How formal a sign off in an email?

En Français
1

I struggle with the formality of sign-off language that Deepl gives me, even when I am writing a letter and for an email it seems way over the top. This is what Deepl offers me:

“Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d’agréer mes salutations distinguées.”

I am emailing someone who runs a small business. His workmen did a job for us in the spring (so we have met) and I now want them to come back to do some tree pruning and I’m asking him for a devis.

If I was emailing anyone I know slightly better I would use “cordialement” as a sign off.

I’d welcome advice please as to what to use. Thanks

2

For semi-formal I tend to use “Bien à vous”.
It is what colleagues that one knew of and dealt with, but did not know personally, used to use.

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3

Cordialement is, in my opinion, much the same as ‘regards’. It becomes, again in my opinion, more personal when you put ‘votre’ a fter it.

But maybe I am wrong.

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4

? As in cordialement votre ……what?

I use bien cordialement, or cordiales salutations.

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5

I always use « cordialement » for French emails as 99% of them are to agencies or companies.

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6

me too

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7

Thanks everyone. Cordialement it is then.

Blast! just managed to delete the rest of the email.

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8

As an add-on - I was using cordialement in emails to people I know reasonably well but it looks like it’s more used for businesses etc. My French friends seem to use everything from Amities (apologies for lack of accent - wrong keyboard) to Bisous!

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9

Shouldn’t that be vôtre ?

10

Depends how formal I’m being. From most formal to least formal, I use:

  • Cordialement or Bien Cordialement
  • Sincères salutations
  • Bien à vous
  • En vous remerciant d’avance
  • Bonne journée or Bonne fin de journée
  • Merci d’avance
  • Bien à toi
  • Merci à toi
  • À plus

However I’m slowly teaching my colleagues to end their emails to me with “Cheers,” :grin:

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11

I’m another in the cordialement camp, but I do think that French people understand nationality and the norms of various foreigners so I often say to people I know simply bonne soiree or similar as appropriate.

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12

Just use that Sue. Anybody who is fretting about how I end my emails can just sod off :face_with_hand_over_mouth: I take a different approach to letters, but eamails :roll_eyes:

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13

One friend uses Biz :rofl:

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14

OTOH Geordies prefer Viz

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15

Cordialement for me as well. I’m pretty sure that I used the super formal one when I wrote to the préfecture wondering where our residence cards (which had been approved) were.

16

Took me ages to work out that people meant coucou when using cc.

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17

Yesterday had my first experience (or at least the first that I recognised) of a French person actually lengthening a common abbreviation when ‘impec’(able) became ‘impeco’.

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18

Thanks @Gareth - I could work out Biz but would never have got cc :rofl:

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