Practice Makes Perfect

Informal salutations

In an informal letter to a friend or relative, use the word cher (dear) in the form that is appropri-

ate (masculine, feminine, plural) before the person’s name. You may also add the corresponding 

possessive article mon, ma, mes (my) before the adjective cher.

Cher François 

Dear François

Mon cher François 

My dear François

Chère Michelle 

Dear Michelle

Ma chère Michelle 

My dear Michelle

Chers François et Michelle 

Dear François and Michelle

Chers amis 

Dear friends (males or mixed group)

Chères amies 

Dear friends (females)

Mes chères amies 

My dear friends (female group)

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Written French: Making transitions and written correspondence 

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Formal salutations

In a formal letter, you may use a salutation with or without a name. If you know the person to 

whom you are writing, use the appropriate form of the word cher. If you do not know the person, 

use only the title.

Writing to a known person:

Chère madame, 

Dear Madam,

Chère madame Flaubert, 

Dear Mrs. Flaubert,

Writing to an unknown person:

À qui de droit, 

To whom it may concern,

Monsieur, 

Sir,

Messieurs, 

Dear Sirs,

With individuals who bear a professional title, use monsieur or madame followed by the 

professional title. Remember that according to the dictionary of the French Academy, some pro-

fessions such as écrivain (writer) and juge (judge) do not have a feminine form. However, in 

Québec and parts of Switzerland, it has become standard practice to use a feminine form for 

these professions: e.g. la professeure (female teacher) and l’écrivaine (female writer).

Monsieur le Directeur/Madame la Directrice,  Dear Director,

Monsieur le Professeur/Madame le Professeur,  Dear Professor,

Closings

There are numerous closing formulas for both informal and formal letters. Many of them differ 

greatly from closings you would use in English.