French Writing Skills

✍️ French Writing Skills: Your Secret Code to Beautiful French

Imagine you’re a secret agent. You need to send messages to your French friends. But wait—there are special rules to make your messages look REAL and PROPER. Let’s crack this code together!

🎯 The Big Picture

Think of French writing like building with LEGO blocks. You need:

• Punctuation = The connecting pieces 🧩
• Capitals = The special roof pieces 🏠
• Formal letters = Building a castle 🏰
• Informal messages = Building a fun treehouse 🌳

Let’s learn each piece!

1️⃣ French Punctuation Rules: The Traffic Signs of Writing

The Magic Space Rule ✨

In English, we glue punctuation marks right to words:

“Hello, how are you?”

But in French, some punctuation marks need breathing room—a space BEFORE them!

The “Tall” Punctuation Marks Need Space

Remember this trick: If a punctuation mark is tall (has two parts), it needs a space before it!

🌟 Easy Memory Trick

“Tall punctuation = Tall space”

• : ; ! ? → These are TALL (two dots or reaches up) → Space before!
• . , → These are SHORT (just one tiny mark) → No space before!

Real Examples

❌ Wrong: Bonjour! Comment vas-tu? ✅ Right: Bonjour ! Comment vas-tu ?

❌ Wrong: J'aime: les pommes ✅ Right: J'aime : les pommes

🇫🇷 French Quotation Marks: The Little Fish «»

French people don’t use “these” quotation marks. They use special ones that look like little fish swimming: « »

And guess what? They need spaces too!

Notice: Space AFTER « and space BEFORE »

2️⃣ French Capitalization Rules: When to Use Big Letters

The Surprise: French Uses FEWER Capitals! 🤯

In English, we capitalize LOTS of things. In French? They’re more chill about it.

What Gets a Capital Letter?

graph TD
    A["What to Capitalize?"] --> B["✅ First word of sentence"]
    A --> C["✅ Names of people"]
    A --> D["✅ Names of places"]
    A --> E["❌ Days of the week"]
    A --> F["❌ Months"]
    A --> G["❌ Languages"]
    A --> H["❌ Nationalities as adjectives"]

Side-by-Side Comparison

🎭 The Nationality Trick

Here’s where it gets fun:

• Adjective (describing word) = lowercase

  • Il est français. (He is French.)

• Noun (the person) = CAPITAL

  • C'est un Français. (He’s a Frenchman.)

Examples in Action

❌ Wrong: Je parle Français. C'est Lundi. ✅ Right: Je parle français. C'est lundi.

❌ Wrong: Elle est Américaine. ✅ Right: Elle est américaine.

✅ Also Right: C'est une Américaine. (noun = capital)

3️⃣ Writing Formal Letters: Building Your Castle 🏰

Formal letters are like building a beautiful castle—every stone has its place!

The Castle Blueprint

graph TD
    A["🏰 Formal Letter Structure"] --> B["Your Address - top right"]
    B --> C["Their Address - left side"]
    C --> D["City + Date"]
    D --> E["Subject line"]
    E --> F["Greeting - Madame/Monsieur"]
    F --> G["Body paragraphs"]
    G --> H["Formal closing"]
    H --> I["Your signature"]

The Magic Formula

1. Your Address (top right corner)

Marie Dupont
15 rue des Fleurs
75001 Paris

2. Recipient’s Address (left side, below yours)

Société ABC
Monsieur le Directeur
20 avenue des Champs
75008 Paris

3. Place and Date (right side)

Paris, le 21 décembre 2025

Notice: lowercase “le” and lowercase month!

4. Subject Line

Objet : Demande d'information

5. Opening Greeting

🌟 Super Important Closing Phrases

French formal closings are LONG and fancy. Here’s the magic formula:

The Basic Pattern:

Je vous prie d'agréer, [greeting repeated], l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.

Translation: “Please accept, [Sir/Madam], the expression of my distinguished greetings.”

Simpler alternatives:

• Cordialement, (Cordially) - semi-formal
• Respectueusement, (Respectfully)
• Bien à vous, (Yours truly)

Complete Formal Letter Example

                          Marie Dupont
                          15 rue des Fleurs
                          75001 Paris

Hôtel Le Magnifique
Service Réservations
5 boulevard de la Mer
06000 Nice

                          Paris, le 21 décembre 2025

Objet : Réservation de chambre

Madame, Monsieur,

Je souhaite réserver une chambre du 15 au
20 janvier 2026.

Pourriez-vous me communiquer vos tarifs ?

Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur,
l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.

Marie Dupont

4️⃣ Writing Informal Messages: Building Your Treehouse 🌳

Informal writing is like building a treehouse with friends—relaxed, fun, but still with some structure!

Casual Greetings

The Tu vs Vous Secret

• Tu = One friend, family, kids, pets
• Vous = Strangers, bosses, formal situations

In informal messages, you always use TU!

Informal Closings

Text Message Shortcuts (SMS Style)

French people love shortcuts in texts!

Complete Informal Message Example

Coucou Sophie !

Ça va ? J'espère que tu vas bien !

Tu veux venir chez moi samedi ?
On pourrait regarder un film !

Dis-moi si ça te dit !

Bisous,
Marie

Email vs Text Comparison

Friendly Email:

Salut Pierre !

Comment vas-tu ? J'ai une question
pour toi...

À bientôt !
Marie

Quick Text:

Slt ! Cv ? On se voit 2m1 ?
Bises !

🎯 Quick Reference Chart

🚀 You Did It!

You now know the secret code of French writing! Remember:

1. Give tall punctuation marks their space
2. Keep days, months, and languages lowercase
3. Build your formal letters like a castle
4. Keep informal messages fun and friendly

Now go write something beautiful in French! 🇫🇷✨

“Every French writer started exactly where you are. Keep practicing, and soon these rules will feel as natural as breathing!” 💪