Writing e-mails and letters

Writing E-mails and Letters in French (B1 Level)

This lesson focuses on improving your ability to write clear, polite, and structured e-mails and letters in French. At the B1 level, you will learn how to express yourself effectively in various formal and informal written contexts, suitable for everyday communication and business purposes.

Key Elements of the Lesson

• Salutations and Closings: Understanding the appropriate greetings and farewells used in different types of correspondence, such as "Cher Monsieur," (Dear Sir,) or "Cordialement," (Kind regards,).
• Structuring Your Message: Organizing your text with an introduction, body, and conclusion to ensure clarity and flow.
• Useful Phrases and Expressions: Common phrases to make requests, give information, apologize, or express thanks. Examples include "Je vous écris pour..." (I am writing to you to...), "Pourriez-vous... ?" (Could you...?), and "Je vous remercie d'avance." (Thank you in advance.)
• Grammar and Politeness: Using the correct verb tenses such as the present, past, and conditional, as well as polite forms like "vous" instead of "tu" in formal writing.

Practical Vocabulary Highlights

• Objet (Subject) — To indicate the purpose of your message.
• Pièce jointe (Attachment) — Often mentioned when attaching documents.
• Dans l'attente de votre réponse (Looking forward to your reply) — A formal phrase to encourage a response.

Important Differences Between English and French Correspondence

In French letters and e-mails, the formality level is essential and often more very marked than in English. For example, French correspondence typically uses more elaborate and formal openings and closings. The placement of the subject line ("Objet") is standard practice in French but less common in English emails. Additionally, French often uses the conditional tense to soften requests, which in English might be expressed simply with modal verbs.

Useful phrases illustrating these differences include:

• French: "Je vous serais reconnaissant de bien vouloir..." (I would be grateful if you would...)
• English equivalent: "Could you please..."
• French: "Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées." (Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my distinguished salutations.)
• English equivalent: "Yours sincerely," or "Best regards,"

This lesson prepares you to communicate confidently in writing for a variety of real-life situations in French, combining functional language with cultural nuances to help you succeed.