How to End a Letter in French

Closing a Formal Letter

Tell the recipient you look forward to their reply. French formal letters have a specific formula for the closing. Use an expression such as dans l'attente de vous lire before the formal closing if you expect a reply from the recipient. While a literal translation of this phrase would be "looking forward to reading you," its actual meaning is closer to "looking forward to hearing from you" or "looking forward to your reply."

Maintain formality when writing any business letter. Even if you have a relationship with the recipient of the letter, if you are writing for a business purpose the closing of the letter requires a certain formality. This communicates respect for the business relationship, apart from any personal acquaintance you may have. Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur/Madame, mes salutations distinguées is used for general business or formal letters. This phrase is similar to "yours sincerely" in a letter written in English. Veuillez agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l'assurance de ma considération distinguée is used if you are writing to someone who would be considered your equal, or someone in an inferior position to yourself. For example, you might use this expression if you were a business owner writing a vendor.

Choose a phrase with a greater degree of formality for superiors. If you're writing to someone who would be considered your superior, you would end a letter in French with even more formality than you use in standard business letters. Use Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l'expression de mes sentiments respectueux if you are writing to someone who would generally be considered your superior, such as if you are applying for a job. Je vous prie de croire, Monsieur/Madame, à l'assurance de mes salutations distinguées is used if you are writing to a dignitary or elected official. It means something closer to "yours faithfully," and implies a subjugation to the recipient.Tip: When writing the most formal closing, use à rather than en. The phrase de croire en is more typically used when referring to God, and would be considered overly exaggerated by even the most egotistical official.

Repeat the full salutation in your closing. In your closing expression, use the full title and name that you used for the salutation at the opening of the letter. If you used cher or chère before the recipient's name, it's typical to also include that in your closing. For example, suppose you're writing a business owner named Jacques Cousteau to apply for a job. You might close your letter Je vois prie d'agréer, Cher Monsieur Cousteau, l'expression de mes sentiments respectueux.

Adjust your pronouns when writing on behalf of an organization. If you are writing in a business or professional capacity, you typically would use the first person plural nous rather than the first person singular je. This indicates that you are speaking for the entire organization. For example, suppose you were writing to a business owner on behalf of a nonprofit organization to request a donation. You might close your letter with Nous vous prions d'agreer, Monsieur/Madame, l'expression de nos sentiments respectueux.

Include the word respectueusement before your signature. After the formal closing, it is customary to use a single word to introduce your signature. Respectueusement essentially means "respectfully." If you used a formal closing that ended with respectueux, use the word cordialement instead so you don't repeat yourself.

Use a shorter closing if you're sending an email. Although formal closings may be used in emails, particularly if you are writing to someone you don't know, most French are less formal over email. However, you still want to address the recipient as vous and use a respectful tone. The single word cordialement typically is used to close a business email. This is considered semi-formal. You should still use the full formal closing if you're writing to someone who would be considered your superior, especially if you've never communicated with them before.

Add a handwritten signature after the closing. Even if you're sending the letter by email, a handwritten signature is preferred in a French letter. Leave enough space for your signature, then type your full name as you plan to sign it. If you need to make a digital copy of your signature, sign a white piece of paper and scan it. Then you can paste the image into your email and manipulate the size as you wish. You may also be able to create a digital signature image with your finger on a tablet, or by using a trackpad on a laptop.

Signing Off a Personal Letter

Include other friends or family members as appropriate. If you're writing to a friend or relative, you might want them to pass along greetings from you to others. In a personal letter, you can include this as part of your closing. For example, suppose you were writing to your sister, who has a daughter named Sophie. You might add embrasse Sophie pour moi (which means "Hug Sophie for me").

Use an affectionate salutation before your signature. Personal letters are typically less formulaic than business letters. As in English, there are a variety of personal closings you can choose from, depending on your relationship with the recipient. Among friends or close acquaintances where you have a tu relationship, use amicalement, a word with a meaning similar to "best wishes" in English. With closer friends or family members, you might use affectueusement, which means "love from" or "with love." You might also sign off with hugs or kisses, using a phrase such as je t'embrasse or grosses bises ("big hugs"), or gros bisous ("big kisses").Tip: When writing to a close friend your own age or younger, you can be even more casual – especially when writing an email. The variants bisouxx, bizoux, and bizoudou are similar to closing a letter or email with "xoxo" in English.

Adjust your formality for acquaintances. Use a different, more formal closing, if you're writing a personal letter to someone you still address as vous, such as a distant acquaintance or an older relative. Your closing keeps the same warm, personal tone while at the same time acknowledging the relationship and treating the recipient with respect. For an older relative, such as a grandparent, you might use je vous embrasse, which sends an affectionate hug but still addresses the older person as vous. For a distant acquaintance or friend you still have a vous relationship with, you might use votre ami dévoué(e), which means "your devoted friend." Basic closings that might be used regardless of the closeness of your relationship include amitiés ("best wishes" or "all the best") or chaleureusement ("warmly" or "with warm regards"). If you're extremely close to the recipient, these might come across as too generic or cold. However, they would be appropriate if, for example, you were sending an email to several friends of varying degrees of closeness.

Sign your name in a way that reflects the salutation. The way you sign your name on a personal letter generally depends on how you addressed the recipient. If you addressed them more formally as monsieur or madame, carry that same formality into your signature as well. For example, if you addressed a letter to an older relative to Madame Cousteau, you would typically sign the letter using Madame or Monsieur, as appropriate, followed by your last name. If you addressed the letter to the recipient by their first name, you would typically sign the letter with your first name.

Determining the Degree of Formality

Address someone using vous if you don't know them. If you're writing a letter to someone you don't know, regardless of their age or position, it's usually best to err on the side of caution and be more formal. No one will ever be offended by excessive formality. However, a recipient might think you're rude if you address them as tu when you don't know them. If the recipient is okay being on tu terms with you, they will let you know in their response. Always use vous in business letters, even if you know the recipient.

Write formally if the recipient is older than you. Age plays a big factor in whether you address someone as vous or tu, regardless of your personal relationship to them. Generally, you would address them as vous unless they have specifically requested that you address them as tu. This rule applies even to close relatives who are older than you, such as grandparents or aunts and uncles. In that case, even if you have a close and warm relationship, addressing them as vous indicates a measure of respect and politeness. This is similar to how you might use "ma'am" or "sir" with an older relative in English.Cultural Note: If someone has requested that you address them as tu, it is considered rude to continue to address them as vous without any explanation. If someone asks you to call them tu and you're not comfortable with that, let them know your feelings as soon as possible.

Use formal pronouns if the recipient is a different gender. Generally speaking, the French expect you to use vous when speaking to someone who is a different gender than you, even if you're friends with them. The use of vous indicates you wish to maintain a polite, respectable distance. In business communications, the use of vous would indicate that you consider the relationship to be professional in nature, even if you occasionally interact more personally. To some degree, this may be considered an older habit. If you are already on tu terms with the person, you can generally assume that you can write them more informally as well.

Choose appropriate formalities for dignitaries. Even if you're writing to someone you know, if that person is a high ranking government official, you would generally want to write more formally. The only exception might be if the person is a close family member. Your level of formality would also depend on the purpose of your letter. If you are writing the person in their capacity as a government official or other dignitary, use vous even if you have a more personal relationship, out of respect for their office.