How to Write an Informal French Letter

An informal letter is useful for non-official purposes and is usually addressed to a friend, a family member, or a casual acquaintance.

Informal letters can be written for a variety of reasons, such as inviting French friends to your birthday party, baby shower, or even your wedding. Additionally, you may choose to send an informal email to congratulate a friend or ask for their assistance.

Perhaps you have moved to France and are learning the language, or you might have a French pen pal with whom you correspond. Writing in French is a nice way to make progress towards fluency, and it shows your French friends that you care about their culture and language.

How to Date a French Letter

Dating your French letter is only relevant if you are sending a paper letter and not an email. It is however a nice touch, and it lets your recipient know exactly when the letter was written. This can be useful if your letter gets delayed in the mail or if you are sending it to another part of the world.

You should write the date in the upper left-hand corner. The first thing you will need is the day of the week:

• Lundi (Monday)
• Mardi (Tuesday)
• Mercredi (Wednesday)
• Jeudi (Thursday)
• Vendredi (Friday)
• Samedi (Saturday)
• Dimanche (Sunday)

You will then write the date, followed by the month and the year. For example «Jeudi 15 Avril 2021». In French, months go as follows:

• Janvier (January)
• Février (February)
• Mars (March)
• Avril (April)
• Mai (May)
• Juin (June)
• Juillet (July)
• Août (August)
• Septembre (September)
• Octobre (October)
• Novembre (November)
• Décembre (December)

How to Greet the Recipient

Once it is properly dated, you need to start your French letter by naming your recipient. Usually, the greeting is written in the upper left-hand side of the page.

If you want, you can use a salutation before your recipient’s name:

If you are writing to an older person or someone you want to show respect to, you can address them as such:

If you are writing an open letter or if you are unsure about who will read your letter first, you can choose to address it this way:

How to Begin an Informal Letter in French

Once your letter is dated and your recipient is greeted, you need to write the introductory paragraph. The purpose of the first paragraph is to set the tone and to inform your reader as to why you are writing your letter.

To start an informal letter on a pleasant note, it's thoughtful to express your concern for the well-being of your recipient. Below are some French phrases that exemplify this approach:

Then, you need to let your recipient know the purpose of your letter. For example, you could be inviting them to assist one of your special events:

If you are writing simply to inquire about them or to get some news, you could say something like:

Sometimes, we also write an informal letter to announce some bad news. If this was the case, you could write:

How to Write the Body of your French Letter

Once you have announced the main purpose of your letter, you need to fill out the body with your message. You should adjust the language and the wording based on who you are writing the letter to.

If you are writing to a friend, you can be casual and use humor. If you are writing to an elder relative or a co-worker, you should make an effort to stay respectful throughout your letter.

Writing to a Friend or Family Member

You can use this time to let them know about how school or work is going for you. Here are some example French phrases for this:

We have a full article on the topic of talking about yourself in French. An informal letter is a good place to talk about your new favorite pastimes using French phrases such as these:

Often, sharing some family news is appropriate when writing an informal letter.

Writing to A Coworker

These sentences might also be useful if you are writing an informal email in French to one of your coworkers:

Wrapping up Your French Letter

In the last paragraph, you can start by summarizing the points you have touched on in your letter. This might not always be necessary, but it can be useful in certain cases.

For example, if you wrote an email to discuss the next work meeting, you could end by saying:

If you wrote to friends and family to invite them to a special event, you should also summarize all the important details in the last paragraph. These example French phrases show how this is done:

After summarizing the important information, it's time to conclude with a brief closing statement.

For example, you can let your reader know that you have attached some additional documents to your letter. Here are a few sample French phrases that you may find helpful:

You also might want to add something like:

Sign-offs

Although there is no official approach to concluding an informal letter in French, a number of commonly used phrases are available:

The last step is to sign your name. Depending on who you are writing the letter to, you can use your full name, your first name, or even your nickname.

Additional advice

Here are some useful tips to add some personality and style to your writing. First, if you are writing a letter, use lined paper or a ruler to write in straight lines. This will make your writing clearer and easier to read.

Second, if you are writing to a friend or a family member, you can make it fun by using colored pens. Make sure the ink is dark enough to contrast with the white paper. If you are using a computer, choose a fun font that you think your friend might appreciate.

Another idea is to ask your children to draw in the margins of your letter. This is especially great if you are writing to friends and/or family members.

You might also be interested in reading this guide on writing a love letter in French.