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Mimi
How do you address people in formal letters in French and how to sign them off?
In English I'd write 'Dear Mr/Mrs X' or 'Dear Sir/Madam' and then I'd sign off either with 'Yours Sincerely' or 'Yours Faithfully'If you were writing to enquire about a job offer, for example.
Aug 5, 2014 11:42 AM
Answers · 4
1
depending on who you're talking to :
- administrative / job / etc :
(very formal)
Veuillez agréer (madame, monsieur) l'expression de mes sincères salutations
Veuillez agréer (madame, monsieur) l'expression de mes cordiales salutations
Veuillez agréer (madame, monsieur) l'expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués
Veuillez agréer (madame, monsieur) mes salutations distinguées
etc
(formal)
(Bien) cordialement
Cordiales salutations
(I think you should find plenty of examples on internet, and you can ask people on Italki wether it's appropriate or not)
- lover, intimate friend, family, etc :
You mostly end your letter with something like "Je t'embrasse (fort)" / "Je vous embrasse (fort)" (kisses to (all of) you), "Je pense ((bien) fort) à toi" / "Je pense ((bien) fort) à vous" (you're always on my mind), "à (très) bientôt" (see you soon), etc
- If you want to translate literally :
'Yours Sincerely' : Sincèrement vôtre
'Yours Faithfully' : Fidèlement vôtre
but it's really colloquial and kinda old-fashioned !
(in french these ones sound like the end of a letter between Gustave Flaubert and Madame de Bovary loooool)
more infos :
http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/faithfully
http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/sincerely
August 5, 2014
It depends, when it's formal one, for the administration or to the HR director of company you put :
Madame, Monsieur,
If you know his sex, you put, for example :
Monsieur Le Préfet du Finistère
And if it's informal, for a relative a friend, you put :
Chère Mireille,
August 5, 2014
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Mimi
Language Skills
English, German, Spanish
Learning Language
Spanish
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