for this lesson, I’ll use “ tu ,” but you can easily switch. And if you want to send me an email to thank me, I give you the permission to use “ tu ” !

4) Write an email in French: Thanking someone

Basic ways to thank someone in French:

• Merci (= Thank you) → The one used in everyday conversation; you need to know this essential French polite word.
• Merci beaucoup (= Thank you very much)
• Merci énormément (= Thank you so much, with more emphasis, less common)
• Merci pour tout. (= Thank you for everything.)

Click here to learn more about saying “thank you” in French : Learn to Say Thank You in French: What to say and correct pronunciation

More personal:

• Merci pour ton aide (= Thank for your help.)
• Merci pour tout ce que tu as fait (= Thank you for everything you’ve done.)
• Ça m’a vraiment fait super plaisir ! (= “It really pleased me a lot” literally = I really loved it! – “ super ” is informal.)

If you’re sending an email to say thank you, the more precise you are, the better. Explain how you feel, why their help mattered, what it allowed you to do now.

Merci énormément pour avoir gardé les enfants. Ça nous a beaucoup aidé, et on a pu enfin passer une soirée à deux avec Michel. Tu es vraiment très gentille ! (= Thank you so much for taking care of the kids. It helped us a lot, and we finally got to spend an evening with Michel, just the two of use. You’re really nice!)

And these are all sentences you can use in spoken French conversation as well!

But some “thanks” are used mostly in writing only. Especially “ Merci de… ” which is actually a command or a plea:

• Merci d’avance. = Thank you in advance.
• Merci de m’aider. = Thank you for helping me (in advance)
• Merci de me répondre rapidement (= Thank (in advance) you for answering promptly)
• Merci de ne pas toucher la vitre. (= Thank you for not touching the glass, on a sign in a zoo or a museum.)

You can use “ Merci de… ” (in advance) instead of “ Merci pour… ” (for something in the past), in an email. I’m not a fan though, it feels a bit passive-aggressive. Merci d’avance is fine though.

For instance:

Bonjour Madame, J’aimerais réserver une table dans votre restaurant avec des amis. Pouvez-vous m’envoyer vos menus, si possible ? Merci d’avance, Bonne journée, Julia

(= Hello Madam, I’d like to book a table in your restaurant, with some friends. Could you send me your menus, if possible? Thanks a lot, Have a great day, Julia)

5) Writing an email in French: Answer back

Basic answers to Merci :

• De rien (= You’re welcome) → Most basic, everyday French.
• Je t’en prie. / Je vous en prie. (= You’re welcome) → A bit more elegant.
• Pas de problème. (= No problem)
• Il n’y a pas de quoi. (= There’s no need [to thank me.])

But of course, it’s even better if you don’t deflect the good you did. You deserve to be thanked! Own it, and maybe tell them more about why you did it and how that made you feel. And soon you’re having a full conversation in French!

For now, Merci à toi ! (= Thank you.) You’re on your way to improve your French conversation, and that’s wonderful.

Learn more with these other free lessons:

• Learn to Say Thank You in French: What to say and correct pronunciation
• Tu or Vous? How to say “you” in French
• French Culture Lesson — La Bise
• Quoi in French: What It Means and How to Use It
• Explore France and understand fast spoken French : l’Alsace (and SLANG)

Pick one that looks interesting, click on the link, and I’ll see you in the next video!

À tout de suite. (= See you very soon.)

→ If you enjoyed this lesson (and/or learned something new) – why not share this lesson with a francophile friend ? You can talk about it afterwards! You’ll learn much more if you have social support from your friends 🙂

→ Double your Frenchness! Get my 10-day “ Everyday French Crash Course ” and learn more spoken French for free. Students love it! Start now and you’ll get Lesson 01 right in your inbox, straight away.

Click here to sign up for my FREE Everyday French Crash Course

Join the conversation!

Hi, how do you ask if a restraunt has availabilities? Is “Avez-vous des disponibilités la première semaine d’avril” correct?

Oui, c’est ça. “Auriez-vous une table / plusieurs tables disponibles pour la première semaine d’avril ?”

Fabien Comme une Française Team

How do I say “Thank you For thinking oF writing to me”

Bonjour Anna,

I’d say: “Merci d’avoir pensé à m’écrire.”

Salut Fabien, I want to say something like “I hope you’re doing well” but in french. Would “J’espère que tu vas bien?” be similar to that?

Salut Nicholas, Oui, you can say that or “J’espère que tout va bien” (I hope all is well.) Bien à toi, Fabien Comme Une Française Team

Does anyone have any tips for how to say something like: “if you need anything else, please let me know” in French?

Bonjour Dom,

Of course, you can say “si vous avez besoin de quoique ce soit, n’hésitez pas/faites moi savoir.”

Belle journée,

Fabien Comme Une Française Team

When writing “have a good weekend” in French, is it “bon weekend”, “bon week end” (with space) or ” “bon week-end” (with hyphen)?

Bonjour Jacquelyn,

Il s’agira de « bon week-end ».

I have received a helpful email in English from the assistant manager of a French hotel I will be visiting. It is signed “Best regards, Gaëlle.” I want to reply in French. Is “Bonjour, Gaëlle” appropriate? If so, is the comma necessary?

The comma will not be necessary before the name, but it should appear after (Bonjour Gaëlle,).

I hope this helps.

How would you say Referred by Mrs. X….

Bonjour Lilianne,

It depends on the context, but generally, you may use “recommandé.e par …”.

Bonjour Géraldine et l’équipe de Comme une Française,

En France, est-ce que c’est impoli d’écrire « Claire, » , « Claire : », ou encore pas de salutation spécifique (comme un SMS) au début d’un courriel, spécifiquement quand ce courriel est sa réponse à la réponse de son interlocuteur (c.-à-d. le troisième courriel)? Ou est-ce que c’est nécessaire d’écrire toujours « Bonjour Claire ! » ou une autre salutation que vous avez décrite ici ?

Est-ce que c’est plus courant d’écrire « Bonjour Claire ! » (avec un point d’exclamation) ou « Bonjour Claire, » (avec une virgule) ?

Je pense que ces différences sont subtiles, mais importantes. Merci pour votre aide !

Bonjour Claire,

Oui, en effet, on préfèrera une salutation (Bonjour/Salut, etc.) suivie de la virgule.

Comment dit on en anglais tu bien chez moi ?

Bonjour Maria,

Je crois qu’il nous manque un verbe dans cette phrase. Tu (?) es bien chez moi = “Are you well in my house?” dans le sens de “Did you settle well?”, “Do you like it here?”, “Does it suit you?”

J’espère que cette réponse est utile.

Bonne journée,

Merci Beaucoup Geraldine. Tu m´a aidé enormement avec les e mails. Tu es vraiment tres gentille.

Salut Géraldine! Pas de “gros bisous “😘 dans tes mails ?

merci beaucoup Geraldine . C’est tres utile et pratique. vous etes le meillere peter en Grece

Merci beaucoup Géraldine. C’est super utile parce ce que je vais rester avec un ami en France la semaine prochaine et aprés, je lui ecrirai pour dire ‘merci’.

C’est très utile et pratique. Merci beaucoup!

C’est exactement ce que je voulais aussi. Merci beaucoup, madam. Vous etes le meilleur.

Get My Weekly Lessons

In your inbox.

Join the 30,000+ French learners who get my premium spoken French lessons for free every week!

Share this post!

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

Download this lesson as a PDF!

Please enter your name and email address to get the lesson as a free PDF!

Writing a Business Letter in French

• Pronunciation & Conversation
• Resources For Teachers

Writing a job letter ( une lettre d'emploi)  in French can be a challenge. You need to be professional, but if you're still learning the language, this can be difficult to convey. At times, it is best to look at an example so you know where to begin.

When writing the letter, remember to be as polite as possible and follow the formula outlined in this sample. With a little attention to the details, like the salutation and opening of your letter, you will be constructing great correspondence in no time.

Sample Correspondance Commerciale

This sample business letter, or correspondance commerciale,  is to give you an outline for using  business letter formulas  in French. The various sections are notated using brackets and it is much easier if you construct the letter piece by piece.

You can use this sample as a template for your own letter. Simply replace the sentences as needed to fit your particular requirements. The formula works well for job applications as well as other types of formal business correspondence. 

New York, le 10 novembre 2012 Monsieur Georges UNTEL Entreprise fictive 46, rue Jenesaisquoi 12345 UNEVILLE Sonpays Monsieur Untel [salutation] , J'ai l'honneur de vous informer [open letter] que j'ai bien reçu votre lettre du 6 novembre 2000 [confirm receipt] . C'est avec plaisir [express pleasure] que j'accepte le poste de traductrice de votre site web que vous m'offrez [accept/refuse offer] . Je regrette vivement de ne pas pouvoir commencer immédiatement [express regret] . Je serais disponible à partir du 20 novembre [availability/contact info] . J'espère que vous voudrez bien me faire savoir si cette date vous conviendra [make request] . En vous remerciant de la confiance que vous me témoignez [pre-close] , je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur Untel, l'assurance de ma considération distinguée. Laura K. Lawless mon adresse, mon numéro de téléphone et cetera

Salutations (Les saluts)

Just as it is in English, the salutation you use in the letter is extremely important. Your choice will leave an impression on the reader that may influence how they interpret the rest of the letter. Be sure to choose wisely and use the appropriate address.

It would be impossible to list every possible title, but this list should give you an idea of how to address your letter.

*In so-called "standard" French, the word  professeur  is always masculine. However in Québec and parts of Switzerland, there is a feminine version:  la professeure , so pay attention to the country of the person you are addressing.

Opening the Letter (Pour commencer la lettre)

As important as the salutation, your opening sentence sets the tone for the letter. Compose this carefully or the reader may not bother reading the entire thing. 

The following phrases are good choices when your letter's intent is to inquire about employment. They cover most job application situations, from responding to an advertisement to inquiring about open positions at a company.

