#41 How to Write an Email in French

When writing an email in French, it is important not only to consider what you want to communicate but also to choose expressions that are appropriate for your relationship with the recipient.

For example, in an email to a friend, you can use casual expressions such as Salut (Hi). On the other hand, when writing to a professional contact or someone you are contacting for the first time, you should use polite expressions appropriate to your relationship with the recipient, such as Bonjour Madame or Bonjour Monsieur.

French also distinguishes between tu and vous, both of which mean “you,” and your choice between them affects the verbs and expressions you use.

In this article, I will explain the basic structure of a French email and introduce expressions commonly used for opening an email, making requests, and closing a message.

1. Basic Structure of a French Email

The basic structure of a French email is not very different from that of an email in English or other languages. Generally, you begin by greeting the recipient, explain the purpose of your email, provide the necessary information, and end with an appropriate closing.

A French email generally follows this structure:

• Subject line
• Salutation
• Opening
• Main body
• Closing
• Name or signature

First, the subject line should briefly indicate the content of the email, such as an inquiry, a reservation, or the sending of documents, so that the recipient can immediately understand what the message is about.

At the beginning of the email, use a salutation appropriate to your relationship with the recipient and the situation, such as Bonjour Madame,, Bonjour Monsieur,, or Madame, Monsieur,. You can then use an expression such as Je vous contacte concernant… (I am contacting you regarding…) to explain the reason or purpose of your email.

In the main body, provide the information you want to communicate, such as questions, requests, or other relevant details. If you have several points to address, separating them into individual paragraphs rather than placing everything in one long paragraph will make the email easier to read.

At the end of the email, you can thank the recipient or ask for a reply if appropriate. Then add a closing expression such as Cordialement, followed by your name or signature.

In business emails and formal inquiries, it is also common to use vous and to choose more formal vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Therefore, before writing an email in French, it is useful to consider both “Who am I writing to?” and “Why am I sending this email?” Doing so will help you choose an appropriate structure and suitable expressions.

2. Keep the Subject Line Clear and Concise

The subject line of an email is called the objet in French.

In business emails and inquiries, it is important to use a concise and specific subject line so that the recipient can understand the purpose of the message before opening it.

Examples include:

• Demande d’information 
  — Request for information
• Demande de rendez-vous 
  — Request for an appointment
• Confirmation de rendez-vous 
  — Appointment confirmation
• Candidature au poste de traducteur 
  — Application for a translator position
• Question concernant la réservation 
  — Question regarding a reservation
• Envoi des documents demandés 
  — Sending the requested documents
• Modification de la date du rendez-vous
  — Change of appointment date

Expressions such as Demande de… (Request for…), Confirmation de… (Confirmation of…), and Question concernant… (Question regarding…) allow you to communicate the purpose of your email in just a few words.

The key to writing a clear subject line is to indicate concisely what the email is about and why you are sending it.

3. Begin with a Salutation

In French emails, it is common to begin the main message with a salutation indicating whom the email is addressed to.

The appropriate salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient and the purpose of the email. In everyday emails, for example, you might write:

• Bonjour Marie, — Hello, Marie
• Salut Paul, — Hi, Paul
• Bonjour à tous, — Hello, everyone

In more formal emails, salutations such as Madame, and Monsieur, are commonly used.

If you know the recipient’s surname, you may also use a salutation such as Bonjour Madame Dupont, or Bonjour Monsieur Martin, in an email. In this case, the surname rather than the first name is generally used.

In highly formal correspondence where the recipient’s title is important, you may also address the person by their title.

• Monsieur le Directeur, 
  — for a male director or person in a similar position
• Madame la Directrice, 
  — for a female director or person in a similar position

In French, the choice of salutation reflects both your relationship with the recipient and the level of formality of the email. You should therefore choose an expression appropriate to the relationship—for example, Bonjour or Salut for someone you know well, and Madame or Monsieur for a formal professional contact.

4. State the Purpose of the Email in the Opening

After the salutation, explain why you are writing.

When emailing family members or friends, you can begin with expressions such as:

• Comment vas-tu ? 
  — How are you?
• Merci pour ton message. 
  — Thank you for your message.
• Ça fait longtemps ! 
  — Long time no see!

When writing to close friends or family members, it is common to begin with a brief greeting or personal comment before moving on to the main subject.

In professional emails and inquiries, by contrast, expressions that clearly state the purpose of the email are commonly used.

• Je vous écris au sujet de…
  — I am writing to you regarding…
• Je vous contacte concernant…
  — I am contacting you regarding…
• Je souhaiterais obtenir des informations sur…
  — I would like to obtain information about…
• Je me permets de vous contacter au sujet de…
  — I am writing to you regarding…

Je vous écris au sujet de… and Je vous contacte concernant… are useful expressions for stating the purpose of your email concisely.

Je me permets de vous contacter…, on the other hand, is more polite and can be used when contacting someone for the first time or when introducing a request or inquiry in a particularly courteous manner.

5. The Conditional Is Often Used for Polite Requests

In professional and formal emails, the conditional is often used to make requests.

