French Business Letters - Correspondance commerciale

Formulas and formats for writing French business correspondence

Writing a good French business letter depends on just one thing: knowing the correct formulas. This lesson consists of categorized lists of the various formulas needed for commercial correspondence. Click on the topics that apply to the kind of letter you are writing, then take a look at the sample letter to get an idea of how to put it all together.

Tips

• Always vouvoie!
   
• The more formal and polite you are, the better.
   
• If at all possible, ask a native speaker to proofread your letter before you send it.
   
• The formulas given here are in the first person singular je. If you are writing a letter on behalf of a company, change everything to nous and change the verb conjugations to match.
   
• If you are a woman or if you're writing on behalf of a company, be sure to make the adjectives agree in gender and number.
   
• The job-related formulas can be used in conjunction with the appropriate business letter formulas such as expressing pleasure or regret, etc.
   

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