How to write a French business email: greetings, key phrases, sign-offs and templates

When working with companies in Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), formal contact mostly happens in writing, in French. French correspondence follows a fairly fixed format, and getting the opening greeting and closing formula right tells the other side you are a partner who "knows the rules". Here are the most useful conventions.

Opening greetings: from formal to familiar

The most common openings for a French email are Madame, Monsieur and Bonjour, usually followed by a comma, with the next paragraph starting with a capital letter.

Greeting	When to use it
Madame, Monsieur,	You don't know who the recipient is, or you are writing to a shared company inbox
Madame, / Monsieur,	You know the recipient and this is your first formal contact
Monsieur le Directeur, / Madame la Présidente,	The recipient has a clear title, such as a senior manager or head of an institution
Bonjour, Madame. / Bonjour,	You already correspond and the tone is a little more relaxed; if unsure of the recipient's gender, write just Bonjour
Chère Aïcha,	Only for people you know very well

Think of it as a staircase from formal to familiar: Madame, → Bonjour, Madame. → Bonjour, Céline. → Chère Céline,. Whichever step the other person uses in their reply, you can use the same step in your next message; don't jump too far ahead on your own.

If you are unsure of the recipient's gender, or they prefer a neutral form of address, write just Bonjour, and don't add Madame or Monsieur in the closing either, so that the opening and closing stay consistent. Habitually leaving out the greeting is not recommended; launching straight into the body is generally only appropriate in rapid same-day exchanges between people who know each other well.

A few common pitfalls: don't use Cher Monsieur / Chère Madame with people you don't know well; don't put an exclamation mark after the greeting; and don't address people you don't know well by their first name (prénom) alone. Guides disagree on whether to add the surname after Monsieur; La Poste's letter-writing advice considers it slightly affected, and writing just Monsieur in a first letter is the safest choice.

Key phrases for the body

Stating your purpose: Je me permets de vous contacter au sujet de… (I am taking the liberty of contacting you regarding…)
Following up a previous contact: Suite à notre échange du 12 novembre, … (Further to our discussion of 12 November, …)
Attachments: Vous trouverez ci-joint notre présentation. (Please find attached our presentation.)
Staying in touch: Je reste à votre disposition pour tout complément d'information. (I remain at your disposal for any further information.)
Awaiting a reply: Dans l'attente de votre retour, … (Looking forward to your reply, …)

A grammar note: in a sentence beginning En espérant… or Dans l'attente…, the subject that follows must be "I". So write En espérant une réponse favorable, je vous prie d'agréer…; you cannot follow it directly with veuillez agréer…, because the subject would then become the recipient, which makes no sense.

Closing formulas: levels of formality

A full formal closing is a complete sentence that repeats the opening greeting word for word, set between commas. The verb's level of deference rises roughly as follows: Recevez → Veuillez recevoir → Je vous prie de recevoir (the same applies to agréer).

Formality	Example	Use for
Most formal	Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'assurance de ma considération distinguée.	First contact, government bodies, senior executives
Formal	Veuillez recevoir, Monsieur le Directeur, mes salutations distinguées.	General business correspondence
Short	Salutations distinguées / Meilleures salutations / Bien à vous	Routine administrative exchanges, established relationships
More relaxed	Cordialement / Bien cordialement	Peers, contacts you correspond with frequently

Note: although Cordialement is very common in business email, most guides still place it at the less formal end, so it is not suitable for a first formal letter. Sources also differ slightly on whether to use "sentiments" or "salutations"; considération distinguée is the safer choice.

Templates

First contact (formal)

Objet : Demande de rendez-vous – Société ABC

Madame, Monsieur,

Je me permets de vous contacter au nom de la société ABC, spécialisée dans l'équipement agricole. Nous souhaiterions vous présenter nos solutions lors d'un rendez-vous à Abidjan, à la date qui vous conviendra.

Vous trouverez ci-joint notre présentation. Je reste à votre disposition pour tout complément d'information.

Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'assurance de ma considération distinguée.

Name / Title / Company / Phone

Follow-up with an existing contact (more relaxed)

Bonjour, Monsieur.

Suite à notre échange de mardi, vous trouverez ci-joint le devis révisé.

Bien cordialement,

Name

One line for Asian teams

Err on the formal side in your first email; once the other person replies in a more relaxed tone, simply follow their lead.

References: OQLF (Office québécois de la langue française): Formules d'appel dans le courriel; OQLF: Formules de salutation dans la lettre; OQLF: Formules de salutation dans le courriel; La Poste: Quelles formules de politesse pour une lettre formelle; L'Etudiant / Projet Voltaire: Le top 5 des fautes à éviter dans les formules de politesse