Master French Email Closings: Cordialement, Bien à vous…

How do you end an email in French? It all depends on the context: a formal letter doesn’t close the same way as a quick message to a colleague. In France, politeness phrases carry a strong social message and, when poorly chosen, they can reveal a lack of cultural understanding or simply come across as awkward.

Here are all the French politeness phrases you need to know, broken down by situation.

Why do French email closing phrases matter?

The French language has a particular relationship with hierarchy and protocol. Unlike English, where a simple “Best” or “Thanks” works in almost any situation, French carefully distinguishes between formal, semi-formal and informal registers. French native speakers notice immediately when you get it wrong.

In a professional context, an inappropriate politeness phrase can come across as overly familiar, disrespectful, or culturally tone-deaf. In spoken interactions, failing to greet someone properly or ending a conversation abruptly creates genuine awkwardness.

French politeness phrases in writing

In written French, the right phrase depends entirely on who you’re writing to and why.

The formal register: for official correspondence

Formal phrases are long, highly codified, and often feel heavy to non-native speakers. Yet in certain contexts — dealing with public services, banks, legal matters, or official applications — they are expected and mandatory.

• Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. (Please accept, Madam, Sir, the expression of my distinguished regards.)
• Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Directeur, l’assurance de ma considération respectueuse. (Please accept, Director, the assurance of my respectful consideration.)
• Dans l’attente de votre réponse, je vous adresse mes respectueuses salutations. (Awaiting your reply, I send you my respectful regards.)

Common mistake: if you open your letter with “Madame” (Madam), you must close with “Veuillez agréer, Madame, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées” (Please accept, Madam, the expression of my distinguished regards) — not just “Veuillez agréer mes salutations” (Please accept my regards). French readers will notice immediately.

The semi-formal register: for everyday professional emails

The semi-formal register is the most common in professional emails in France. It’s polite without being too formal.

• “Cordialement” (Kind regards) : the safe choice. Neutral, respectful, and works in every situation.
• “Bien cordialement” (Warm regards) : slightly warmer than plain “Cordialement”.
• “Bien à vous” (Yours truly) : implies an established relationship. Avoid it with someone you don’t know.
• “Avec mes cordiales salutations” (With my cordial regards) : slightly more formal, often used in first exchanges.

So what’s the difference between “Cordialement” and “Bien à vous”?

“Cordialement” works in any professional situation, even with someone you’ve never met. “Bien à vous” implies familiarity and an ongoing relationship. For example, you might write “Bien à vous” to a colleague you’ve worked with for several months, but not to a client you’re reaching out to for the first time.

The informal register: with close colleagues or your team

When you work in a more relaxed company culture, you can drop the formality:

• “Bonne journée !” (Have a good day!)
• “Bonne continuation !” (All the best!)
• “À bientôt !” (See you soon!)
• “Belle semaine à toi.” (Have a lovely week.)

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French politeness phrases: the spoken rules

In spoken French, politeness follows precise rituals that many learners overlook. Unlike writing, you don’t have time to think — these phrases need to become second nature.

• For greetings: saying “Bonjour Madame” (Good morning, Madam) or “Bonjour Monsieur” (Good morning, Sir) when entering a shop, a doctor’s office, an office, or even an elevator is expected in France. Not greeting someone is considered rude, even if you don’t know them.
• For farewells: “Bonne journée” (Have a good day), “Bonne soirée” (Have a good evening) and “Bon week-end” (Have a good weekend) always call for a response: “Merci, vous aussi !” (Thank you, you too!) or “À vous de même” (Same to you). Not replying is seen as impolite.

Keep in mind: “Bonne continuation” (All the best) is used when you won’t be seeing the person again for a while — for example when leaving a shop or wrapping up a one-off meeting.

By now, you’ll have gathered that French politeness phrases can seem complex at first, but once you understand the logic, it all becomes natural. The key is always to adapt your phrase to the person you’re talking to and the context. And this is exactly the kind of nuance we work on at La French Zone, with 100% personalised courses!