Ending Letters

[M]

Can anyone help me with french etiquette when ending correspondence.  For example, I want to write a letter to SAUR to change our billing address.  Where here I would put something like Thankyou in advance for your prompt response. Blah Blah  Yours Sincerely etc. '  what do you put on this type of letter in France?

Equally if I was writing to the Marie about planning permission what would be a suitable ending?

If anyone can point me to a good website for this type of thing I'd be very grateful.

Emma [:)]

P.S. I've tried to do a search but can't seem to get it to work.

[Brian]

The following endings may help (letter endings always seem so formal)

Je vous prie de croire à l'assurance de mes salutations distinguées / Je vous prie d'agréer l'assurance de mes sentiments distingués / Veuillez accepter l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.

However I  note that endings in emails are becoming much less formal with 'cordialement', 'salutations' becoming more the norm.

Brian

[Will]

[quote user="Ecooling"]

Can anyone help me with french etiquette when ending correspondence... If anyone can point me to a good website for this type of thing I'd be very grateful.

[/quote]

Try http://www.askoxford.com/languages/fr/french_letters/?view=uk

[M]

Thanks for your replies - a really good link wth loads of info on it.

Emma

[MargaretD]

Just so you don't put your foot in it!!

Brian may get away with using "sentiments" in his endings, but a woman never sends sentiments, but she can use salutations or considerations.

eg. Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, l’assurance de mes salutations distinguées.

 or Veuillez croire, Monsieur, à l’assurance de ma parfaite considération.

and of course if you're asking the maire for permission for something an ending such as "Dans l’attente d’une réponse favorable, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Maire, l’assurance de mes salutations distinguées." may be suitable.

Margaret

[Loiseau]

I'm intrigued by hearing that we females must not use "sentiments" !

What have I been implying all these years in my letters to the EDF, bank etc ?  [:$]

Angela

[Nadia]

Hi Emma,

Here is a good website on letter writing in French:

http://french.about.com/library/weekly/bltopicsub-l.htm

Hope this helps!

 

[Alan Zoff]

but are you getting better rates of interest on your bank account and a discount on your electricity bills.....?

[Loiseau]

Hmmm.  Now you mention it, Alan....  [:D]

A

[Loiseau]

Excellent link to that site, Nadia. Many thanks.

But now I see on page http://french.about.com/library/weekly/aa111000c.htm that the "sentiments" ending must not be used by a *man* writing to a *woman* (and no mention of the contrary), I am doubly confused!  [8-)]

Have any of you chaps had improved interest offered after using such salutations... [;)]

A

 

[Nadia]

I am French myself and I often use "Veuillez agréer, Monsieur/Madame, l'expression de mes meilleures salutations."  You can't go wrong with the word "salutations".

[hoverfrog]

there is a fantastic book called:

le grand livre de votre correspondance

authors: L.Albert, B. Desmarais, T. Goria, M O'Sullivan

Editions de Vecchi

ISBN 2-7328-3641-9

I picked mine up from Carrefour, €10.52

Every letter you might ever need, lots of examples, and the commercial section includes translations in English!

As far as the issue of using 'sentiments' goes, it says this (sorry about the accents, I can only remember how to do an accute on this keyboard!):

ce terme marque sincérité et confiance qui seront toujours tres appréciées, on le reservera pour les relations d'égal a égal. On n'emploiera pas cette expression dans une relation entre un homme et une femme, cela pourrait preter a confusion.....