How to write a professional email in French
One of the most stressful things in French to do is write an email because there is a precise formula of brown-nosing politeness that must be displayed. Even for French people they can seem daunting. I’ve done my best to lay out the formula along with some advice to writing a professional email. Note that this lays out the formula for the most formal type of email you would write. Also, this is something found in France (perhaps Switzerland and Belgium too? Someone let me know) but this type of formality is not so strict in Québec (thank god). So without further ado, here’s how to write a professional email in French!
The subject line should
Be a nominal phrase (i.e. without a conjugated verb)
Avoid articles (un/une, le/la/les)
No longer than about 7 words
Examples :
Demande d’informations
Candidature pour un stage
Annulation de la formation du 23 mars
Invitation aux Portes Ouvertes du 6 juin 2016
The opening lines
If you know the name of the person you are contacting, address with Monsieur or Madame followed by their surname
If you do not know to whom you are speaking, put “Madame, Monsieur,” this would be the equivalent of “To whom it may concern,”
If you do know their name, but you have not met and the person is of higher standing, address them with Monsieur/Madame and then their title
Examples :
Madame la Directrice
Monsieur le Vice-Président
The body
Always use vous, always
If you are looking for information, use forms such as
Je souhaite recevoir des informations par rapport à…
Je voudrais savoir….
If you are applying for a job*, use forms such as
Je me permets de vous adresser un CV et une lettre de motivation
Vous trouverez ci-joint un CV et une lettre de motivation
If you need someone to do something, use forms such as
Je vous prie de bien vouloir….
Vous voudrez bien me faire…..
Do not use any slang, anglicisms, or abbreviations
Use simple, clear phrases. Short, concise sentences are preferred.
The closing statement
Just so you guys know, all of these phrases mean absolutely nothing, they are just formalities, seriously, they are just the literary equivalent of kneeling before the recipient and bowing
If you expect a response, put one of the following forms before the final salutation. If you use number 2 or 3, you will need to add “et” before the final salutation
Dans l’attente de votre réponse
J’attends vivement votre réponse
J’attends avec impatience votre réponse
Final salutation
Start with “Je vous prie d’agréer,
Next, the recipient (Madame, Monsieur)
Followed by any one of these:
Mes meilleures salutations
Mes salutations les meilleures
Mes salutations distinguées
Mes salutations respectueuses
Mes salutations cordiales
L’expression de mes salutations les plus sincères
Mes salutations sincères
Remember, in French, family names are entirely in caps, so when you sign your name, it would sign like Hugo MARTIN
*I will do another post entirely on submitting applications
So here is a short example of an email I wrote my fictitious school department chair,
Madame la Directrice,
Je souhaite recevoir des informations par rapport à votre programme de masters. En particulier, je voudrais savoir si le programme comprend la possibilité de faire un stage pour des crédits.
Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, mes salutations respectueuses.
Hugo MARTIN