• Elements of a Good French Business Letter
• Writing Informal Letters in French
• How Is the Letter 'A' Pronounced in French?
• Expressing Opinions in French
• How to Say Goodbye in French
• How to Pronounce More Than 2,500 Words in French
• How to Use the French Past Subjunctive
• French Expressions with Vouloir
• How to Translate "What?" Into French
• Does 'Il Est Important Que' Need the Subjunctive?
• How Is 'S' Pronounced in French?
• Does 'Il Est Nécessaire' Need the Subjunctive in French?
• French Vocabulary Lesson: Banking and Money
• How to Conjugate "Conquérir" (to Conquer)
• Using Accents on French Capitals
• How the Letter 'K' Is Used in French

]

Continuing our section on writing a letter in French , we look at some common forumlae for closing a letter in French. Closures: informal Closures to informal letters are less formulaic than formal or business letters, so there are a variety of possibilities. Here are some common ones: - Big hugs - Best wishes - Love from... - =(big) hugs - Love (and kisses) - Kisses Closures: formal Traditionally, French business correspondence ends with one of various silly long-winded formulae, although particularly in the case of e-mail correspondence, these are starting to go out the window. A common favourite for closing a semi-formal business e-mail is cordialement . - =Yours sincerely - =Yours sincerely, - =Yours sincerely, - =Yours faithfully/sincerely, - Regards See also the general section on writing a business letter in French . By the way, there's no shame in not remembering these formulae: many French speakers end up looking them up in a book and/or using numerous variants (and arguing about which is "correct"). One convention is that agréer is used when you have a "filler" word like expression , assurance ; recevoir or accepter is used when salutations directly follows. Next: phrases for business letters/e-mails On the next page, we look at useful phrases and vocabulary for writing a business letter in French . How to End an Email in French: 23 Email Sign-Offs By Catherine Rickman April 26, 2023 There are few things more subtly stress-inducing than writing an email . And if you’re trying to write one in a language that isn’t your own , don’t be surprised if the nerve-racking nature of the challenge leaves you curled up in a ball under your desk, praying for the robot takeover. Because then at least this email could write itself. If you’re struggling to figure out how to end an email in French for a job interview, thank you note, informal email, or formal letter, there are several French email sign-offs that will prevent you from saying “Love” to your boss, or “Warm regards” to your BFF. French people are very particular about language, so using the wrong French email sign-off can make you come off as disrespectful, overly familiar, or stiff. To make you sound like a native French speaker , here are some of the most common email sign-offs used in France, for business letters and personal letters alike. 23 French Email Sign-Offs 1. cordialement (semi-formal). Even though the literal translation, “Cordially,” would be extremely formal in English, this is perhaps the most common sign-off in French emails; it really has an absence of connotation. Use for: submitting a job application, making HR aware of an official complaint, or asking your professor for a letter of recommendation. 2. Très cordialement (formal) This is the more formal version of Cordialement . If you feel like covering all your bases you can use this version in pretty much the same way. 3. Bien cordialement (semi-formal) Like Cordialement , but a bit warmer (say, if you’ve been interacting with the same person multiple times). Use for: finally getting that freelancer to send you the new website specs. 4. Respectueusement (formal) “Respectfully.” Can be used the same way as Très cordialement . 5 & 6. Amicalement / Affecteusement (informal) For acquaintances or older friends, the kind of people you want to keep at an arm’s length, or people you haven’t heard from in a long time. Similar to “warm regards.” Use for: inviting your neighbors to a block party. 7. Sincères salutations (semi-formal) For when you don’t know the recipient personally, but have been emailing back and forth for a bit. Use for: When you’re coordinating things for a project or event with someone in another department. 8 & 9. Bisous / Gros bisous (informal) Meaning “kisses,” this familiar sign off is used for close friends and family. Use for: Emailing your mom to tell her you finally submitted your taxes. 10. Je t’embrasse (informal) This translates more or less to “lots of hugs.” Use for: a letter to your grandma, uncle, or other extended family member 11. Bises (informal) The email equivalent of the in-person cheek kiss. Use for: inviting a second-tier friend out for drinks this weekend. 12. A+ (informal) The diminutive of A plus tard or “See you later.” Extremely casual. Use for:  after sending an invitation to drinks in the form of a meme. 13. À bientôt (neutral) “See you soon.” Good for planning emails that will result in some kind of face-to-face encounter. Use for: a group email discussing a surprise party for your boyfriend. 14 & 15. À demain / À la semaine prochaine (neutral) See you tomorrow/See you next week. Same as À bientôt , but with a specific date in mind. Use for: finally nailing down that long-awaited rendezvous with your cousin who’s in town for the weekend. 16. En vous remerciant de l’attention que vous porterez à ma demande. (formal) “Thank you for bringing your attention to my request.” It doesn’t translate very well into English, but the sentiment is clear: formal, formal, formal. Use for: emailing the CEO of your company. 17. Veuillez agréer, Madame/Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués. (formal) “Accept, Sir/Madam, the expression of my distinguished feelings.” This one can be mixed and matched, like in the following examples (which all pretty much mean the same thing). Use for: emailing an authority figure, such as a politician or someone in charge of clearing your visa. 18. Veuillez agréer Madame/Monsieur, l’expression de mes sincères salutations. (formal) “Please accept, Madam/Sir, the expression of my sincere greetings.” 19. Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur/Madame, mes sentiments respectueux et dévoués. (formal) “Please accept, Sir/Madam, my respectful and devoted sentiments.” 20. Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame/Monsieur, mes sincères salutations. (formal) “Please accept, Sir/Madam, my sincere greetings.” 21. Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. (formal) “Please accept, Sir/Madam, the expression of my distinguished greetings.” Use for: corresponding with your corporate lawyer. 22. Avec mes remerciements, je vous prie de trouver ici, Madame/Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués. (formal) This one adds an extra “thank you” at the beginning for some extra respect points. 23. Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur/Madame, mes salutations distinguées. (formal) If you’re waiting on a response from someone in a formal situation, you can add “waiting for your response” to the beginning of one of these expressions. Use for: gently prodding your potential employer at a big conservative company to actually look at your resume. – How do you say warm regards in French in an email? There is no direct translation of “warm regards” in French, but “Cordialement” is the closest in terms of tone. – Can I end an email with “Merci” in French? You can end an email with “Merci,” but it would be more polite to follow that “Merci” with a “Cordialement” or “Sincères salutations.” Catherine Rickman is a writer and professional francophile who has lived in Paris, New York, and Berlin. She is currently somewhere in Brooklyn with a fork in one hand and a pen in the other, and you can follow her adventures on Instagram @catrickman . “Dieu et mon droit” on U.K.’s Royal Coat of Arms: Why is it in French? 15 Verlan Slang Words Every French Speaker Should Know All French Holidays and Celebrations Frenchly newsletter. Get your weekly dose of frenchly’s news.. What is La Fête de la Musique? Your Guide to World Music Day 2024 Exploring international education in paris: embrace the ermitage way of life , cartoonist perry taylor captures the slow life in gascony, all the winners & highlights of the 2024 cannes film festival. You love France? This is your site! As an Amazon Associate, Frenchly earns from qualify purchases. Subscribe to the Newsletter Editorial Guidelines Privacy Policy Get in Touch Advertise with us Frenchly Newsletter. Get your weekly dose of frenchly stuff.. Voice speed Text translation, source text, translation results, document translation, drag and drop. Website translation Enter a URL Image translation PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In EDIT Edit this Article EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth Browse Articles Learn Something New Quizzes Hot This Or That Game Train Your Brain Explore More Support wikiHow About wikiHow Log in / Sign up Education and Communications Letter Writing How to End a Letter in French Last Updated: March 11, 2024 Fact Checked This article was co-authored by Lorenzo Garriga and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Lorenzo is a native French speaker and French language connoisseur. He has many years of experience as a translator, writer and reviewer. He is also a composer, pianist, and globe-trotter, who has been travelling the world on a shoestring for almost 30 years with a backpack. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 141,304 times. Writing a letter or email in French follows much of the same format as a letter or email in English. However, the French tend to be more formal in their written correspondence than most English speakers. This formality is seen particularly in the closing, which can be lengthy and complex. How you end a letter in French depends on how well you know the person to whom you're writing, the purpose of the letter, and the degree of formality. [1] X Research source Closing a Formal Letter While a literal translation of this phrase would be "looking forward to reading you," its actual meaning is closer to "looking forward to hearing from you" or "looking forward to your reply." Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur/Madame, mes salutations distinguées is used for general business or formal letters. This phrase is similar to "yours sincerely" in a letter written in English. Veuillez agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l'assurance de ma considération distinguée is used if you are writing to someone who would be considered your equal, or someone in an inferior position to yourself. For example, you might use this expression if you were a business owner writing a vendor. Use Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l'expression de mes sentiments respectueux if you are writing to someone who would generally be considered your superior, such as if you are applying for a job. Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur/Madame, à l'assurance de mes salutations distinguées is used if you are writing to a dignitary or elected official. It means something closer to "yours faithfully," and implies a subjugation to the recipient. Tip: When writing the most formal closing, use à rather than en . The phrase de croire en is more typically used when referring to God, and would be considered overly exaggerated by even the most egotistical official. For example, suppose you're writing a business owner named Jacques Cousteau to apply for a job. You might close your letter Je vois prie d'agréer, Cher Monsieur Cousteau, l'expression de mes sentiments respectueux. For example, suppose you were writing to a business owner on behalf of a nonprofit organization to request a donation. You might close your letter with Nous vous prions d'agreer, Monsieur/Madame, l'expression de nos sentiments respectueux. If you used a formal closing that ended with respectueux, use the word cordialement instead so you don't repeat yourself. The single word cordialement typically is used to close a business email. This is considered semi-formal. You should still use the full formal closing if you're writing to someone who would be considered your superior, especially if you've never communicated with them before. If you need to make a digital copy of your signature, sign a white piece of paper and scan it. Then you can paste the image into your email and manipulate the size as you wish. You may also be able to create a digital signature image with your finger on a tablet, or by using a trackpad on a laptop. Signing Off a Personal Letter For example, suppose you were writing to your sister, who has a daughter named Sophie. You might add embrasse Sophie pour moi (which means "Hug Sophie for me"). Among friends or close acquaintances where you have a tu relationship, use amicalement , a word with a meaning similar to "best wishes" in English. With closer friends or family members, you might use affectueusement , which means "love from" or "with love." You might also sign off with hugs or kisses, using a phrase such as je t'embrasse or grosses bises ("big hugs"), or gros bisous ("big kisses"). Tip: When writing to a close friend your own age or younger, you can be even more casual – especially when writing an email. The variants bisouxx , bizoux , and bizoudou are similar to closing a letter or email with "xoxo" in English. For an older relative, such as a grandparent, you might use je vous embrasse , which sends an affectionate hug but still addresses the older person as vous . For a distant acquaintance or friend you still have a vous relationship with, you might use votre ami dévoué(e), which means "your devoted friend." Basic closings that might be used