Definition: email
As-tu reçu mon mail ? - Did you receive my email?
Je t'ai envoyé trois mails - I sent you three emails
Confusingly, the franglais word mail is a faux ami: in French, it refers to email, not postal (snail) mail (in French, le courrier).
Spelling variations: un mél, un mel (click the graphic below to hear the pronunciation)
In 2003, the Académie française declared courriel the official French translation of "email," but the majority of French speakers (with the notable exception of les Québécois) use mail or mél. The latter has the advantage of pairing nicely with tél, short for (numéro de) téléphone, often found on letterhead, business cards, résumés, etc.
Note: Mail, pronounced [maj], is a perfectly legitimate French word meaning "mall," as in a tree-lined walkway or promenade (not a shopping mall, which is un centre commercial). And take note of another faux ami: émail, pronounced [emaj], means "enamel."
As-tu reçu mon mail ? - Did you receive my email?
Je t'ai envoyé trois mails - I sent you three emails
Confusingly, the franglais word mail is a faux ami: in French, it refers to email, not postal (snail) mail (in French, le courrier).
Spelling variations: un mél, un mel (click the graphic below to hear the pronunciation)
In 2003, the Académie française declared courriel the official French translation of "email," but the majority of French speakers (with the notable exception of les Québécois) use mail or mél. The latter has the advantage of pairing nicely with tél, short for (numéro de) téléphone, often found on letterhead, business cards, résumés, etc.
Note: Mail, pronounced [maj], is a perfectly legitimate French word meaning "mall," as in a tree-lined walkway or promenade (not a shopping mall, which is un centre commercial). And take note of another faux ami: émail, pronounced [emaj], means "enamel."
Pronunciation: [mehl]Audio Link
