E-mail in French
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
One never writes: Je me patiente de votre réponse. This is not correct at all.
It depends on if you are a man or a woman. The French tend to be more formal in correspondence -- or what is perceived as more formal to us is second nature to them.
If you are a male, you can use the following "formules de politesse" in this general situation, although there are others but too numerous to list:
Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur, l'expresion de mes sentiments distingués; or
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.
If you are a female:
Veuillez croire, Monsieur, à ma considération distinguée; or
Veuillez croire, Monsieur, à ma parfaite considération (too formal in this case).
Remember: une femme n'envoie jamais de sentiments à un homme (sauf à un prélat), mais ses souvenirs les meilleurs ou amicaux ou encore l'expression de sa vive admiration, de sa considération distinguée ou très distinguée, ou de sa parfaite considération.
It depends on if you are a man or a woman. The French tend to be more formal in correspondence -- or what is perceived as more formal to us is second nature to them.
If you are a male, you can use the following "formules de politesse" in this general situation, although there are others but too numerous to list:
Je vous prie d'agréer, Monsieur, l'expresion de mes sentiments distingués; or
Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.
If you are a female:
Veuillez croire, Monsieur, à ma considération distinguée; or
Veuillez croire, Monsieur, à ma parfaite considération (too formal in this case).
Remember: une femme n'envoie jamais de sentiments à un homme (sauf à un prélat), mais ses souvenirs les meilleurs ou amicaux ou encore l'expression de sa vive admiration, de sa considération distinguée ou très distinguée, ou de sa parfaite considération.
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
It depends whom you are e-mailing. Emails I get from French friends don't end that way and aren't formal at all. If it's a business email, you should end it the same way you would if it were a regular paper letter, I'd say--I don't think it makes any difference that it is an email vs. paper letter or FAX, that is just the method of transmission, it doesn't affect the content.
The emails I get from French hotels where I have a relationship aren't that formal, but some others have been if I've never stayed there. Emails I get from French hotels, even formal ones, have not used that phrase in ending, however. Here is an exact quote from one of them, a hotel where I'd never stayed before, in a letter where we were confirming a reservation (which was written to them in French):
<<Dans l'attente de votre réponse, et espérant avoir le plaisir de vous accueillir prochainement, nous vous adressons, Madame, nos meilleures salutations.>>
I usually am more formal in my first email to a hotel, but I may use this as an ending in a second correspondence or a place I know (and I've received this type of closing from hotels where I've stayed before from a reservation clerk I had previous contact with, also):
<<Avec mes salutations sincères,>>
If it's someone I know, an acquaintance or friend, I would end differently, of course--maybe just amicalement.
The emails I get from French hotels where I have a relationship aren't that formal, but some others have been if I've never stayed there. Emails I get from French hotels, even formal ones, have not used that phrase in ending, however. Here is an exact quote from one of them, a hotel where I'd never stayed before, in a letter where we were confirming a reservation (which was written to them in French):
<<Dans l'attente de votre réponse, et espérant avoir le plaisir de vous accueillir prochainement, nous vous adressons, Madame, nos meilleures salutations.>>
I usually am more formal in my first email to a hotel, but I may use this as an ending in a second correspondence or a place I know (and I've received this type of closing from hotels where I've stayed before from a reservation clerk I had previous contact with, also):
<<Avec mes salutations sincères,>>
If it's someone I know, an acquaintance or friend, I would end differently, of course--maybe just amicalement.
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Slowly but steadily the ending "Cordialement" is popping up in e-mails in France as well.
You can use it perfectly well when dealing with hotels etc.. Save yourself the trouble.
Among friends, the favorite is: A+ ( = à plus, = à plus tard, roughly "see you later" ).
You can use it perfectly well when dealing with hotels etc.. Save yourself the trouble.
Among friends, the favorite is: A+ ( = à plus, = à plus tard, roughly "see you later" ).
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
I get a fair number of e-mails inFrench from various sources, and have also noticed that "cordialement" is becoming popular. The other one I see a lot is simply "sentiments les meilleurs." I've rarely gotten the full "je vous prie d'agréer, Madame...." treatment in an e-mail, but of course it does depend to some extent with whom you're corresponding. Hotels that know me well will often just use, "amicalement."