regardless of the closeness of your relationship include amitiés ("best wishes" or "all the best") or chaleureusement ("warmly" or "with warm regards"). If you're extremely close to the recipient, these might come across as too generic or cold. However, they would be appropriate if, for example, you were sending an email to several friends of varying degrees of closeness. For example, if you addressed a letter to an older relative to Madame Cousteau, you would typically sign the letter using Madame or Monsieur, as appropriate, followed by your last name. If you addressed the letter to the recipient by their first name, you would typically sign the letter with your first name. Determining the Degree of Formality If the recipient is okay being on tu terms with you, they will let you know in their response. Always use vous in business letters, even if you know the recipient. This rule applies even to close relatives who are older than you, such as grandparents or aunts and uncles. In that case, even if you have a close and warm relationship, addressing them as vous indicates a measure of respect and politeness. This is similar to how you might use "ma'am" or "sir" with an older relative in English. Cultural Note: If someone has requested that you address them as tu , it is considered rude to continue to address them as vous without any explanation. If someone asks you to call them tu and you're not comfortable with that, let them know your feelings as soon as possible. In business communications, the use of vous would indicate that you consider the relationship to be professional in nature, even if you occasionally interact more personally. To some degree, this may be considered an older habit. If you are already on tu terms with the person, you can generally assume that you can write them more informally as well. Your level of formality would also depend on the purpose of your letter. If you are writing the person in their capacity as a government official or other dignitary, use vous even if you have a more personal relationship, out of respect for their office. Expert Q&A Be careful with punctuation if you are typing. Unlike in English, most punctuation marks require a space both before and after. The comma and the period are exceptions. [11] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0 You Might Also Like ↑ https://www.frenchtoday.com/blog/french-vocabulary/how-to-write-letters-in-french ↑ https://blog.collinsdictionary.com/language-learners/learning-french/french-letter-writing/ ↑ https://blog.speechling.com/how-to-write-a-formal-letter-in-french/ ↑ https://graduateland.com/article/French-cover-letter ↑ https://www.talkinfrench.com/how-to-write-letters-in-french/ ↑ https://www.frenchtoday.com/blog/french-vocabulary/switch-vous-tu-french About This Article To close out an email or letter in French, make sure to maintain formality and tell the recipient you look forward to their reply using specific expressions, like "dans l'attente de vous lire." If you're writing a business letter, try something like "Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur/Madame, mes salutations distinguées," which means something similar to "yours sincerely." Alternatively, if you are writing to a business associate who you consider your equal or inferior to you, use "Veuillez agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l'assurance de mon parfaite considération." To use the proper protocol, make sure to include the same full title and name that you used in your opening, and check that you are using the correct pronouns as well. Finally, finish your letter with a handwritten signature, which will convey a sense of formality and respect. For more tips, like how to close a formal email in French, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No Send fan mail to authors Reader Success Stories Did this article help you? David Roddis Nov 21, 2021 Featured Articles Trending Articles Watch Articles Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell or Share My Info Not Selling Info wikiHow Tech Help Pro: Develop the tech skills you need for work and life Skip to Content Skip to Sidebar Skip to Footer Resume Genius The World's Smartest Resume Builder Monday to Friday, 8AM – 12AM (Midnight) and Saturdays and Sundays, 10AM – 6PM EDT (866) 215-9048 Blog Cover Letter Help How to Write a Cover Letter How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job in 2024 Picture this : you’ve already made a resume that highlights your experience  and you’re about to submit a job application. But before you can continue you see the phrase that every job seeker dreads: “ cover letter required .” As featured in * Learn what a cover letter looks like How to write a cover letter Good cover letter example Tips for improving your cover letter Nobody enjoys writing cover letters, but if you’re job hunting you’ll need to write the best cover letter possible to make a strong positive first impression on employers. 1. Learn what a good cover letter looks like Cover Letter Template (Text Version) (Today’s Date) (Hiring Manager’s Name) 123 Company Address Company’s City, State, Zip Code (xxx) xxx-xxxx [email protected] Dear (Mr./Ms./Mx.) (Hiring Manager’s Last Name), I’m writing to express my interest in the open position of Communications Specialist at AudioSonic. With 4+ years of experience in social media, public relations, and communications strategy, I’d be a valuable addition to your team. As a performance-driven professional with proven expertise in internal and external communications, I’m sure I will excel at the internal and external operations handled in this role. Below are some achievements that illustrate my suitability: • Managed 4 brand websites and 3 social media accounts for BASF for 2+ years • Attracted a daily average of 10 new customers to BASF by developing creative content to promote the brand • Streamlined internal communications SOP at W. L. Gore & Associates, increasing operations efficiency by 10% Moreover, I’m adept at building productive relationships with colleagues, making me an ideal person to have working on high-pressure projects. Previous employers have described my interpersonal and organizational skills as instrumental to their teams. I hope to offer the same value to AudioSonic. Thank you for taking the time to review my application. I’d love the chance to speak with you in person about the position. You can reach me by phone any weekend or weekday evening after 6pm. Don’t have time to write a cover letter? No worries — you can also make a cover letter quickly using online tools or a cover letter template . Our free-to-use cover letter builder can make you a cover letter in as little as 5 minutes. Just pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you. If you’re ready to jump in, follow these seven simple steps to make a cover letter that leaves a lasting impression on employers: 2. List your contact details Underneath your name in your cover letter header , list the following contact information: Email address Phone number Mailing address (optional) Linkedin profile link (optional) Portfolio or website link (optional) Pronouns (optional) 3. Address the hiring manager by name Here’s how the top half of your cover letter should look. After your header, include the date and the company contact information in this format: Name or job title of the person or team you’re writing to Company name Company’s street address Company’s phone number Hiring manager’s email address Next, address your cover letter to the hiring manager — by name if possible. A standard cover letter salutation includes the hiring manager’s last name, and begins with “Mr.”, “Ms.”, or another relevant professional title. Just remember that greetings like “ To Whom It May Concern ” and “ Dear Sir or Madam ” are old-fashioned and make your cover letter feel generic, so avoid using them. If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, you can address your cover letter without a name by using their job title or something like Dear [Department Name] Director. Here are some acceptable greetings you can use on your cover letter: Ways to open your cover letter Dear Jane Smith Dear Ms. Smith Dear Accounting Department Dear [Company Name] Recruiter 4. Write an attention-grabbing opening paragraph Start your cover letter with an informative, direct introduction. In the first one or two sentences, mention the position and organization you’re applying for, where you found the position, and why you’re excited about the opportunity. Check out this example of an effective cover letter introduction: Example of a good cover letter introduction Your opening paragraph should encourage the employer to read the rest of your cover letter. Highlight your passion You can make your introduction even more engaging by adding some personality, or by including a career highlight. Here’s a sample cover letter for a job application highlighting the jobseeker’s passion for the role. As a teenager, I would cut my friends’ hair because of my passion for haircare. Eventually, many of my friends and family would come exclusively to me when they needed their hair cut. Today, if anything, I’m even more passionate about hair care, which is why I’m applying for the open Stylist role at Grateful Dreads. Showing personality in your cover letter helps employers understand what motivates you. Just be sure to strike the right tone for your industry or field. For instance, if you’re applying for a job in law or finance, keep your writing formal. Mention any referrals or contacts you have at the job If you received a referral to the job by a current employee, your introduction is the place to mention it. Include a referral in your cover letter by quickly stating their name and your connection to them. This is a great way to quickly win over a hiring manager. Your Personal Trainer, Augusta Maine, informed me about your open Executive Diary Secretary role and encouraged me to apply. 5. Explain why you’re qualified for the job Your second and third paragraphs should convince employers that you’re the right person for the job. Use these paragraphs to market yourself by discussing your relevant work experience, skills, and achievements. Some things to include in your cover letter that highlight your value to employers include achievements , awards , and expertise . Here’s how you can add these elements: If you’ve received compliments from management or colleagues for your work, you can add them to your cover letter: The managing partner of the law firm, Olympia Washington — one of my references — informed me that without my research skills, we wouldn’t have been able to guarantee such a good result for our clients in a class-action suit against an eldercare facility that had been overcharging its residents. If you lack professional work experience and are writing an entry-level cover letter or a career change cover letter , you should instead highlight details like your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work. 6. Relate your experience to the company’s needs Close your cover letter by restating your interest in the job and explaining how your experience fits into the needs of the company. For example, if you’re applying to work at a company that’s seeking to break into a new market that you have experience in, you should highlight this experience in your writing. I noticed in The San Antonio Express-News that you’re expanding Los Pollos Sobrinos into neighboring New Mexico. As a supervisor at Big Kahuna Burger, I’ve onboarded 20+ new employees, and I’m sure I could help you rapidly grow and train your team. If you’re not sure what the goals or needs of the company are, find out by doing some research online. Take note of the products or services they offer, what their work culture is like, and if they have any future goals. The job ad is also an excellent place to learn more about what the company is seeking and find relevant cover letter keywords to include. AI tools can help identify keywords to include in your cover letter. Check out our list of the best AI cover letter generators to learn more. 7. Finish with a concise closing paragraph and sign-off When writing a cover letter closing , be polite and confident, and continue to market yourself as the best candidate for the job. First, restate your excitement about the job opportunity. Then, encourage the hiring manager to interview you (remember to mention when you’re available), and thank them for their time: Finally, wrap up your cover letter with a professional closing salutation. The standard closing is “Sincerely” but here are some more options: Best wishes, Respectfully, Kind regards, Best regards, Yours truly, Then, make two spaces below the salutation, and type your full name. For some professional (but optional) flair, sign your cover letter either with a scan of your signature or by using software like DocuSign . 