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How to write official and personal letters in French

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How to write official and personal letters in French
It is common truth that written correspondence has its rules. Her official business style requires one language, personal letters - another. What are the rules in French and how to write without mixing styles, we will try to answer today. 

Basic Tips

  1. Consider the type of letter Not that it's difficult in general - everyone knows whether they write to a friend or on business. But sometimes you can get confused if your colleague is a good friend of yours. I mean, judge not only your attitude towards the person you address but also the occasion on which you address him.
  2. Consider the contents It is especially important if your correspondence is official or official. You must focus on the substance and state the problem, the request or the request you address to the person or institution concerned. Even with personal letters, it is good to know exactly what you want to say, because unlike oral speech, writing requires that no broken phrases and scattered thought be taken.
  3. Make sure you know the exact address This applies to both the letters on paper and the emails we write daily. However, if you misread your address, your letter will not arrive at all, no matter how well it is written.

How to Write an Address in French

We pay special attention to this because there are some peculiarities when writing the addresses in France, unlike Bulgaria. The address of the recipient shall be indicated in the bottom right corner of the letter. Here's how you should write the address of the envelope in France:
  1. Name - the three names of the person or name of the company or institution to which you write. If you write to a firm but to a particular person in it, sign his name under the company's name. For example: Banque centrale Marie Page
  2. The building number and street number - first the building number is written and only then the street name without dividing them by comma: 175 Rue des fleurs
  3. Postal code and name of city - again without dividing them by a comma and in this order: 75108 Paris
  4. The name of the State - spell it out clearly, not necessarily in capital letters only, but you can do so to review: FRANCE

Rules for writing official letters

As in any official correspondence, the same rules apply here - initial greeting, introduction, presentation and final greeting. Below we will give some examples that can help you sound formal enough in French. What you should not forget, however, is that unlike English for example, here the official address in 2 l. Mn. h. is different. That is, the form . . . . . . is different from . . . and is mandatory in such cases.
  1. Your data This column is important when writing an official letter, but it can be missed at current business emails, for example. But if the letter, email or paper should be correct, then start with your data that you need to write in the top left corner. If you know the data of the person to whom you are addressing, you can write them in the upper right corner. And below them, on the left, write the theme of the letter. For example: Marie Page                                        Banque centrale 175 Rue des fleurs                            Madame M. Dupont 75108 Paris                                         175 Rue des clefs FRANCE                                               75108 Paris +336 00 00 00 00                           +336 00 00 00 00 marie.p@gmail.com                      banque.cent.p@gmail.com Objet: À propos de votre offre d'emploi
  2. The address If you know the name of the person to whom you address, you can start your letter by writing in the center: M. Dupont or Mme Martin. If you do not know, as often happens when sending a CV, application or other, simply write: But if you are addressing a person with a high professional position, it is imperative that you mention this and write for example:
  3. Introduction This is called Tom, you must explain in a very brief manner the occasion of your letter. Here are some phrases to start with: Actuellement… - explain your personal or business situation depending on the context; Faisant suite à notre conversation téléphonique… /In addition to our phone call .../ - then lay out the occasion of the conversation or briefly your decision or action taken. Suite à votre courrier du ... /After your email from .../ - and again put in a sentence what you need to say in the context of the conversation already held.
  4. Exhibition Start a new paragraph, and in this part you may supplement your observations and reasons for your decision, application or complaint. Here are some appropriate ways to start this part of the letter:
    • C’est pour cela qu’aujourd’hui je vous écris pour ... That's why I'm writing you today about...
    • Je me permets de vous écrire concernant… So I'm allowing myself to write you about...
    • C’est pour toutes ces raisons que je m’adresse à vous pour ... For all these reasons, I'm addressing you for...
    • Je vous demande de [Please... ]
    • Je vous saurai gré de …  /I'd be grateful for...
  5. Conclusion This part is called The French are very kind people!
    • Je me tiens à votre disposition pour tout complément d’information. / I'm available for any additional information.
    • En attendant une réponse de votre part, je vous prie d’agréer mes sentiments les meilleurs ... (Waiting for your answer, please accept my best feelings)
    • Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame … /Monsieur … (name you used at the beginning of the letter as an address) l. .expression de mes sentiments distingués. /Please accept .... The expression of my best wishes.

Rules for writing a personal letter

You don't have to follow strict rules here. Just remember to express what you have to say in a firm and appropriate manner. If you want to write a letter to a friend, for example, to tell him how your vacation in Paris is going and what has impressed you so far most, start with a greeting, write a few words about the time after which you move on to what you want to say. The conclusion is necessarily again with greeting. Unlike official letters here, greetings are different at the beginning and end. Here are some examples from which you can choose according to your feeling and steppin of closeness with the person: 
  1. Initial greeting
    • Cher Monsieur/ Chère Madame/ Chère Mademoiselle - Dear sir/Dear lady/Dear miss
    • Chers amis - Dear friends
    • Mon cher Pierre - My dear Pierre
    • Ma très chère Louise - My dear Louise If you are in a very close relationship with the one to whom you write and have your own address, you can use it calmly. And if you are intimate with the person, you can also use "chéri" . But be careful not to confuse him with a .. ..if you and the person across the street are not romantic.
  2. Final greeting Again according to the degree of proximity select:
    • Je vous envoie mes bien amicales pensées [I send you a lot of friendly thoughts]
    • Recevez, je vous prie, mes meilleures amitiés [Please accept my best regards]
    • Je vous adresse mon très amical souvenir [I'm sending you my very friendly memory]
Don't be confused by the translation. This literally means these phrases, but in Bulgarian they are equivalent to - accept my warmest / warm/ friendly greetings. Similarly, the greetings below are also the same.
  • Cordialement (à vous) — Yours sincerely.
  • Votre ami dévoué(e) — Your faithful friend
  • Amitiés — With a friendly greeting     
  • À bientôt! — See you.
  • Je t'embrasse — I kiss you.
  • Bons baisers — Nice kisses.
  • Bises! — Kisses.
  • Grosses bises! — Lots of kisses.
If you want more advice, useful phrases and expressions to make your written expression natural and consistent with the situation - sign up for French Course at the Language School of Omega.
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