When I lived in France, I wrote my first official letter to complain about a broken radiator. I thought I was being very polite. I signed it Bisous, Yak, which in English sounds like a warm hug… but in French reads more like kissing your landlord on the mouth. The poor man avoided eye contact with me for months. That day I learned two things:
- French letter etiquette is sacred.
- Never end formal mail with kisses unless you genuinely intend them.
Let’s make sure you never terrify a landlord, HR director, or bakery lady. Here’s everything you need to start, write, and end a French letter with full native-level confidence.
The Quick Primer
French letters follow a fairly strict set of formulas.
There are three big levels:
1. Très formel — official, administrative, professional
2. Formel mais cordial — polite but friendly
3. Informel — friends, family, partners
Each level changes the greeting, the tone, and especially the ending.
Once you know the templates, you can write any French letter like a pro.
Classic French Greetings (Formal & Informal)
Formal Greetings
| French | IPA | English |
| Madame, | /ma.dam/ | Madam / Dear Madam |
| Monsieur, | /məsjø/ | Sir / Dear Sir |
| Madame, Monsieur, | /ma.dam məsjø/ | To whom it may concern |
| À l’attention de… | /a l‿a.tɑ̃.sjɔ̃ də/ | For the attention of… |
No colon needed, just a comma.
Polite-Friendly Greetings
| French | IPA | English |
| Cher Monsieur Dupont, | /ʃɛʁ məsjø dy.pɔ̃/ | Dear Mr. Dupont |
| Chère Madame Leroy, | /ʃɛʁ ma.dam lə.ʁwa/ | Dear Mrs. Leroy |
| Cher Paul, | /ʃɛʁ pɔl/ | Dear Paul |
Cher /ʃɛʁ/ becomes Chère /ʃɛʁ/ for a woman.
Informal Greetings
| French | IPA | English |
| Salut Marie, | /sa.ly ma.ʁi/ | Hi Marie |
| Coucou Julie, | /ku.ku ʒy.li/ | Hey Julie |
| Mon amour, | /mɔ̃.na.muʁ/ | My love |
Use these only for people who would not sue you.
How to Start the Body of a Letter
French letters often begin with a polite opener. Here are the useful formulas.
Formal Openers
Je me permets de vous écrire concernant…
/ʒə mə pɛʁ.mɛ də vu ze.kʁiʁ kɔ̃.sɛʁ.nɑ̃/
I’m writing to you regarding…
Suite à votre annonce…
/sɥit a vɔtʁ a.nɔ̃s/
Following your advertisement…
Je vous contacte au sujet de…
/ʒə vu kɔ̃.takt o sy.ʒɛ də/
I’m contacting you about…
Polite-Friendly Openers
J’espère que vous allez bien.
/ʒɛs.pɛʁ kə vu.za.le bjɛ̃/
I hope you’re doing well.
Merci pour votre message.
/mɛʁ.si puʁ vɔtʁə me.saʒ/
Thanks for your message.
Informal Openers
Comment ça va ?
/kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/
How are you?
J’avais envie de t’écrire un petit mot.
/ʒa.vɛ ɑ̃.vi də te.kʁiʁ ɛ̃ pə.ti mo/
I felt like writing you a little note.
Useful Letter Vocabulary
| French | IPA | English |
| une lettre | /yn lɛtʁ/ | a letter |
| un courrier | /œ̃ kuʁ.je/ | |
| envoyer | /ɑ̃.vwa.je/ | to send |
| répondre | /ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ/ | to reply |
| signature | /siɲ.na.tyʁ/ | signature |
Formal Writing Phrases You’ll Really Need
Je vous remercie pour votre aide.
/ʒə vu ʁə.mɛʁ.si puʁ vɔtʁɛd/
Thank you for your help.
Je reste à votre disposition.
/ʒə ʁɛst a vɔtʁə dis.po.zi.sjɔ̃/
I remain at your disposal.
Dans l’attente de votre réponse…
/dɑ̃.la.tɑ̃t də vɔtʁə ʁe.pɔ̃s/
Awaiting your reply…
Veuillez trouver ci-joint…
/vœ.jɛ tʁu.ve si.ʒwɛ̃/
Please find attached…
Ending a Letter (The Tricky Part)
Here is where French etiquette turns extremely ceremonial.
Choose your ending based on your relationship with the recipient.