8. Check your cover letter’s content and formatting Proper cover letter spacing and other formatting details ensure your application looks professional. A well-written cover letter is normally: 200–350 words ( short cover letters are easier to skim) single-spaced US Letter (USA) or A4 (elsewhere) page size Left-aligned (except for your contact details, which can be centered) Take a look at the checklist below before you submit your application to make sure your cover letter is formatted correctly. If you’re writing an email cover letter you don’t have to worry as much about formatting, but you should still make sure to be consistent with your use of font sizes and include your contact information at the end. Cover letter example that successfully landed our content manager his job When you’re trying to figure out how you want to write your cover letter, sometimes what’s most helpful is seeing an example that actually worked . Here’s a cover letter our very own content manager , Conrad Benz , submitted to land his first role at Resume Genius: Successful Cover Letter Example (Text Version) Geoffrey Scott Resume Genius (866) 215-9048 [email protected] Dear Mr. Scott, I’m delighted to formally submit my application for the Content Writer position at Resume Genius. With my extensive experience writing and editing content for a large audience, I’m confident that I’d be a valuable asset to your team. Previously, I worked in American politics as a finance intern at End Citizens United PAC, and then subsequently as a lead strategist at Mothership Strategies – a digital fundraising firm based in Washington, D.C. At Mothership Strategies, I was responsible for brainstorming, writing, editing, and coding content for our clients’ email fundraising programs. On a day-to-day basis, my workload entailed researching relevant topics like new legislation, then quickly producing engaging online content around hot-button issues with the goal of convincing readers to donate to a given cause. While there, I gained considerable experience not only drafting content for donor email lists, but also brand building – both skills I’m confident would be put to good use at Resume Genius. I regularly worked with clients to develop a specific online voice for their organization or candidate, and produced email content consistent with this voice. In addition to writing content myself, I was also tasked with managing a small team of two editors to ensure everything we put through the door was polished and consistent with the standards set by both the clients and the company. Before working at Mothership Strategies, I interned for five months at End Citizens United PAC, where I worked closely with staff members across the organization. During my time as an intern, I was responsible for proofreading and editing official press releases, drafting social media content, and assisting the finance team in tracking and reaching out to donors. I was also tasked with maintaining the PAC’s official Facebook and Twitter presence, from which I gained my first real professional experience in mass communications. The Content Writer position at Resume Genius would give me a chance to continue pursuing my passion for writing in an exciting new environment. I’m confident that my professional experience will allow me to contribute immediately, and that my unique perspective cultivated during my time in politics will ensure I produce valuable, effective content for the users that land on ResumeGenius.com. I’m available for an interview and to start as soon as possible – thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to speaking with you further about this opportunity! Warm Regards, Conrad Benz Geoff Scott , Hiring Manager at Resume Genius, provided several reasons he found Conrad’s cover letter effective: Conrad immediately touches upon his relevant experience in the first paragraph, which makes me want to continue reading. It’s important to note that he claims to have extensive experience writing and editing, and also proves his ability to string sentences together coherently, which I appreciate. I like that Conrad focuses first on his most relevant experience, because it makes a more compelling case for him as a candidate. In the closing paragraph, Conrad’s statement of interest in pursuing his passion for writing holds more weight because he’s already used the preceding paragraphs to establish his experience effectively. In his cover letter, Conrad did an excellent job of describing how his past experiences and the skills he developed translated to the Content Writer position, what interested him about the role, and the value he would add to the team. However, if we were to suggest one area for improvement in retrospect – it would be to include some quantified achievements that demonstrate the scope of Conrad’s experience and maximize the impact of his cover letter. Additional cover letter examples Want to see some more cover letter examples ? Check out the industry-specific examples below: Office Manager Cover Letter Retail Sales Associate Cover Letter Video Editor Cover Letter Engineering Cover Letter Example Bartender Cover Letter Sample Elementary Teacher Cover Letter Example Extra tips for writing a good cover letter Here are some additional tips to help you create the best version of your cover letter: Highlight your research You’ve probably spent some time looking into your target company by now, so use your cover letter as an opportunity to showcase what you’ve learned. A little research goes a long way toward showing employers that you’re committed and genuinely interested in the role. Here are some company-related tidbits you can mention: Founding or origin story Reputation and position in the industry Notable successes or growth Measurable impact Future goals Challenges to overcome Don’t forget to tie in why you find their mission motivating or how you can contribute. Here’s an example: “I’m inspired by EcoPower Solutions’ impressive track record in advancing sustainable energy, shown by the remarkable reduction of carbon emissions by 15% over the past year. Your dedication to environmental stewardship aligns seamlessly with my passion for clean energy, and I’m enthusiastic about contributing to the company’s future impact. My experience in implementing energy-efficient solutions that led to a 20% increase in operational efficiency perfectly complements your commitment to driving positive environmental change.” Simplify your writing Your cover letter should be easy to read, confident, and friendly. Remember: you’re addressing another person, not a robot. To instantly improve your writing tone: Use contractions like “don’t” instead of “do not” Avoid overused buzzwords and phrases like “dynamic,” “think outside the box,” and “go-getter” Choose simple words like “helpful” instead of “advantageous” Here’s a comparison between a friendly writing style and an overly formal one: Excited and professional I’m thrilled to apply for the customer service position at [Company Name]. Having been a customer service representative for 5+ years at Walmart, I’m confident I can quickly apply my experience using Zendesk and Salesforce to make a positive impact on [Company Name]’s bottom line. It is with great interest that I apply for the open customer service position posted by your company on Indeed. I possess the requisite skill set to ably perform the customer service duties described in the job requirements. Proofread carefully Typos and grammatical errors in your cover letter will leave a negative impression on employers. Here are two quick tricks professional editors use to catch mistakes: Read your writing out loud : Reading your letter aloud forces you to consider every word, sentence, paragraph, and punctuation mark. Plus, you’ll more easily notice hard-to-read sentences, and can then simplify them. Change the font : A new font forces your brain to process something that seems new. Switching your cover letter to a different cover letter font and font size can help you notice mistakes you’d otherwise miss. After you’ve read your cover letter out loud, have someone else read it over. They can provide helpful feedback like whether your letter is clear and well-argued, or vague and filled with cliches. They’ll also (hopefully) notice any small grammar and spelling errors you missed. Save time using online software If you’re short on time, try using a web application to quickly make a convincing letter that follows the right cover letter format . There are several powerful cover letter builders online that you can try out. In this video, we’ll walk you through our own cover letter generator , so you can create your own letter in a few quick steps. Frequently asked questions about how to write a cover letter Still unsure about something? Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about writing a cover letter: Are there templates for my cover letter? Yes, you can find many cover letter templates online, but not all of them are free. Try browsing our library of 200+ free cover letter templates for every professional to find one that works for you. What’s the best opening sentence for a cover letter? The best opening sentence for a cover letter is one that briefly states: What position you’re applying for How you came across the job Why you’re interested How your experience aligns with the role An opening sentence needs to make it clear what position you’re seeking and provide a quick introduction that highlights why you’re a good fit. For example: “Drawn by Content Forward’s innovative marketing approach, I’m enthusiastically applying for the Marketing Coordinator position posted on your website, and am confident that my diverse digital marketing experience aligns seamlessly with the role.” What makes a good cover letter? A good cover letter expands upon the information in your resume, providing context for your skills and accomplishments. The best cover letters also give employers insight into your personality so they can determine if you’d be a good cultural fit for the company. What should you not say in a cover letter? What you shouldn’t say in a cover letter is anything that makes you seem negative . For example, avoid talking about why you hate your job , or complaining about your current employer. Instead, focus on what you learned in your current position that will help you succeed in your next role. Should you include salary requirements in a cover letter? No, you shouldn’t include salary requirements in your cover letter unless the company requests it. If the salary you state is too high, the employer might reject your application before you get the opportunity to explain why your skill set and experience warrant a higher salary. How do you write a general cover letter for a resume? You write a general cover letter for a resume by highlighting the skills that make you a competitive candidate in your target industry without including any specific details about the job you’re applying for. However, keep in mind that tailoring your cover letter to each position you apply for will increase your chances of landing a job. We recommend against using a general cover letter unless you really need to save time. What should be included in a cover letter? The following elements should be included in a cover letter: A header that includes your name and contact information A professional salutation using the hiring manager’s name (if possible) An opening paragraph that presents your interest and key qualifications Body paragraphs that support your key qualifications with specific achievements A closing paragraph that includes a call to action A professional sign off Additional cover letter FAQs: Does a resume need a cover letter? What is a cover letter? How do I include a referral in a cover letter? How do you write salary requirements in a cover letter? What is an enclosure in a cover letter? Should you use a template for a cover letter? Does a CV include a cover letter? Can a cover letter be two pages? Do cover letters need an address? Do I need to sign a cover letter submitted electronically? Should you put a photo on a cover letter? How to Write a Cover Letter Click to rate this article 4.8 Average rating Corissa Peterson, CPRW Related Articles Cover Letter Help Geoffrey Scott, CPRW Rebecca Tay, Ph.D. Ida Pettersson Emily Crowley Eva Chan, CPRW You might be using an unsupported or outdated browser. To get the best possible experience please use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge to view this website. How To Ask For A Letter Of Recommendation For A School Application Updated: Jul 13, 2023, 3:18pm Whether you’re a high school student headed to college or a college undergraduate preparing for grad school, letters of recommendation are often a requirement to advance to the next stage of your academic journey. However, asking a teacher or professor for a letter of recommendation can be intimidating, whether in-person or via email. But fear not—we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of asking for letters of recommendation to help you gain acceptance to the college or graduate school of your choice. Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Education Forbes Advisor’s education editors are committed to producing unbiased rankings and informative articles covering online colleges, tech bootcamps and career paths. Our ranking methodologies use data from the National Center for Education Statistics , education providers, and reputable educational and professional organizations. An advisory board of educators and other subject matter experts reviews and verifies our content to bring you trustworthy, up-to-date information. Advertisers do not influence our rankings or editorial content. 