A French cover letter, the lettre de motivation, is a typed, one-page formal letter: your details top left, place, date and the reader top right, an "Objet :" line, then "Madame, Monsieur," and a closing sentence such as "Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées." It goes with a CV of about one page.
Below: whether you need one, the layout, the greeting and the closing formula, what goes with it, and the same letter written twice, in English for an international firm and in French.
Key points
- Keep the letter to one page, typed unless the employer asks for handwriting.
- Put your details top left; place, date and the reader top right; then "Objet :" and the job title.
- With no name, open "Madame, Monsieur,". With a name, "Madame," or "Madame [surname],".
- End with a full closing sentence that repeats your greeting. Keep "Cordialement" for emails.
- A photo on the CV is optional, and you need not give personal details that have nothing to do with the job.
In this guide
What it is called, and whether you need one
The letter is the lettre de motivation, and it goes with a CV (service-public.gouv.fr, the French administration's information site). An advert that asks for "CV et lettre de motivation" wants both.
Not every recruiter reads it closely, and some say a short, careful covering message can be enough (L'Etudiant). Practice varies by employer, so send a letter whenever the advert asks for one or the form has a place for it.
Type it. A handwritten letter is needed only when the employer asks for one in so many words (Frontaliers Grand Est, an information service for cross-border workers).
Length and layout: one page, in a fixed order
One page (Journal du Net). The layout is that of a French formal letter, as L'Etudiant sets it out:
- Your name, address, phone and email, top left.
- Place and date, top right: "À Lyon, le 7 octobre 2026". The month takes a small letter.
- Below them, on the right, the reader's name, job title and company.
- On the left, "Objet :" and what the letter is about: "Candidature au poste de chargée de communication". Add the advert's reference if it has one.
- The greeting, the body, the closing sentence and your name.
French puts a space before a colon (OECD style guide, French typography), so it is "Objet :" and not "Objet:". A handwritten signature above your typed name is optional on a letter sent as a file. For fonts and margins in general, see Cover letter format.
The greeting and the closing sentence
| French | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| You do not know the name | Madame, Monsieur, | The standard opening when the reader is unknown. |
| You know the name | Madame, / Monsieur, or Madame Castagnier, / Monsieur Castagnier, | French guides give both (L'Etudiant shows the surname). Never the first name. |
| The closing sentence | Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées. | It repeats the greeting you used. "Veuillez agréer..." is also correct. |
| In an email | Cordialement, | Fine for the email that carries your letter. Never shortened to "Cdt". |
The closing sentence is the part English speakers find strangest. It is a whole sentence, it repeats the greeting ("Madame," in the greeting means "Madame" in the closing), and it often follows a short lead-in such as "Dans l'attente de votre réponse,". L'Etudiant's list of closing formulas gives the usual forms. Some recruiting sites, such as Welcome to the Jungle, now prefer a shorter close, so this is one place where practice is changing; the full sentence is still never wrong in a letter.
Weak
Dear Madame Castagnier, ... Cordialement, Niamh
Strong
Madame, ... Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées. Niamh Gallagher
The weak version mixes an English greeting into French and closes a formal letter as you would a quick email. The strong one uses the French forms and signs with the full name.
Write to the reader as vous throughout. For greetings in other languages, see How to address a cover letter.
What goes with it: the CV
- One page, as a PDF. Frontaliers Grand Est recommends an A4 page with your name, address, email and phone as the personal details.
- A photo is optional. No law sets out what a CV must contain, and service-public.gouv.fr describes the photo as something you may add (service-public.gouv.fr).
- Only what the job needs. Anything an employer asks of you must have a direct link to the job, and French law forbids choosing candidates on grounds such as age, family situation or origin (France Travail, the national employment service). We suggest leaving out your date of birth, marital status and nationality unless the job requires them, such as a right to work.
When you apply by email, keep the message short, attach the CV and the letter, and put the job title and the advert's reference in the subject line (L'Etudiant). More on this in How to send a cover letter by email.
The same application in English and in French
Niamh Gallagher is Irish and has spent three years in marketing at a lighting manufacturer in Dublin. She moved to Lyon in January and is applying to be communications officer at Atelier Brunemont, a furniture maker that sells to interior designers in France and abroad. The reader is Hélène Castagnier, its communications director. All of them are invented.
In English, for an international firm
Niamh Gallagher, three years in marketing, to Hélène Castagnier at Atelier Brunemont · Professional tone · 198 words
Niamh Gallagher Lyon niamh.gallagher@example.com
Lyon, 7 October 2026
Re: Communications Officer, reference COM-0926
Dear Ms Castagnier,1
Your advert asks for someone who can make your furniture known beyond the Lyon area, especially to interior designers. That has been my work for the past three years at a lighting manufacturer in Dublin, and I would like to carry it on in Lyon, where I have lived since January2.
At my current employer I started a monthly newsletter for interior designers. In eighteen months it grew from 300 to 2,100 subscribers, and a third of our quote requests now mention an issue of it3. I also ran our stands at two trade fairs, from booking the space to following up every contact.
I write in English and French, so I could prepare your material for foreign clients without sending it to a translation agency. Your workshop makes each piece by hand, and that is a story worth telling: I would like to show your craftspeople at work in a series of short videos4, a format that did well for our lamps.
