Which polite formula should be used to end an email or a letter?
Cover letter, letter, professional email, thanks...
...administrative letter, letter to a notary, to the mayor or a lawyer...
There are plenty of opportunities to write!
The French language being full of subtleties, I ended up asking the question to my former French teacher.
And she was kind enough to provide me with a very practical guide to finish a letter or an email simply... or with style!
This is 102 formula to end politely any letter or email. Watch:
Click here to easily print this guide in PDF format.
There, we put the small dishes in the big ones!
And we take out our finest pen to mark all the consideration we give to this person.
The formula should be quite long and formal.
Line manager, client, director or director...
Here's how to end your prose.
- Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my deep respect.
- Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my respectful sentiments.
- Please believe, dear Sir, in my cordial and respectful sentiments.
- Please accept, Madam Director, my respectful greetings.
- Please accept, Mr. Director, the expression of my deepest respect.
- Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my profound respect.
- Receive, Madam, Sir, my respectful greetings.
- Receive, Madam, Sir, my sincere greetings.
- Please accept, Madam, Sir, my best regards.
- Please accept, Madam, Sir, my best regards.
- Please accept, Madam, Sir, my best regards.
- Please accept, Madam, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.
- Please accept, Madame, my respectful respects.
- Receive, Sir, my best regards.
- Please accept, Sir, the expression of our respectful and devoted sentiments.
- Please accept, Sir, the expression of our most devoted feelings.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Sir, Madam, the expression of my most distinguished consideration.
- Pending your agreement, please accept, Madam, Sir, my best regards.
Please note that when a man addresses a woman, usage recommends these formulas:
"my respects", "my most devoted sentiments" or "my respectful sentiments".
To put the odds on your side to land an interview, a well-written cover letter and without faults is essential.
But the basis, of course, is formality.
The icing on the cake is to finish your letter with the perfectly adapted polite formula.
With this if you don't land your dream job... Watch:
- I remain at your disposal to arrange an appointment to show you my motivation during an interview.
- If my profile interests you, let's meet. Please accept, Madam, Sir, my respectful greetings.
- Awaiting your response, please accept, Madam, Sir, my sincere greetings.
- Pending your response, please, Sir, Madam, accept my most respectful greetings.
- I will be happy that my application has convinced you and allows me to meet you during an interview at your convenience. In this perspective, I shall be grateful to you, Sir, Madam, for accepting my respectful greetings.
- Pending a response that I hope will be favorable, please accept, Madam, Sir, my best regards.
- I remain available for an interview that you would like to set me up and, while waiting to meet you in order to deepen my application, please accept, Madam, Sir, my respectful greetings.>
Writing an email requires less formalism .
We can afford to make it simpler and shorter.
Here are some simple formulas with which you can conclude your email:
- Sincerely.
- Sincerely.
- Sincerely.
- Best regards.
- Sincerely.
- Sincerely yours.
- Sincerely yours.
- Best regards.
- Sincerely wishing you a great day.
- With my regards.
- With my thanks.
You send a letter or an email to an acquaintance, someone quite close, even if it's not your best friend or your childhood friend?
Then you can use a less formal formula of course.
But that's no reason to fall into the familiar register.
You have to find the middle ground! Watch:
- Please believe in my best memory.
- Please find here the assurance of my friendship.
- Receive, with all my friendship, my best regards.
- Receive, dear friend, my sincere greetings.
- Friendships.
- Sincerely.
- Believe, Madam, Sir, in my best feelings.
- Please find here the assurance of my friendship.
- All my regards.
Queen, King, Earls and Countess, Duke and Duchess...
Well, I agree with you... It's not every day that you come across a Royal Highness...
And even less that we have to write to him.
But if it ever happens to you, you're ready!
You know what form of politeness use:
-Please accept, My Royal Highness, my respectful and honorable greetings.
- Please accept, dear prince/princess, the assurance of my highest consideration.
- Please accept, Madame la duchess / Monsieur le Duc, my most respectful greetings.
- Please accept, Madame la Marquise / Monsieur le Marquis, my honest and respectful greetings.
- Please accept, dear Count/ dear Countess, the assurance of my consideration.
- Please accept, Madame la Baronne / Monsieur le Baron, my honest and respectful greetings.
You have a request to make to one of your elected officials or state representatives ?
Know that there are codes to end your letter.
There are many subtleties depending on the mandate or function.
Think about it during the election period!
You will find the main formulas below to write your mail without false note:
-Please accept, Madame/Mister Prefect, the expression of my highest consideration.
- Please accept, Madam Prefect / Mr. Prefect, my respectful greetings.