6,290 accredited, nonprofit colleges and universities analyzed nationwide 52 reputable tech bootcamp providers evaluated for our rankings All content is fact-checked and updated on an annual basis Rankings undergo five rounds of fact-checking Only 7.12% of all colleges, universities and bootcamp providers we consider are awarded What Is a Letter of Recommendation? A letter of recommendation is a formal letter written by someone in a position of authority, such as a teacher, to provide testimony regarding your abilities, achievements and character. Colleges and universities ask for letters of recommendation because they give admissions officers a well-rounded picture of you. Recommendation letters can provide more insight into your personality and abilities beyond your transcript and extracurriculars and set you apart from other applicants. The number of recommendation letters you need can vary, so verifying each school’s requirements is important. One to three letters are typically required, but two to three is the standard. Consider two letters as your minimum and a third letter as a backup or supplementary perspective to offer the admissions committee further insight into your qualities and achievements. Who Should Write Your Recommendation Letter? Someone who knows you well academically is best suited to write your recommendation letter. Typically professors and teachers fill this role. However, coaches, counselors and club advisors can be potential candidates, especially if they know you in multiple settings, such as in the classroom or an extracurricular club. Employers or supervisors at your workplace are possibilities for a secondary letter if they have firsthand experience of your abilities and accomplishments. Remember to review the school’s application requirements to see if they want recommendation letters from specific people, such as a core subject teacher or a school counselor. Letters of recommendation for graduate school may need to come from undergraduate professors. How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation Give plenty of notice. Teachers usually have multiple recommendation letters to write, so give them as much advance notice as possible. Giving them a month before the due date is the minimum, but providing six to eight weeks of notice is even better. For high school seniors, the beginning of the school year is an optimum time to ask for recommendations, particularly if you are considering applying for early decision. The more time your references have, the greater your chance of receiving a sincere, thorough letter. Ask in Person if Possible If possible, speak with your prospective recommenders in person before you send them your written request for a letter of recommendation. Before your conversation, rehearse and prepare your “pitch” to clearly and succinctly outline the purpose of your application and why you’re seeking their recommendation. Also, meeting your recommenders in person can help them recall their experience with you in their class, which can be beneficial when they write your letter. At first, you may feel shy about requesting such a favor. But remember that teachers and professors receive these requests frequently, and writing letters of recommendation is common practice in this field. Send a Formal Request Send a well-written request to each person who agreed to write you a letter by email. Your email subject line should read “Request for Letter of Recommendation” or something similar. Remind them of who you are and the college you’re applying to. Provide a deadline and an option to decline your request. Supply Helpful Materials Provide a copy of your current resume to the person writing the letter. Consider including a sheet highlighting key school courses or projects you’ve worked on, relevant work experience, specific character attributes or academic accomplishments and any long-term goals relevant to the recommendation. This information can help jog the writer’s memory and provide them with details that can add a more personal touch to the letter of recommendation. It’s always a good idea to send your references a short, polite reminder one to two weeks before the due date. Following up is also an opportunity to ask if they need additional information from you. Say Thank You Send a thank you in writing to everyone who submitted a letter for you. A handwritten note is the best option. Sending your note by email is the next best option. Do not send a thank you note by text message. Lastly, don’t forget to share the good news of your acceptance to the school with your recommenders. Tips for the Recommendation Letter Process Waive your right to view. We recommend waiving your right to view your recommendation on your application form since letters of recommendation are typically considered confidential. Admissions officers may view them as more trustworthy if they know you haven’t seen them. Prepare for a “No” No one is obligated to write you a letter of recommendation. People may decline your request for various reasons. For instance, some teachers decide to only write a certain number of recommendations each year and may have reached their quota. Also, if someone you ask for a reference hesitates, it’s a sign that they aren’t a good fit. They may not know you well enough to speak to your qualifications. Be prepared with alternatives. If anyone declines your request, take it graciously, thank the person and reach out to the next person on your list. If you don’t have an alternative, a guidance counselor or academic advisor can help you think of someone. Update Your References You should update those who have written your letter of recommendation. Your updates can include informing them of your acceptance to a college and other important achievements. Keeping your references updated is a polite gesture since they are essential to the application process. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation How do you ask for a letter of recommendation via email. When writing a letter of recommendation via email, keep it short and formal. Include a direct subject line such as “Request for Letter of Recommendation” and a formal salutation and closing. Use the first paragraph to reintroduce yourself to the recommender and your second paragraph to make the request. Ensure that you provide a clear deadline. How do you politely ask for a recommendation letter from a professor? Show your appreciation for your recommender’s time by giving plenty of advance notice. Whether approaching the request in writing or in person, maintain a polite and professional demeanor. Clearly, explain why you have chosen them as a recommender, what information you expect the letter to include and details on where to send the letter. How long before the due date should you ask for a letter of recommendation? A generous lead time is essential when asking for a letter of recommendation. Give your letter writers at least one month before the due date—and preferably longer. Ensure the date is clear in all your communication with the recommender. Ranking The Most Affordable States For College Students How To Apply For College Should You Attend Graduate School Online? Choosing A Major: How To Find What Major Is Right For You Online College Accreditation Do You Need The SAT For College Admission? Free Student Laptops How To Transfer Universities Online Checklist For Students What Is A Good GPA In College, And Does It Matter? How To Learn Korean Online: Everything You Should Know How To Learn Spanish: A Complete Guide How To Learn Japanese: Tips And Methods How To Learn French: A Step-By-Step Guide What Does A Provost Do? Explaining Who’s Who On Your College Campus How To Transfer From Community College To University: A Guide Jeff Tompkins is a writer and teacher of English as a Second Language living in New York City. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1967 and was educated at Brown University and University College London. His articles and reviews have appeared in CHA Review of Books and Films, the Brooklyn Rail, the Chicago Review of Books, PopMatters, Words Without Borders, and other outlets. An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. International travel documents for children See what documents a child needs to travel to or from the U.S. alone or with a parent or relative. Children traveling to the U.S. All children, including infants, must have their own travel documents such as a passport or document from a Trusted Traveler Program to enter the U.S. If you travel or are going to travel with a child, consider taking the following documents: If the child is traveling with only one of their custodial parents, they must have a letter of consent, preferably in English and notarized, from the other parent or signed by both parents. The letter should say "I acknowledge that my son/daughter is traveling outside the country with [the name of the adult] with my permission." If one parent has sole custody of the child, a copy of the custody document can take the place of the other parent's letter. Parents who frequently cross the border by land with a minor must always carry a letter of permission from the other parent. U.S. citizen children traveling abroad Ports of entry in many countries have security measures to prevent international child abduction . If you are traveling alone with your child, you may be required to present documentation proving you are the parent or legal guardian. You may also need a letter of permission from the other parent for your child to travel.  If your child travels alone, depending on the country, they may be required to present a notarized letter from both parents or their legal guardian. If a minor is traveling abroad and is not accompanied by both parents or a legal guardian, contact the embassy or consulate of the country you will be visiting and ask about entry and exit requirements for that country. LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023 Have a question? Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it. D-Day latest: Biden takes swipe at Putin in D-Day speech; read chilling 'in case of failure' letter As the world marks 80 years since D-Day, the King tells a commemoration event "free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny" and Joe Biden takes a swipe at Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Second World War Wren, Christian Lamb, 103, is given France's highest honour by Emmanuel Macron. Thursday 6 June 2024 23:05, UK Anniversary events King: Free nations must come together to oppose tyranny Biden takes aim at Putin: War's 'dark forces never fade'   Zelenskyy greeted by raucous applause Veteran minesweeper's stern words for Russian president  Veteran British Wren, 103, gets France's highest honour Watch: Parachutists recreate D-Day invasion   Revisiting D-Day Chilling letter Eisenhower drafted in case of failure The elite veteran division that may have prevented the collapse of the invasion How the Germans responded and clues to why they failed Veterans' stories: My ears bled as I bombarded shore | Shrapnel still lodged in my head nearly killed me Watch: How the D-Day landings unfolded Timelines: The lead-up to the landings | What happened across the five D-Day beaches? | The Battle of Normandy Produced by  Brad Young Thanks for following our coverage on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. You can scroll back through this blog below to catch up on all our updates and features. A number of commemorations have marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Royals, world leaders and veterans gathered in Normandy for a series of ceremonies and events, paying tribute to those who served during the 1944 beach invasion. The King and the Prince of Wales praised the "bravery and sacrifice" of D-Day veterans who "served at that critical time" as they both made speeches in France today. Here is a roundup of the highlights from the D-Day anniversary commemorations. By royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills  in Normandy  This was the day that the world made a journey to towns across Normandy. Those remarkable stories of bravery and acts of patriotism that have cemented D-Day in our consciousness, touching so many different nations. From the 13 countries that made up those Allied troops for the landings thousands of people gathered onto those wide sweeping beaches for ceremonial events, others crowded into their towns and villages wanting to say a more personal thank you.  But talking to those who've been here for previous commemorations, they told me that this year has felt different, an added significance, with precious few veterans still with us. Whether it's been the international diplomatic events which always add that extra focus onto moments like this, or more intimate events up and down the coastline, the elderly have been treated with so much love and respect. At a ceremony in the small town of Asnelles to unveil a commemorative memorial for those who died from the 47 Royal Marine Commando, I spoke to Norman Ashford, a 99-year-old D-Day veteran from the Royal Marines.  He couldn't speak about what he saw on D-Day. Eventually, he told me he was at least pleased that he had come. Remarkably, at least three women came up once I'd spoken to him to shake his hand and personally thank him because of what the actions of him and his friends had meant to their relatives all those 80 years ago.  As international leaders took to the stage, the veterans have been treated like the real superstars. But not in their eyes. Repeatedly they want to bring it back to those who weren't there. The men I met felt lucky to have gone on to have had really fulfilled and happy lives.  They made it home. They managed to have their own families. But their friends, who died on these beaches, they were never able to fulfil those dreams. Kneeling next to them the veterans I spoke to were quiet, more discrete in their message than the world leaders, but with no less conviction.  