I would welcome the chance to talk these ideas through with you at an interview.
Kind regards, Niamh Gallagher
Why this works
- 1An English letter takes English conventions, including the surname. The French rules below apply only when you write in French.
- 2One clause answers the question a French employer may have about a foreign applicant: she is already here.
- 3A result the employer can picture, tied to the audience the advert names.
- 4One concrete idea for this company, which shows she has looked at what it makes.
In French, following French conventions
The same application, as Niamh Gallagher would write it in French · Professional tone · 235 words
Niamh Gallagher Lyon niamh.gallagher@example.com
À Lyon, le 7 octobre 20261 Atelier Brunemont Madame Hélène Castagnier Directrice de la communication 69002 Lyon
Objet : Candidature au poste de chargée de communication2 (réf. COM-0926)
Madame,
Dans votre annonce, vous recherchez une personne capable de faire connaître vos meubles au-delà de la région lyonnaise, notamment auprès des architectes d'intérieur. C'est précisément le travail que je mène depuis trois ans chez un fabricant de luminaires à Dublin, et je souhaite aujourd'hui le poursuivre à Lyon, où je vis depuis janvier.
Chez mon employeur actuel, j'ai créé une lettre d'information mensuelle destinée aux architectes d'intérieur : en dix-huit mois, elle est passée de 300 à 2 100 abonnés3, et un tiers de nos demandes de devis mentionne désormais l'un de ses numéros. J'ai également organisé notre présence sur deux salons professionnels, de la réservation du stand au suivi de chaque contact.
Je travaille en français et en anglais : je pourrais donc rédiger vos supports destinés aux clients étrangers sans passer par une agence de traduction. Votre atelier fabrique chaque pièce à la main, et cela mérite d'être raconté. J'aimerais montrer le travail de vos artisans dans une série de courtes vidéos, un format qui a très bien fonctionné pour nos luminaires.
Je serais heureuse de vous présenter ces idées lors d'un entretien. Dans l'attente de votre réponse, je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées4.
Niamh Gallagher
Why this works
- 1Place and date, top right on the page, above the reader's details. The month takes a small letter.
- 2The subject line, with the space French puts before a colon, and the job title in its feminine form.
- 3French separates thousands with a space, where English uses a comma.
- 4The closing sentence, repeating "Madame" from the greeting, where she used the title alone, one of the two forms French guides give when you know the name. No "Cordialement" in a letter.
The French letter keeps the facts of the English one but follows French form: the reader's block on the right, "Objet :", the formal close in place of "Kind regards". If French is not your first language, have a native speaker read the letter before you send it.
Cover Letter Guru writes the letter in French or in English from your resume and the job listing. Check the greeting and the closing sentence against this page, then edit it in place.
Write my letter in FrenchMistakes to avoid if you are used to applying elsewhere
- An English greeting or close in a French letter. "Cher Madame" and "Cordialement" do not belong in a formal letter. Use the forms in the table above.
- Retelling the CV. Journal du Net advises against paraphrasing it. Say why this job and what you would do in it.
- Spelling and grammar errors, and stock phrases. Frontaliers Grand Est lists both, along with a casual email address.
- Formulas half remembered. "Je vous serais gré" is a common slip for "Je vous saurais gré" or "Je vous sais gré" (L'Etudiant). If you are unsure of a formula, use a simpler sentence.
- A letter longer than a page. Cut until it fits, as you would in English: see How long should a cover letter be.
Common questions
- Should I write "Madame" with the surname or without it?
- French guides give both: "Madame," and "Madame Castagnier,". Either is acceptable. Whichever you choose, repeat it in the closing sentence, and never use the first name of someone you have not met.
- Is "Madame, Monsieur" acceptable in a French cover letter?
- Yes. It is the standard opening when you do not know who will read the letter, and the closing sentence then repeats "Madame, Monsieur".
- Does a French cover letter have to be handwritten?
- No. Type it, unless the employer asks in so many words for a handwritten letter.
- Do I need a photo on a French CV?
- No. A photo is optional, and you do not have to give personal details that have no link to the job.
- Can I apply in English for a job in France?
- If the advert is in English, or the company works in English, an English letter is fine. Otherwise write in French, and have a native speaker read it first.
Related guides
How to write a cover letter for a job in Germany
The German Anschreiben: one page in DIN 5008 layout, the greeting and sign-off, what goes with it, and one letter in English and in German.
How to write a cover letter for a job in Spain
The Spanish carta de presentación: one page, the colon after the greeting, the formal close, the CV, and one letter in English and in Spanish.
How to end a cover letter: 12 closing lines and sign-offs
End a cover letter by asking for the conversation, then sign off to match your greeting. Twelve closing lines, plus the formal sign-off in 15 languages.
How to email a cover letter: 12 subject lines, 3 templates
Follow the listing on whether to paste your cover letter into the email or attach it. Twelve subject lines, three templates and a checklist before you send.
Write yours in a couple of minutes
Upload your resume and paste the job listing. Cover Letter Guru writes the letter in French or in English, in the tone you choose. Your first letter is free.