Business French – Writing a Business Email in French
In this lesson, we’ll learn the vocabulary surrounding emails and guidance on how to structure an email in French.
Watch the video as many times as you need, until you feel you can give the French translations as we go!
Now we can see what we’ve learned. Look at the English and see if you can provide the French for the following:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Getting Around the Email Client in French
Let’s get familiar with the email tool in French and the terms used. Below is an example from Outlook. See how many words you can work out simply from the context or the icon! Then check your thinking with the terminology list that follows.
Finding your way around:
| 1 | Boîte de réception | Inbox |
| 2 | Répondre | Reply |
| 3 | Nouveau courrier | New message |
| 4 | À | To |
| 5 | Un objet | Subject |
| 6 | Envoyer | Send |
| 7 | Brouillons | Drafts |
| 8 | Éléments supprimés | Deleted items |
| 9 | Courrier indésirable | Junk, spam mail |
Writing an Email in French
Ajouter un objet
Business language is generally formulaic and follows set structures.
The first item that we need for our email in French is a subject line. Here are some examples covering typical reasons for sending an email:
| Demande d’informations concernant le/la/les … | Request for information about the… |
| Candidature pour le poste de … | Application for the job of… |
| Confirmation de… | Confirmation of… |
| Offre de collaboration / Fin de collaboration | Offer of collaboration / End of collaboration |
| Annulation de commande | Order cancellation |
| Questions sur… | Questions regarding… |
The opening line
Next, we need a greeting. It is important to select the correct greeting according to how well you know the recipient and therefore how formal it needs to be. Consider the examples below:
| Salut, | An informal opening, “Hi!” |
| Bonjour, | A neutral opening, “Hello,” |
| Bonjour M. Macron, Bonjour Mme. Macron, | Slightly more formal and if you know the surname of the recipient. |
| Monsieur, Madame, | Formal and impersonal. |
| Monsieur Macron, Madame Macron, | A formal opening where you know the name of the recipient. |
| Cher Monsieur, Chère Madame, | Dear Sir, Dear Madam. Formal and less impersonal than the above. |
| Monsieur le Directeur, Madame la Directrice, | Polite and formal and when you are writing to someone with a specific job title |
The body of the email
State why you are writing:
| À la suite de votre annonce… | Following your advertisement… |
| Je vous contacte concernant… | I am writing to you about… |
| Je vous écris pour vous informer que… | I am writing to inform you that… |
| Je suis à la recherche de… | I am looking for… |
| Je m’appelle … et je suis… | My name is … and I am … |
| Comme suite à notre conversation téléphonique… | Following our telephone conversation… |
In the next paragraph, you might provide additional information or form a request:
| Je vous prie de trouver en pièce-joint… | Please find attached… |
| Je vous propose un rendez-vous téléphonique… | We could schedule a call… |
| Auriez-vous quelques minutes pour un échange téléphonique? | Do you have a few minutes for a telephone call? |
| Puis-je vous appeler ce mardi à13h? | Could I call you this Tuesday at 1pm? |
| N’hésitez pas à me contacter. | Do not hesitate to contact me. |
| Je vous remercie de votre compréhension. | Thank you for your understanding. |
Signing off
Finally, we need to sign off. Again, it is important to select the correct form based on the formality of the email:
| Cordialement, | A typical, neutral way to end an email. |
| Respectueusement, | An alternative to the above. |
| Sincères salutations, | A more formal way to sign off. |
More Lessons
Business French – Talking About Where People Work
Business French – What Are Basic Economic Terms in French?
Business French – What Common Terms Are Used in French Job Adverts?
Business French – More Common Business and Industry Sectors
Business French – What Are Common Business and Industry Sectors Called in French?