As they increasingly fade away they never want us to forget the freedoms that they fought for. D-Day re-enactment groups have said their work to inspire remembrance of the Normandy landings is more important now many of the men involved are now longer with us. Living history groups have collected garments, artefacts and weaponry to display for educational purposes, while re-enactment groups go a step further in theatrically recreating the event. Michael Lycett, organiser of the East Yorkshire Regiment Living Group, said the reenactors had become friends with many of the battalion's veterans over the years. "We have heard their stories first hand and feel well qualified to pass them on. By attending shows and putting on displays we are able to tell their stories to a wide audience. "This is more important now these men are not here to do so themselves." The group displays weapons and explosives, as well as a pot of sand from each of the landing beaches and a lump of concrete from the Merville Gun Battery in Normandy. Glenn Caton, 61, who runs the Suffolk Military Show portraying historical conflicts from the past 1,000 years, said re-enactment is vital for stoking remembrance. "Unfortunately events such as the D-Day landings are now becoming confined to the history books, as these significant moments are largely beyond living memory." He added: "One of the mantras The Suffolk Military Shows has adopted is 'I hear I forget, I see I remember, I do I understand'." Arthur Oborne, 100, paid a tearful tribute to a friend who saved his life on D-Day earlier this afternoon. He was shot in the lung three days after arriving on Gold Beach and his friend, Walter Gummerson, was killed the next day alongside the rest of his unit. "I wish I could tell him that I have never taken his sacrifice for granted and will always remember him and our friends," said Mr Oborne from Portishead, while speaking at the UK national commemorative event in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy. "So Gummy, thank you my old friend." Afterwards he said: "I had no problems talking but it was a bit emotional, I was a bit upset and teary. "I think everyone did well at the service, I was a bit apprehensive at the start but I wanted to speak." Royal Marine Jim Grant recalled the sheer noise of the assault, which left him partially deaf. Attacking Sword Beach via landing craft, he was escorting Canadian forces across to Normandy. "The noise from the guns, the German guns and the guns from the battleships who had started firing over our heads, was deafening," he said. Behind the infantry storming the beaches of Normandy were soldiers tasked with keeping guns loaded, vehicles fuelled and troops fed. Jack Mortimer, 100, was one such driver and dispatch rider, who "worked like hell" to keep his comrades on Sword Beach fighting effectively. He described driving "frightened to death" up the beach in a jeep with a trailer, with hundreds of rockets flying overhead. "Driving up that beach, the noise, the smoke, frightened to death, hearing guns going off and seeing thousands of soldiers and ships on either side, it was organised army chaos," said the former 12th Ordnance Beach detachment volunteer. "Our job was to organise the beach so we could help anyone who got in trouble coming on shore. "A gun can't fire without ammunition, a tank can't go without petrol and men need food, so we worked like hell to keep the stores equipped." Mr Mortimer said he will be travelling back to Normandy for the anniversary. "When I go there, I cry.  "I don't think I'm a hero, the heroes are the ones who didn't come home, and they should always be remembered.  "It is very emotional, of course, to remember those who went and didn't come back." The most ambitious amphibious operation in history required the waterproofing of weapons and other sensitive equipment Among those ensuring the guns worked when they landed on Gold Beach was gunner Donald Howkins, who spent the month before D-Day in Weybridge learning how to protect them from the sea. He said he struggles to remember fighting on the beaches, but battles in the nearby village of Tilly-sur-Seulles were not soon going to leave him. "The destruction of a town and death in such a way I have never discussed it," he said. "It was also here that my good friend from my hometown was badly wounded and his war was over." From there, they "zigged and zagged northward through Normandy" and into Belgium. "During these first months we lost some good men." Royals, world leaders and veterans gathered on Omaha Beach today to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. As veterans arrived at the international commemoration service, world leaders applauded each of them as they were pushed past them on wheelchairs, some of them smiling proudly and saluting. Ralph McClure, 99, who was a signalman on board the HMS LCT 952, has been speaking about the moment he lost a friend on D-Day. The grandfather of actress Vicky McClure said: "There was a flash where he was standing and from then till now I've tried to find out if he made it. "I feel he might not have done. "I think a lot about him - we used to have a lot of good times together." The veteran left Newhaven on D-Day in a tank landing ship and took tanks and supplies to the troops on the ground in Normandy. He was there for six weeks and remembers seeing Winston Churchill arriving on the beaches in France. Be the first to get Breaking News Install the Sky News app for free Security Alert May 17, 2024 Worldwide caution, update may 10, 2024, information for u.s. citizens in the middle east. Travel Advisories | Contact Us | MyTravelGov | Find U.S. Embassies & Consulates Travel.state.gov, congressional liaison, special issuance agency, u.s. passports, international travel, intercountry adoption, international parental child abduction, records and authentications, popular links, travel advisories, mytravelgov, stay connected, legal resources, legal information, info for u.s. law enforcement, replace or certify documents. Get a Passport Renew or Replace a Passport Get My Passport Fast Prepare to Apply Passport Help Legal Matters Get a Passport Homepage Share this page: Apply for your First Adult Passport Apply for a Child Under 16 Apply as a 16 or 17 Year Old Get My Application Status Get a Passport Card Respond to a Letter or Email Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person. If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply with their child, you will need to show us more documents. You cannot renew your child's passport using Form DS-82. Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years.  Steps to Apply 1. fill out form ds-11 and print it. Use our Form Filler tool  to fill out your child's form on a desktop or laptop computer and then print it. If you are experiencing technical issues with the Form Filler, download a PDF .  Tips to complete your child's form : Do not sign your child's form until asked to do so by a passport acceptance agent or employee.  You can apply for a passport book , a passport card , or both documents. You may ask for a larger passport book with more visa pages, at no extra cost, by checking the 'large book' box at the top of the DS-11. 2. Get Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (and a photocopy) Your evidence must be an original or replacement copy. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the office which issued it. You must submit one of the following documents for your child: Issued by the city, county, or state of birth Lists applicant's full name, date of birth, and place of birth Lists the parent(s)' full names Has the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth) Has the registrar's signature Has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth Certificate of Citizenship Please note you must also provide a document, such as a birth certificate, that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Full validity means the document is or was valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16.  If you cannot submit one of these documents, go to our  Citizenship Evidence page  for more information. Paper only : You cannot submit digital evidence of U.S. citizenship such as a mobile or electronic birth certificate. You must submit physical evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the document.  Returning your child's document : We will return your child's document in a separate mailing up to 8 weeks after you receive the new passport. Tips for making a photocopy : Black and white (no color) Use 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper Use a single side of the paper If you do not submit a photocopy, you must submit a second copy of your citizenship evidence. We will keep this copy for our records. 3. Show Your Relationship to Your Child You must submit a document that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Examples include: U.S. birth certificate (also evidence of U.S. citizenship) Foreign birth certificate Adoption decree Divorce or custody decree A court order Some documents, like a U.S. birth certificate, show  both  U.S. citizenship and parental relationship. These documents must be originals or certified copies (not photocopies). You and your child may have different last names, as long as the document showing your relationship to your child lists your full name. If your name is different than the one on the document showing your relationship to your child, submit proof of your legal name change. 4. Get a Photo ID (and a photocopy) Both parents or guardians must bring a physical, photo ID and a photocopy of it. If your photo ID is from a different state than the state in which you are applying, bring a second photo ID.  You must show at least  one  of these photo IDs: Valid or expired, undamaged U.S. passport book or passport card  In-state, fully valid driver's license or enhanced driver's license with photo Certificate of Naturalization  Certificate of Citizenship  Government employee ID (city, county, state, or federal) U.S. military or military dependent ID Current (valid) foreign passport Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular ID) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant Trusted Traveler IDs (including valid Global Entry, FAST, SENTRI, and NEXUS cards) Enhanced Tribal Cards and Native American tribal photo IDs In-state, fully-valid learner's permit with photo In-state, fully-valid non-driver ID with photo Temporary driver's license with photo If you do not have one of these photo IDs, go to our  Identification page  for more information. 5. Show More Documents (if both parents or guardians cannot apply) Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person. If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply in person with their child, you will need to show more documents. If... Then... One parent can't go in person (but both of you have custody) Submit a  . The parent that cannot apply with the child must: You have sole legal custody, or you are the only parent Submit one of these documents:  parent  . You cannot find the other parent (but both of you have custody) Submit a  .  Neither parent able to appear Submit a  or a notarized statement from both parents or guardians giving that person (example: grandparent) permission to apply for the child. Important : Submit  Form DS-3053  and other notarized statements within three months of signing them. 6. Provide a Photo You must provide one photo with your child's application. Go to our  Passport Photo page  for photo requirements and to see examples of photos.  Do not attach or staple your child's photo to the form. The acceptance agent or passport employee will review the photo and staple it to your form. Some  passport acceptance facilities A company which offers photo services Home. Ask your friend or family member to take your child's photo. Print it on glossy or matte photo quality paper.  7. Calculate Fees When applying using Form DS-11, you will pay two separate fees - an application fee and an execution (acceptance) fee. You will pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State, and the execution (acceptance) fee to the facility which takes your application.  Add $60 to your application fee if you want  expedited service . Add $19.53 to your application fee if you want us to ship your completed passport in 1-2 days after we issue it.   Child Applicants : Product Form  Application Fee Execution (Acceptance) Fee Passport Book $100 $35 Passport Card $15 $35 Passport Book & Card $115 $35 For more information on how to pay and a full list of fees, go to our  Passport Fees  page. *How to fill out your check and pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State. Please note you must pay a separate execution (acceptance) fee.  Families may write one check or money order to the U.S. Department of State if they are applying at the same time. The check or money order must include the name and date of birth of each applicant. 8. Find Location to Apply In the United States: Traveling in more than 3 weeks?  Go to a  passport acceptance facility  such as a post office, library, or local government office. Check with the facility to see if you need to make an appointment.  Traveling in less than 3 weeks?   Make an appointment  to apply at a passport agency or center. In another country: Contact your  U.S. embassy or consulate . 9. Track Your Application Status You can  subscribe to email updates  about your application status, and  learn more about each status update . It may take 2 weeks from the day you apply until your child's application status is “In Process.”  Frequently Asked Questions How will you send my child's passport and supporting documents. You will get multiple mailings. The number of mailings depends on what document(s) you asked for. Passport Book : You may get your new passport and citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We will return the passport book using a trackable delivery service. Passport Card : You may get your new passport card and your citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards using 1-2 day delivery services. Both a Passport Book and Card : You may get three separate mailings: New passport book New passport card Citizenship documents Contacting Us : If you have been waiting more than 8 weeks for your documents, call us at  1-877-487-2778  to report that you have not received your documents.  If you want us to reimburse you for a lost supporting document, you must contact us within 90 days of the date which we mailed your passport. You will also need to provide a receipt to show the cost of replacing the document.  