FlexiLingoIn one line
A friendly letter allows
tu,çaand a relaxed tone — butneis still written, because this is writing, not speech.
Phrases
Opening
| French | Register | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
Salut Marie, | standard | /sa.ly ma.ʁi/ |
Coucou ! | very familiar | /ku.ku/ |
Bonjour Marie, | slightly more formal | /bɔ̃.ʒuʁ ma.ʁi/ |
Cher Paul, | affectionate and a little traditional | /ʃɛʁ pɔl/ |
Hello ! | young | /ɛ.lo/ |
Getting started
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Comment ça va ? | /kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/ | how are you? |
J'espère que tu vas bien. | /ʒɛs.pɛʁ kə ty va bjɛ̃/ | I hope you're well |
Ça fait longtemps ! | /sa fɛ lɔ̃.tɑ̃/ | it's been ages! |
Désolé(e) de ne pas avoir écrit plus tôt. | /de.zo.le də nə paz a.vwaʁ e.kʁi ply to/ | sorry I didn't write sooner |
Merci pour ton message. | /mɛʁ.si puʁ tɔ̃ mɛ.saʒ/ | thanks for your message |
Je t'écris pour te dire que… | /ʒə te.kʁi puʁ tə diʁ kə/ | I'm writing to tell you that |
Sharing news
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Devine quoi ! | /də.vin kwa/ | guess what! |
J'ai une bonne nouvelle. | /ʒe yn bɔn nu.vɛl/ | I've got good news |
Figure-toi que… | /fi.ɡyʁ.twa kə/ | you'll never guess — |
Tu ne devineras jamais… | /ty nə də.vin.ʁa ʒa.mɛ/ | you'll never guess |
Au fait, … | /o fɛ/ | by the way |
À propos, … | /a pʁo.po/ | speaking of which |
Invitations and suggestions
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
Ça te dit de… ? | /sa tə di də/ | do you fancy…? |
Si on se voyait samedi ? | /si ɔ̃ sə vwa.jɛ sam.di/ | shall we meet on Saturday? |
Tu es libre ce week-end ? | /ty ɛ libʁ sə wi.kɛnd/ | are you free this weekend? |
Viens quand tu veux ! | /vjɛ̃ kɑ̃ ty vø/ | come whenever you like |
On compte sur toi ! | /ɔ̃ kɔ̃t syʁ twa/ | we're counting on you |
Closing
| French | Pronunciation | English | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
À bientôt, | /a bjɛ̃.to/ | see you soon | neutral |
À plus, | /a plys/ | see you | informal |
Bises, Bisous, | /biz/ · /bi.zu/ | love, kisses | affectionate |
Je t'embrasse, | /ʒə tɑ̃.bʁas/ | love | affectionate |
Amitiés, | /a.mi.tje/ | best wishes | friendly but a little formal |
Prends soin de toi, | /pʁɑ̃ swɛ̃ də twa/ | take care | affectionate |
Réponds-moi vite ! | /ʁe.pɔ̃ mwa vit/ | write back soon | informal |
Écris-moi ! | /e.kʁi mwa/ | write to me | informal |
BisesandBisousonly with close friends and family. They are seen between colleagues in France too, but for a non-native speakerÀ bientôtis safer.English has nothing that occupies the same space. "Love" is warmer than
Bisesand more restricted; "Best wishes" is colder.Bisesis closer to a written version of the cheek-kiss greeting than to any English sign-off — which is exactly what it is.
The skeleton of a friendly email
| Part | Example | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| greeting | Salut Marie, | /sa.ly ma.ʁi/ |
| how are you | Comment ça va ? J'espère que tout va bien pour toi. | /kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/ · /ʒɛs.pɛʁ kə tu va bjɛ̃ puʁ twa/ |
| the point | Je t'écris pour te parler de mon voyage en France. | /ʒə te.kʁi puʁ tə paʁ.le də mɔ̃ vwa.jaʒ ɑ̃ fʁɑ̃s/ |
| body | C'était vraiment super ! J'ai visité Paris et Lyon… | /se.tɛ vʁɛ.mɑ̃ sy.pɛʁ/ · /ʒe vi.zi.te pa.ʁi e ljɔ̃/ |
| a question | Et toi, tu as passé de bonnes vacances ? | /e twa ty a pa.se də bɔn va.kɑ̃s/ |
| a suggestion | Ça te dit qu'on se voie bientôt ? | /sa tə di kɔ̃ sə vwa bjɛ̃.to/ |
| closing | À bientôt, bises ! | /a bjɛ̃.to biz/ |
| signature | Marie | /ma.ʁi/ |
Asking the other person a question matters — a letter entirely about yourself scores nothing for interaction in an exam.
What is allowed and what is not
| In a friendly letter | Allowed? | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
tu | yes | /ty/ |
ça instead of cela | yes | /sa/ · /sə.la/ |
super, sympa, génial | yes | /sy.pɛʁ/ · /sɛ̃.pa/ · /ʒe.njal/ |
resto, appart, ciné | yes | /ʁɛs.to/ · /a.paʁ/ · /si.ne/ |
| plenty of exclamation marks | yes, within reason | |
dropping ne | no — this is writing | /nə/ |
text-speak (slt, bcp) | no — never in an exam | /ɛ.sɛl.te/ · /be.se.pe/ |
| swearing | no |
neis written even in a friendly letter.Je ne peux pas venir, notJe peux pas venir. This is the difference between speech and writing, not between formal and informal.English informal writing does allow spoken forms — "gonna", "dunno", "wanna" appear in a friendly text message without anyone objecting. French draws the line differently: informal vocabulary is fine in writing, but spoken grammar is not. You can write
restoandsympa; you cannot writej'peux pas.
Traps
| Trap | Explanation |
|---|---|
Do not drop ne | Even in a friendly letter. |
| No text-speak | bcp, slt, pk are marked wrong in an exam. |
Bises not with a stranger | Close friends only. |
Mixing tu and vous | Pick one and keep it. |
Cher is a little heavy in a very casual letter | Salut is more natural. |
| Forgetting to ask the other person something | You lose the interaction marks. |
| Do not forget to sign | Even in a friendly letter. |
The four standard exam situations
and what is expected in each
In the writing section at A2 and B1, the friendly letter is usually one of these four:
1. Describing an experience
Raconte à un(e) ami(e) tes dernières vacances.
What you need: passé composé + imperfect, sequencing words. See raconter-passe.
2. An invitation
Tu organises une fête. Invite ton ami(e).
What you need: Ça te dit de…, a date, a time, a place, On compte sur toi.
3. An apology and a cancellation
Tu ne peux pas venir. Explique pourquoi et propose autre chose.
What you need: the three-part refusal — thanks, refusal, reason — plus an alternative. See accepter-refuser.
4. Advice and opinion
Ton ami(e) veut apprendre le français. Donne-lui des conseils.
What you need: imperatives, Tu devrais…, Si j'étais toi…, Je te conseille de….
And in all four, three things earn marks:
| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| asking the other person something | it demonstrates interaction |
| connectives | coherence is a separate criterion |
| respecting the word count | usually 60 à 80 at A2, 160 à 180 at B1 |
The practical advice: write and correct one model letter for each of the four situations. In the exam you then only have to change the content, not the structure.
One warning about the word count. French exams treat it as a real requirement, not a guideline. Writing 220 words when 160–180 was asked loses marks, even if the French is good — the instruction is part of the task.