French course

Lesson 156 of 240

New here? This is lesson 156 of a free 240-lesson French course.

Start hereHow this works

A polite work message in French

Sam has to email the museum about the audio guide. Claire wants it short: where things stand, the file, and thanks in advance.

In the office she uses tu with him. The museum still gets vous.

By the end you'll open a polite work message, ask where things stand, send the latest file, and close without sounding pushy.

Keep it brief. Claire hates a long email as much as a long meeting.

By the end of this lesson

Write a short polite work message.

  • Je vous écris au sujet du guide audio.I'm writing to you about the audio guide.
  • Pourriez-vous me dire où vous en êtes ?Could you tell me where things stand?
  • Vous trouverez la dernière version en pièce jointe.You'll find the latest version attached.
  • Merci de me répondre dès que possible.Please get back to me as soon as you can.
  • Je reste disponible si besoin.I'm available if needed.
  • Merci d'avance pour votre retour.Thanks in advance for your reply.

Scene — a short email

Late morning in the small office two metro stops from the café. Claire has a laptop under one arm and a museum-guide kit on Sam's desk.

She wants a short email to the museum. Sam still has the draft open. The courtyard window is bright. No long meeting today.

Late morning in a small office, Claire sets a laptop on Sam's desk beside a museum-guide kit while Sam sits at an open laptop by a bright courtyard window.

Learn — write to the museum

Six lines build a short work email: why you are writing, a polite question, the attached file, and a calm close.

You keep vous, even though Claire is tu at the desk.

  1. Sam leans toward an open laptop to start a short work message while Claire stands beside the desk and checks the screen.

    Je vous écris au sujet du guide audio.

    I'm writing to you about the audio guide.

    When to use it: Use this to open a work email about a shared project.

    Use vous in a work email to people outside the team, even if Claire is tu.

    Say it: The s in vous links into écris as a z sound.

  2. Close on the desk, Claire taps the audio-guide headphones and the laptop while Sam's hands wait on the keys.

    Pourriez-vous me dire où vous en êtes ?

    Could you tell me where things stand?

    When to use it: Use this to ask, politely, how far the other side has got.

    Pourriez-vous is a polite ask: the verb and vous swap places.

  3. From behind Sam, Sam holds a folder toward the open laptop to attach the latest version while Claire's hand stays on the kit.

    Vous trouverez la dernière version en pièce jointe.

    You'll find the latest version attached.

    When to use it: Use this when the newest file is attached to the email.

    Pièce jointe is the file sitting on the email, not a room.

  4. Claire stands in profile by the courtyard window and steps toward the desk with a small hurry-up gesture while Sam stays at the laptop.

    Merci de me répondre dès que possible.

    Please get back to me as soon as you can.

    When to use it: Use this to ask for a reply soon without sounding sharp.

    Merci de plus a verb asks someone to do that thing, politely.

  5. From a low angle, Sam leans back from the keyboard with open hands, available if needed, while Claire stands near the courtyard window.

    Je reste disponible si besoin.

    I'm available if needed.

    When to use it: Use this near the end to say they can still reach you.

    Si besoin means if they need you, not if you need them.

  6. Close on Claire giving one small nod of thanks toward the open laptop, a hand resting on the desk.

    Merci d'avance pour votre retour.

    Thanks in advance for your reply.

    When to use it: Use this to thank them for a reply you have not had yet.

    Retour here is their reply, not a trip back to a place.

    Say it: The d' in d'avance comes from de before a vowel.

Story — keep it short

Watch Sam draft the museum email with Claire beside his desk. She keeps it short, and she wants vous for them.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Late morning. Claire sets the laptop on Sam's desk.
  2. ClaireTu écris au musée ce matin. Mail court, d'accord ?You write to the museum this morning. Short email, okay?
  3. SamBonjour.Hello.
  4. She reads the screen over his shoulder.
  5. ClaireBonjour monsieur. Ils ne te connaissent pas.Hello sir. They don't know you.
  6. SamBonjour monsieur.Hello sir.
  7. ClaireEnsuite, le sujet. Le guide audio.Next, the subject. The audio guide.
  8. SamJe vous écris au sujet du guide audio.I'm writing to you about the audio guide.
  9. ClaireTu leur demandes où ils en sont, poliment.You ask them where they stand, politely.
  10. SamPourriez-vous me dire où vous en êtes ?Could you tell me where things stand?
  11. She taps the file on the desk, then the screen.
  12. ClaireEt tu joins le fichier. La dernière version.And you attach the file. The latest version.
  13. SamVous trouverez la dernière version en pièce jointe.You'll find the latest version attached.
  14. ClaireTu demandes une réponse sans trop pousser.You ask for a reply without pushing too hard.
  15. SamMerci de me répondre dès que possible.Please get back to me as soon as you can.
  16. ClaireTu restes disponible, au cas où.You stay available, just in case.
  17. SamJe reste disponible si besoin.I'm available if needed.
  18. ClaireEt tu remercies pour le retour. D'avance.And you thank them for the reply. In advance.
  19. SamMerci d'avance pour votre retour.Thanks in advance for your reply.
  20. She nods once. The courtyard is quiet.
  21. ClaireParfait. Tu l'envoies ?Perfect. Are you sending it?
  22. SamOui. Merci.Yes. Thanks.

Practice — vous on the page

Ten short exercises wait here. You'll listen, match, fill a gap, swap a word, and build a line.

They stay on the museum email, so the round stays tight.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    French

    Merci de me répondre dès que possible.Drop the English here
    Je reste disponible si besoin.Drop the English here
    Merci d'avance pour votre retour.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    The museum has the draft. You need to know how far they have got, and you must stay polite.

  4. Fill the gap

    You'll find the latest version attached.

    Vous trouverez la dernière version en pièce ____.

  5. What does it mean?

    Merci de me répondre dès que possible.

  6. Build the line

    I'm available if needed.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. Swap the word

    You thank them now for a reply you have not received yet.

    Merci d'avance pour votre ____.

  8. True or false?

    You can start a daytime work email with this.

  9. What do you say?

    It is late morning. Before the rest of the email, greet a man at the museum you have not met.

  10. Pick the reply

    Claire says:

    S'ils ont besoin de toi, tu écris quoi ?

    If they need you, what do you write?

    And you reply with:

Say it — send the mail

Now you're Sam at the desk, writing to the museum. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. ClaireAllez, tu écris au musée.Go on, write to the museum.
  2. Sam (you)Tell them you are writing about the audio guide.

    Je vous écris au sujet du guide audio.

    I'm writing to you about the audio guide.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Je vous écris au sujet du guide audio.I'm writing to you about the audio guide.
Pourriez-vous me dire où vous en êtes ?Could you tell me where things stand?
Vous trouverez la dernière version en pièce jointe.You'll find the latest version attached.
Merci de me répondre dès que possible.Please get back to me as soon as you can.
Je reste disponible si besoin.I'm available if needed.
Merci d'avance pour votre retour.Thanks in advance for your reply.
Next: lesson 157The chat misunderstanding

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want these work-email lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps the polite close ready to send.

Open Yak Cards