The conditional allows you to express a wish or request less directly, rather than simply telling the recipient what you want them to do. It is therefore commonly used when making polite requests to professional contacts or people you are contacting for the first time.

• Pourriez-vous m’envoyer ce document ?
  — Could you send me this document?
• Pourriez-vous me confirmer la date ?
  — Could you confirm the date?
• Pourriez-vous me donner plus de détails ?
  — Could you provide me with more details?
• Serait-il possible de modifier la réservation ?
  — Would it be possible to change the reservation?

Pourriez-vous is the second-person plural form of pouvoir (can / to be able to) in the present conditional. Using Pourriez-vous… ? (Could you…?) makes a request more indirect and polite by showing consideration for whether the recipient is able to accommodate it.

Other common request expressions using the conditional include:

• Je voudrais prendre rendez-vous.
  — I would like to make an appointment.
• Je souhaiterais obtenir davantage d’informations.
  — I would like to obtain further information.
• J’aimerais connaître vos disponibilités.
  — I would like to know your availability.

Voudrais is the present conditional form of vouloir (to want), souhaiterais is the present conditional form of souhaiter(to wish), and aimerais is the present conditional form of aimer (to like).

When writing polite emails, learning expressions such as Pourriez-vous… ?, Je voudrais…, and Je souhaiterais… can therefore be useful in a wide variety of situations.

6. Expressions for Sending Attachments

In professional emails, you may need to attach documents, images, résumés, or other files.

When informing the recipient that a file is attached, you can use expressions such as:

• Vous trouverez ci-joint le document demandé.
  — Please find the requested document attached.
• Je vous envoie le document en pièce jointe.
  — I am sending you the document as an attachment.
• Vous trouverez le document en pièce jointe.
  — You will find the document attached.
• Veuillez trouver ci-joint mon CV.
  — Please find my CV attached.

Ci-joint means “enclosed” or “attached.” Vous trouverez ci-joint… uses trouverez, the simple future form of trouver (to find), and is a standard expression used in professional emails to indicate that a file has been attached.

You can also use the expression en pièce jointe, meaning “as an attachment.”

For example, Je vous envoie en pièce jointe le formulaire complété. means “I am sending you the completed form as an attachment.”

It is also helpful to specify exactly what kind of file you have attached so that the recipient can easily identify it. In addition to document, useful words include CV (résumé/CV), facture (invoice), formulaire (form), and photo(photograph).

7. End the Email with an Appropriate Closing

In French, after finishing the main body of an email, you should add a closing expression appropriate to your relationship with the recipient and the level of formality.

In emails to close friends and family members, for example, you can use:

• À bientôt, — See you soon
• À très bientôt, — See you very soon
• Bonne journée, — Have a good day
• Bonne soirée, — Have a good evening
• Amitiés, — Best wishes
• Bisous, — Love / Kisses

À bientôt is used when you expect to see or communicate with the person again in the near future.

Amitiés can be used in emails to friends and close acquaintances. Bisous is even more intimate and is suitable for private communication with family members or close friends.

In professional emails, Cordialement is one of the most common closing expressions.

• Cordialement
• Bien cordialement
• Très cordialement

In more formal letters or emails, longer conventional closing formulas may be used.

For example:

• Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.

This is a highly formal closing formula used in contexts such as official correspondence or letters accompanying job applications.

However, such lengthy formulas create a very formal impression. For ordinary business emails, Cordialement and Bien cordialement are widely used.

8. Example of a Business Email

Using the expressions introduced above, you can write an email such as the following:

Objet : Demande d’information concernant le cours

Madame,

Je vous contacte concernant le cours de français proposé par votre établissement.

Je souhaiterais savoir s’il reste des places disponibles pour le cours du mois prochain. Pourriez-vous également m’indiquer les horaires et les frais d’inscription ?

Je vous remercie par avance pour votre réponse.

Cordialement,

Taro Yamada

Subject: Inquiry About the Course

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am contacting you regarding the French course offered by your institution.

I would like to know whether there are still places available for next month’s course. Could you also provide me with information about the class schedule and tuition fees?

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Kind regards,

Taro Yamada

This email follows the basic structure of “subject line → salutation → purpose of the email → questions or requests → expression of thanks → closing.”

When writing a business email in French, there is no need to use unnecessarily difficult expressions. The important points are to remain polite and to communicate clearly why you are contacting the recipient, what you would like to know, and what you would like the recipient to do.

9. Summary

In French emails, salutations, requests, and closing expressions should be chosen according to your relationship with the recipient and the purpose of the email.

The main points can be summarized as follows:

French emails contain many conventional expressions, but there is no need to learn all of them at once.

A good place to start is with common expressions such as Bonjour, Je vous contacte concernant…, Pourriez-vous… ?, Merci, and Cordialement.

By considering whether you are writing to a friend or a professional contact and choosing your expressions accordingly, you can write French emails that sound natural and polite.

Izumi Miyajima

Writer

I’m a Japanese writer and language enthusiast with a deep interest in France. Through my articles, I explore the French language, history, and culture.