- Please accept, Madame la sous-préfet/ Monsieur le sous-préfet, my best regards.
- Please accept, Madam Ambassador, the assurance of my respectful consideration.
- Please accept, General, my sincere and respectful greetings.
If you are addressing a Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, or Field Marshal, simply replace "my general" with the appropriate rank.
- Please accept, Prime Minister, the expression of my highest consideration.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Madam Prime Minister, the expression of my highest consideration.
- Please accept, Mr/Madame Keeper of the Seals, my deepest consideration.
- Please accept, Minister of State, the expression of my highest consideration.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Madam Minister of State, the expression of my most distinguished consideration.
- Please accept, Mr. Deputy, the expression of my highest consideration.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Madame la Députée, the expression of my most distinguished consideration.
- Please accept, Mr. Deputy / Mr. Senator, the expression of my most distinguished consideration.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Madam Deputy / Madam Senator, the expression of my highest consideration.
- Please accept, Mr. Mayor, the expression of my distinguished or most distinguished consideration.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Madam Mayor, the expression of my distinguished or most distinguished consideration.
To address a deputy mayor (male or female), here is the appropriate formula to end your letter:
- Please accept, Mr. Deputy Mayor, the expression of my distinguished sentiments.
- Please accept, Madam Deputy Mayor, the expression of my respectful respects.
As for the councillor, we end their mail like this:
- Please accept, Counsellor, the expression of my distinguished sentiments.
- Please accept, Madam Counsellor, the expression of my respectful respects.
And for the President of the Republic?
- Please accept, Mr/Madam Secretary General of the Élysée, the expression of my deep respect.
- Please accept, Mr/Madam Director of the Civil Cabinet, the homage of my respectful devotion.
Yes, that's how you address the President of the Republic by mail!
If you send a letter to a regional councilor or a general councilor in Paris, you end your mail this way:
- Please accept, Counsellor, the expression of my distinguished sentiments.
- Please accept, Madam Counsellor, the expression of my respectful respects.
To end a letter to the president of the regional or general council, use one of these formulas:
- Please accept, Mr. President, the expression of my highest consideration.
- With my respectful respects, please accept, Madam President, the expression of my most distinguished consideration.
- Please accept, dear master, my respectful and sincere greetings.
This expression is valid for lawyers, bailiffs and notaries.
- Please accept, Madam or Mr. Justice, my respectful and sincere greetings.
- Please accept, Madam Prosecutor, the expression of my highest consideration.
- Please accept, doctor, my best regards.
Whether it's because you write to your health insurance fund, to your children's teacher, or to school, college, high school or university officials...
It is not uncommon to write to people working in administrations!
- Please accept, madam/sir, my cordial greetings.
You can use this formula for your exchanges with health insurance, social security, CAF or organizations such as your mutual.
- Please accept Madam/Sir, my cordial greetings.
This formula is perfect for writing to a school teacher or even the headmistress of the school.
For a university professor, you can write:
- Please accept, Madam/Sir, my best regards.
- Please accept, Madam Principal, my respectful greetings.
- Please accept, Madam Principal, my highest consideration.
- Please accept, Madame l'Inspectrice d'Académie/ Monsieur l'Inspecteur d'Académie, my respectful greetings.
- Please accept, Mr/Madam Rector, my respectful greetings.
You now know how to finish a letter for the administration.
- Please accept, Most Holy Father, the expression of my immense and profound devotion.
This is how you can end a letter sent to the pope. And finally a letter for a priest:
- Please accept, Father, the expression of my deep devotion.
- Please accept, Bishop, the expression of my respectful and sincere devotion.
- Please accept, Eminence, the expression of my respectful and sincere consideration.
This concerns missives intended for a Cardinal. If you are addressing a deacon, here is the formula to use:
- Please accept, Sir, my sincere and respectful greetings.
Very often, we write a note to friends or family members.
And there, we can allow ourselves to be much more relaxed!
If you want to keep it friendly but polite, you can use the following formula to end your mail:
- Friendships.
- Please find here the assurance of my friendship.
- Sincerely.
If you know the person very well then you can be much more familiar and affectionate.
In this case, the familiarity is of course in order and you can use a nice formula to end your email or letter:
- Kisses.
- Kisses.
- Until next time.
- See you soon.
- To more (or even to +).
It's not easy to end a letter with a firm, dry, even icy polite phrase.
However, we can use a few formulations that leave little doubt about your feelings and your dissatisfaction.
These formulas are generally brief.
- Good continuation.
- Sincerely.
- Greetings.
- Best regards.
- Thanking you for the attention you have given to these few lines/remarks.