Can I pay for faster delivery and return shipping? Yes. You may choose one or both of the following shipment options: Delivering application to us : Pay for Priority Mail Express for faster shipping. The price for this service varies depending on the area of the country. Returning the passport to you : Pay $19.53 for 1-2 day delivery. This means you will receive your passport   1-2 days after we send it. Include this fee with your check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. Do not submit a return envelope to us with postage pre-paid.  You may receive your passport and supporting documents in separate mailings. If you are renewing a passport card, we will send it to you via First Class Mail. We do not use 1-2 day delivery services if you only applied for a passport card. What countries require Form DS-3053 "Statement of Consent" to be notarized at an embassy or consulate? In certain countries, a DS-3053 must be notarized at a  U.S. embassy or consulate  and cannot be notarized by a local notary public. Currently, these countries include: Afghanistan Indonesia Pakistan Algeria Iran Panama Angola Iraq Philippines Bangladesh  Jamaica Saudi Arabia Bulgaria Kenya Senegal Cambodia Kuwait Sierra Leone Cameroon Laos Somalia Central African Republic Lebanon Sudan Cote d'Ivoire Liberia Syria Dominican Republic Libya Tajikistan Egypt Mali Tanzania Equatorial Guinea Mauritania Trinidad and Tobago Ethiopia Mauritius Uganda Gabon Moldova Ukraine Guatemala Nepal United Arab Emirates Guinea Nicaragua Venezuela Haiti Nigeria Vietnam Honduras North Korea Yemen Special Passport Fairs Find a Special Passport Fair  near you! We're holding special passport fairs all across the United States to help you get your passport more easily. New events are added to our site every week. Most events are for first-time applicants and children, (who use Form DS-11). If you can use Form DS-82, you can renew by mail at your convenience! Processing Times Routine:  6-8 weeks* Expedited: 2-3 weeks and an extra $60* *Consider the total time it will take to get a passport when you are booking travel.  Processing times only include the time your application is at a passport agency or center. It may take up to 2 weeks for applications to arrive at a passport agency or center. It may take up to 2 weeks for you to receive a completed passport after we print it.  Processing times + mailing times = total time to get a passport Urgent Travel:  See our Get my Passport Fast page.  How to Apply for your Child's Passport Watch this video to learn how to apply in person for your child's U.S. passport! External Link You are about to leave travel.state.gov for an external website that is not maintained by the U.S. Department of State. Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of State of the views or products contained therein. If you wish to remain on travel.state.gov, click the "cancel" message. You are about to visit: You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience. 10 Ways to Say Thank You in French Gratitude is universal. But there are ways to express it beyond a simple “thanks.” In this post, I’ll introduce you to some new ways to thank those special people in your life. I’ll also explain what makes each word or phrase unique and how to use it correctly in context. Expand your French horizons  by learning ways to say thanks in French from the common  merci  to some more situational phrases to express gratitude! Merci — Thank you Merci beaucoup — thank you very much, merci mille fois — a thousand thanks, merci à tous — thanks to you all (plural), merci bien — thanks a lot (sarcastic), je te remercie / je vous remercie — i thank you (personal), cimer  — thanks (slang, verlan), mci — thx (slang, written). Avec tous mes remerciements — With all my thanks (formal, written) Avec mes remerciements anticipés — Thanking you in advance (formal) How to practice giving a genuine french “thank you”, and one more thing.... Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download) Merci  is quite a flexible word—it can be used in both informal and formal contexts . If you want to be a bit more formal in your thanks, you can append merci with Madame or Monsieur . While Mademoiselle can also be used, it’s best to avoid this term, as it’s been falling out of favor recently due to the potentially rude connotation. Merci beaucoup is quite similar to  merci : it’s versatile and can be appropriate for most contexts. It simply communicates a somewhat greater level of gratitude . So you can choose whether to employ merci or  merci beaucoup based on how strongly you feel about what someone’s done for you. You might say merci to someone who takes you out for coffee and  merci beaucoup  to someone who takes you out to a nice meal. Merci  mille fois is, in essence, an even stronger version of merci . It literally means “thank you ( merci ) a thousand (mille)  times ( fois ),” and expresses deep gratitude. Building on the earlier example, if you say  merci to someone who treats you to a cup of coffee and you say  merci beaucoup to one who buys you a nice meal, then you might say  merci mille fois to someone who makes you a three-course dinner from scratch. This phrase is used to thank a group of people . It’s a more general statement, making it good to use, for instance, when a group of friends pitch in on a birthday gift for you. You don’t know exactly who thought of the gift, who wrapped it, who spent what, etc. Thus,  merci à tous  is a good way to include everyone involved in your thank you. Pay attention to this one! Although it has  merci in it,  merci bien can be used sarcastically: Tu as laissé tous les plats sales pour moi. Merci bien ! (You left all the dirty dishes for me. Thanks a lot!) It’s good to know this so that you don’t say it to someone you’re trying to genuinely thank, and so you’re aware in case someone ever ends up saying it to you. This one is more personal. Instead of simply saying merci , in which “I” and “you” are implied, we actually identify the two parties involved (the one giving thanks as well as the one being thanked). Remember to say  te when you’re in a casual situation, such as with a friend or relative, and  vous when the occasion is formal , such as with a boss. To take it a step further and explain why you’re thanking someone, add  pour (for) and a noun, or  de and a verb. For example, you might say: Je te remercie pour ton cadeau généreux.  (I thank you for your generous gift.) Je vous remercie de m’avoir donné l’information.  (I thank you for giving me the information.) You can use the same constructions with  merci.  Verlan is a type of French slang that takes words and plays around with them, often flipping them. In this case, the word merci was split up into two parts (mer and ci), then the two parts were switched to make cimer. This is a very informal slang term that’s most often used by the younger generation among friends of the same age. Five letters is just too much to type, isn’t it? That’s why internet and text slang shortens merci to three short letters: mci. A few more versions of thanks exist in text slang only, and often utilize numbers: MDA — Merci d’avance (Thanks in advance) MR6 — Merci (Thanks) P2K — Pas de quoi (You’re welcome) 2ri1 — De rien (You’re welcome) Avec tous mes r emerciements — With all my thanks (formal, written) The main difference between this phrase and the earlier ones is that  avec tous mes remerciements  is formal . It’s often used at the end of a formal French email or letter. For instance: Cher Monsieur, J’ai entendu de votre organization d’un ami. Je voudrais aider les SDF et mon ami a dit que vous avez besoin de plus de bénévoles. Je m’intéresse à cette opportunité. Quelle sorte de travail est-ce qu’on ferait? Aves tous mes remerciements , Mme. Larsen  I heard of your organization from a friend. I would like to help the homeless [ SDF stands for  sans domicile fixe , meaning “without fixed housing,” or simply “homeless”— great cultural insight to be familiar with! ] and my friend said that you need more volunteers. I am interested in this opportunity. What sort of work would we do? With all my thanks, Note that in formal writing, such as business emails and official paperwork , mademoiselle  generally isn’t used, even if the woman in question is unmarried. This phrase is a formal way to thank the recipient for something they’re going to do. In fact, this phrase would work just as well in the email example above, because we’re asking for information. It’s great to use when asking for things, such as a file, answers to questions, a face-to-face meeting, etc. You could also say  merci d’anticipe (thank you in advance) which has the same basic meaning but is more colloquial and may be used in both formal and informal contexts. FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.) Try FluentU for FREE! For some quick practice, write a thank-you note . It could be based on something someone actually did for you, or you can be creative (extra credit!) and imagine a scenario that would make you want to express your gratitude in writing. For another, more focused activity, write/act out a dialogue that calls for using one or more of the words/phrases here. Think about which one would be most appropriate for each situation (there aren’t always right or wrong answers—some of these words are flexible or have similar meanings, leaving it up to the speaker to decide). If you’re out of dialogue scenario ideas, try your hand at these examples: You just finished a lovely lunch at a Parisian café (dreams can come true). What do you say to the waiter as you leave? You were recently interviewed for a prestigious job in your field. What would you write in the body of an email as a follow-up/thank-you? (Hint: this is a great opportunity to put formal French to use!) You’re in the hospital recovering from surgery and a group of friends visit you. What do you say to them? As a final point, it’s also important to know what the response may be if you thank somebody in French. For this, you’ll want to learn the different ways and formalities of using “you’re welcome” in French . Being aware of these different phrases will help your fluency and keep the conversation going. Now that you’ve discovered these ways to express gratitude in French,  je vous remercie d’avoir lu cet article !  (I thank you for reading this article!) FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here: FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples. For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this: Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank." All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.) Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF! We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe Cookies on GOV.UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Register to vote Register by 18 June to vote in the General Election on 4 July. Education, training and skills Funding and finance for students Student loans Guidance for students, parents and partners providing evidence to support a student finance application If you apply to Student Finance England for help with your studies for a full-time undergraduate course, you, your parents or partner may be asked to give us evidence. Applies to England Guidance for Wales This guide covers the evidence that students need to provide to prove their identity, as well as evidence that students, parents and partners can give us to prove their household income and marital status. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to upload evidence to your online account ! It’s quick and easy to use your Student Finance account, watch our other ‘How to’ films for step-by-step tutorials. If you need to provide evidence of your identity When you apply for the first time, you’ll need to provide details or evidence to confirm your identity. Most identity evidence can’t be a digital copy and must be valid on the date we receive it. When we need to see your original identity evidence, this must be sent by post. I’m a UK national, what can I send? If you have a valid UK passport, you can give us these details when you apply. If you don’t have a valid UK passport, you can: upload a copy of your UK birth or adoption certificate (both long and short versions are acceptable) to your online account send us a photocopy of your UK birth or adoption certificate (both long and short versions are acceptable) send us your original certificate of Naturalisation/Registration I’m an EU/EEA national, what can I send? If you’ve been granted a status under the EU Settlement Scheme you need to provide us with a share code to prove your immigration and identity status . You don’t need to send us a passport. If you’ve not been granted a status under the EU Settlement Scheme then you should send us one of the following: original EU/EEA passport original National ID card original ROI passport card I’m from outside of the UK, EU and EAA, what can I send? You can send us an: original non-UK passport original Home Office Biometric Residence Card original UK travel document original certificate of Naturalisation/Registration Examples of evidence we can’t accept: paper ID cards (this includes Italian paper ID cards) UK or non-UK driving licence Find out what address you need to send your identity evidence to by visiting www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance/proof-of-identity If your parents or partner are asked to provide evidence of their income We usually don’t ask your parents or partner to provide evidence of their income once they’ve supported your application, we’ll get their details from HRMC. We may contact them to ask for evidence of their: marital status – if they’re separated or divorced income – if they’re living abroad or finalising their current year income assessment private pension contributions additional voluntary contributions. You should only upload financial evidence if we’ve asked for it. Uploading evidence