Very Formal Endings
| French | IPA | English |
| Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. | /vœ.jɛ a.gʁe.e ma.dam məsjø lɛkspʁe.sjɔ̃ də me sa.ly.ta.sjɔ̃ dis.tɛ̃.ge/ | Yours sincerely (very formal) |
| Je vous prie d’agréer mes salutations respectueuses. | /ʒə vu pʁi da.gʁe.e me sa.ly.ta.sjɔ̃ ʁɛs.pɛk.tɥøz/ | Respectfully yours |
These may feel long, but they’re standard for France.
Polite-Friendly Endings
| French | IPA | English |
| Cordialement, | /kɔʁ.dja.lə.mɑ̃/ | Kind regards |
| Bien à vous, | /bjɛ̃ a vu/ | Warm regards |
| Sincèrement, | /sɛ̃.sɛʁ.mɑ̃/ | Sincerely |
Informal Endings
| French | IPA | English |
| À bientôt, | /a bjɛ̃.to/ | See you soon |
| Bisous, | /bi.zu/ | Kisses |
| Gros bisous, | /gʁo bi.zu/ | Big kisses |
| Avec amour, | /a.vɛk a.muʁ/ | With love |
Never use Bisous in business unless you are trying to get fired.
Region Notes
Quebec French follows the same letter structure, but the endings shift a bit.
You’ll often see:
Au plaisir,
/o ple.ziʁ/
Looking forward (friendly-professional)
Belgium and Switzerland use the same formulas as France, though Switzerland sometimes writes dates using ISO format in letters.
Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1 — Asking How to Start a Letter
Je commence par “Madame, Monsieur” ?
/ʒə kɔ.mɑ̃s paʁ ma.dam məsjø/
Should I start with “Madam, Sir”?
Oui, si vous ne connaissez pas le nom.
/wi si vu nə kɔ.nɛ.se pa lə nɔ̃/
Yes, if you don’t know the name.
Et j’écris quoi après ?
/e ʒe.kʁi kwa a.pʁe/
And what do I write after?
Explique juste pourquoi tu écris.
/ɛks.plik ʒyst puʁ.kwa ty e.kʁi/
Just explain why you’re writing.
Dialogue 2 — Ending a Formal Letter
Je mets “Cordialement” ?
/ʒə mɛ kɔʁ.dja.lə.mɑ̃/
Should I use “Cordialement”?
Si c’est professionnel, oui.
/si se pʁɔ.fɛ.sjɔ.nɛl wi/
If it’s professional, yes.
Et si c’est une réclamation ?
/e si se tyn ʁe.kla.ma.sjɔ̃/
And if it’s a complaint?
Là, mets une formule plus formelle.
/la mɛ yn fɔʁ.my.lə ply fɔʁ.mɛl/
In that case, use a more formal formula.
Dialogue 3 — Informal Note to a Friend
Tu peux me répondre vite ?
/ty pø mə ʁe.pɔ̃dʁ vit/
Can you reply quickly?
Oui, je t’écris ce soir.
/wi ʒə te.kʁi sə swaʁ/
Yes, I’ll write you tonight.
Et tu vas mettre Bisous ?
/e ty va mɛtʁ bi.zu/
And will you sign with “Kisses”?
Évidemment.
/e.vi.damɑ̃/
Obviously.
Quick Reference
| Function | French Formula | English |
| Very formal greeting | Madame, Monsieur, | To whom it may concern |
| Polite greeting | Cher Monsieur…, Chère Madame… | Dear Mr./Mrs. |
| Informal greeting | Salut…, Coucou… | Hi…, Hey… |
| Strong formal closing | Veuillez agréer… | Very formal ending |
| Polite closing | Cordialement | Kind regards |
| Informal closing | Bisous | Kisses |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Write three greetings: one formal, one polite, one informal.
- Convert three English endings into French equivalents (e.g., Best regards → Bien à vous).
- Shadow Dialogue 2 to practice formal pronunciation.
- Use Je me permets de vous écrire… in your own sentence.
- Write a closing and signature for a letter to your landlord, boss, and best friend.
Sealing the Envelope With a Yak’s Wink
Once you know the French formulas, letters stop feeling stiff and start feeling elegant—like tying a perfect scarf knot. Use the right greeting, end with the right flourish, and you’ll never accidentally kiss your landlord again.