such as your P60 or Tax Return when this wasn’t needed will cause delays to the student finance application. If you’re asked for evidence, we accept digital copies as long as they’re clear and readable. The quickest and easiest way to provide financial evidence is by uploading it via your parent’s or partner’s online account. If you or your parents need to provide evidence of marital status When you first apply for student finance, we may need to confirm your or your parent’s marital status; to do this we need you to give us evidence. If you or your parent indicate that you’re single, usually we won’t ask you to provide evidence. Digital copies of evidence are acceptable as long as they’re clear and readable. If you or your parents tell us the wrong martial status, we may need evidence before we can update your status. Evidence to prove that you’ll be under the age of 25 years old at the start of the academic year and married or in a civil partnership Examples of evidence you can provide to confirm your marital status include: marriage certificate civil partnership documentation Evidence to prove that you or your parents are separated, divorced, or have a dissolved civil partnership Examples of evidence you or your parent can provide to confirm marital status include: decree nisi or decree absolute final or conditional order civil partnership conditional order a signed and dated letter from your solicitor confirming your status a signed affidavit statutory declaration most recent Council Tax bill with an acceptable discount If your or your parent’s marital status remains the same throughout your studies, we’ll only need this evidence in the first academic year of your course. The quickest and easiest way to provide marital status evidence is by uploading it via your or your parent’s or partner’s online account . Alternatively, this evidence can be posted to us. Find out what address to send your evidence to by visiting www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance How long it takes to process your evidence Check out our  current timescales page  to find out when to expect an update on your application or on information you’ve sent! If you’ve uploaded evidence through your online account, you can use the application status tracker to find out when to expect an update. If you’ve sent evidence by post, this can take up to 6 weeks for us to process and update your online account. To make sure we can process your evidence as quickly as possible, please do not contact us during this time. We’ll update your online account once it has been processed. We can’t confirm that we’ve got your identity evidence until after we’ve processed it. This allows for quicker processing times and makes sure you get your identity evidence back as quickly as possible. If you’ve sent your evidence by tracked delivery, you should check the delivery date with the delivery service. Added information under 'If your parents or partner are asked to provide evidence of their income' section to cover new process and evidence we may ask for. Add link to current timescales page Added information on 'how long it takes to process your evidence' Update to acceptable identity evidence. Updating guidance for parents and partners evidence and martial status evidence which now includes final or conditional order. First published. Related content Is this page useful. Yes this page is useful No this page is not useful Help us improve GOV.UK Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Please fill in this survey (opens in a new tab) . 348 COMMENTS How to write a letter in French In a nutshell, here is how you should format a letter in French: Top left: First name, last name, address, phone number and email address. Top right: Name and contact details of the recipient. Below your contact details: " Objet : ", followed by a short summary of the reason why you are writing. Below the object, on the right: Place and date. How to Write Letters and emails in French For Any Occasion In French, there are a few different formatting options, but usually, you'll write your name and address on the top left and then the name of your recipient underneath it on the right like this: Your name. Your address. Your phone number/email. Recipient's name. How To Write a Cover Letter in French? Tips & Examples The cover letter in French is formal and you must be careful to respect the words and phrases when you apply in an French-speaking country. If you don't know the person's name, for example for an unsolicited application, write: Madame, Monsieur, Please note: The abbreviation for Monsieur (Mister) is M. and not Mr. (even French people make the ... How to Write Letters and Emails in French In the context of a salutation to start a French letter, "cher" means dear. cher + masculine singular noun = cher Pierre. chère + feminine masculine noun = chère Anne. chers + plural = chers Anne et Pierre. chères + plural feminine only = chères Anne et Marie. "Cher" can be followed by "Monsieur/ Madame / Mademoiselle". French Letter Format: How to Write Them How to Write Formal French Letters. 1. Write your name and contact information as the sender in the upper left-hand corner of the page. 2. Below the sender's header, write the recipient's name and contact information on the right-hand side. 3. Start your message with a salutation. 4. How to write a French cover letter When writing a French cover letter you should be polite and courteous. Address the reader with Madame or Monsieur, without adding Cher/Chère nor the family name of the person. If you don't know the gender use Madame, Monsieur. When ending use the following phrase as to say 'best regards': 'Dans l'attente de votre réponse, je vous prie ... How to Write a Letter in French: A Simple Guide How to Write a Letter in French: A Simple Guide - Talk in French How To Write A Formal Letter In French However, if you are writing a letter as a group, make sure to end your formal letter with " Nous vous prions d'agréer " and " nos salutations ". Again, in lieu of " Monsieur, Madame " you can use either or if you know to whom the letter is sent. Do not add the person's surname. Finally, be sure to always write " Monsieur ... French Informal And Formal Letter Format The format of a French letter is similar to that of an English letter, with a few key differences. Here's a basic outline of a French informal letter: Date (optional): The date is typically written in the day-month-year format in French. For example: "Paris, le 3 Avril 2023" (Paris, April 3rd, 2023). Salutation: This is where you address ... How to write a letter in French In this blog we'll go through everything you need to do to write a formal letter in French. How it works; Languages. German; English; Business English; ... How to write a formal letter in French. by Audrey Sivadier Published on May 7, 2020 / Updated on January 8, 2024 Facebook ... What You Need to Know About Writing French Letters and Emails But overall, French correspondence is a bit more relaxed than you might expect. 2. Remember your intention. The main goal of a letter or email is to communicate. Whether that's asking a question, sharing information, or requesting a service, the most important thing is to convey what you mean in a clear way. Writing a Professional Email in French (Sample template included) How to write a formal email in French. 1. Use the proper greeting. Being polite is important. If you don't know the name nor the gender of the recipient (le destinataire), use: Madame, Monsieur, Mesdames, Messieurs, If you know the gender but not the name, then only Madame or Monsieur should be used. Even if you know the recipient's name ... How to Write a Formal Letter in French Madame, Monsieur, However, if you know the name of the person, use his/her family name only: Monsieur Dupont, Avoid using 'Cher Monsieur' or 'Chère Madame' to open your letter (Dear Sir or Dear Madam). Remember that this is a 100% formal letter. Keep the 'Dear Sir/Madam' if you know him/her personally only. Write A Cover Letter In French Le plan de la lettre de motivation en français. Pour le contenu de votre lettre de motivation en français, il est généralement conseillé de l'écrire en trois parties: MOI, VOUS, NOUS . For the content of your cover letter in French, it is generally advised to write it in three parts: ME, YOU, US. Moi: le candidat. Writing a Letter in French You can write the name of the person before the comma if you know who you are writing to. If you don't know whether the person receiving the letter is a man or woman, you can write "Monsieur,Madame,". Then, you indent once and begin the body of your letter. After you finish the body of the letter, you write one of the ready-made long ... Toolkit: Writing a Letter or Email in French Opening Salutations. If you have never met the person that you are addressing before, and want to say the equivalent of 'To whom it may concern', you should write ' Madame, Monsieur'. However, if you know their name, you can write 'Monsieur X' or ' Madame X'. The tone changes slightly if you have met them before, in which case ... Writing an Email in French: My best tips Or you can be more formal, and write your email like you'd write a letter: Monsieur, madame, (= Dear Sir / Madam, cold and formal, if you don't know who's going to read the letter.) Cher monsieur, (= Dear Sir, warmer but still formal) Chère madame, (= Dear Madam, same but for a woman) We would never really use these in spoken French. Learn How to Write a Business Letter in French This sample business letter, or correspondance commerciale, is to give you an outline for using business letter formulas in French. The various sections are notated using brackets and it is much easier if you construct the letter piece by piece. You can use this sample as a template for your own letter. Simply replace the sentences as needed to ... How to Write an Email in French Adresse (address) 2. How to Start an Email in French: The formule d'appel (roughly, "formal greeting") You start your email with a formule d'appel (formal salutation). This can be as simple as "Madame," or "Monsieur," if the recipient doesn't know you, or "Cher Monsieur,/Chère Madame," ("Dear Sir,/Dear Madam,") if the ... How to write a letter or e-mail in French: closing formulae Traditionally, French business correspondence ends with one of various silly long-winded formulae, although particularly in the case of e-mail correspondence, these are starting to go out the window. A common favourite for closing a semi-formal business e-mail is cordialement . Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur/Madame, nos salutations distinguées ... How to End an Email in French: 23 Email Sign-Offs Bien cordialement (semi-formal) Like Cordialement, but a bit warmer (say, if you've been interacting with the same person multiple times). Use for: finally getting that freelancer to send you the new website specs. 4. Respectueusement (formal) "Respectfully.". Can be used the same way as Très cordialement. Google Translate Google's service, offered free of charge, instantly translates words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages. 3 Ways to End a Letter in French The phrase de croire en is more typically used when referring to God, and would be considered overly exaggerated by even the most egotistical official. 4. Repeat the full salutation in your closing. In your closing expression, use the full title and name that you used for the salutation at the opening of the letter. How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job in 2024 Respectfully, Kind regards, Best regards, Yours truly, Then, make two spaces below the salutation, and type your full name. For some professional (but optional) flair, sign your cover letter either with a scan of your signature or by using software like DocuSign. 8. Check your cover letter's content and formatting. How To Ask For A Letter Of Recommendation For A School Application Send a Formal Request. Send a well-written request to each person who agreed to write you a letter by email. Your email subject line should read "Request for Letter of Recommendation" or ... International travel documents for children The letter should say "I acknowledge that my son/daughter is traveling outside the country with [the name of the adult] with my permission." If one parent has sole custody of the child, a copy of the custody document can take the place of the other parent's letter. ... If you are traveling alone with your child, you may be required to present ... D-Day latest: Biden takes swipe at Putin in D-Day speech ... D-Day latest: Biden takes swipe at Putin in D-Day speech; read chilling 'in case of failure' letter . As the world marks 80 years since D-Day, the King tells a commemoration event "free nations ... Apply for a Child's U.S. Passport Use our Form Filler tool to fill out your child's form on a desktop or laptop computer and then print it.If you are experiencing technical issues with the Form Filler, download a PDF. Tips to complete your child's form:. Do not sign your child's form until asked to do so by a passport acceptance agent or employee.; You can apply for a passport book, a passport card, or both documents. 10 Ways to Say Thank You in French Je te remercie / Je vous remercie — I thank you (personal) Cimer — Thanks (slang, verlan) Mci — Thx (slang, written) Avec tous mes remerciements — With all my thanks (formal, written) Avec mes remerciements anticipés — Thanking you in advance (formal) How to Practice Giving a Genuine French "Thank You". Guidance for students, parents and partners providing evidence to If you've uploaded evidence through your online account, you can use the application status tracker to find out when to expect an update.. If you've sent evidence by post, this can take up to ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review thesis