By the end of this lesson you'll be able to send a friend a text, make a simple plan, and write a short postcard.
Short messages have their own style
A text or a postcard is short, so it can be built from a few standard pieces: an opening, one or two ideas, and a closing. What you choose depends on who you're writing to, in the same way that tu and vous do.
Openings and closings
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Coucou ! | koo-KOO | Hi! (very informal) |
| Salut ! | sah-LEW | Hi! |
| Cher / Chère… | shehr | Dear… (to a man / to a woman) |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| À bientôt ! | ah byan-TOH | See you soon! |
| À demain ! | ah duh-MAN | See you tomorrow! |
| Bisous | bee-ZOO | Kisses, love from (to friends and family) |
| Grosses bises | grohs BEEZ | Lots of love (to friends and family) |
| Cordialement | kor-dyahl-MAHN | Kind regards (formal) |
Use Coucou, Salut, Bisous and Grosses bises only with friends and family. For someone you call vous, such as a teacher or a landlord, open with Bonjour and sign off with Cordialement.
Cher matches the person you're writing to: Cher Marc, Chère Julie.
Making a plan
You've got all the grammar you need. Tu veux… comes from the lesson on pouvoir, vouloir and devoir, and On va… comes from the lesson on the near future. A few phrases will help.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tu es libre ? | tew eh LEE-bruh | Are you free? |
| D'accord ! | dah-KOR | OK! |
| Désolé / Désolée | day-zoh-LAY | Sorry (said by a man / a woman) |
| Je ne peux pas. | zhuh nuh puh PAH | I can't. |
| au cinéma | oh see-nay-MAH | to the cinema, at the cinema |
Here's a complete plan, made in five texts.
Coucou ! Tu es libre samedi ?
Hi! Are you free on Saturday?
Oui ! On va au cinéma ?
Yes! Shall we go to the cinema?
D'accord ! Tu veux manger au restaurant aussi ?
OK! Do you want to eat at the restaurant too?
Désolée, je ne peux pas. Je dois rentrer à vingt heures.
Sorry, I can't. I have to go home at eight.
Pas de problème. À samedi ! Bisous
No problem. See you on Saturday! Love
To end with a day, use À with the day: À samedi !, À lundi ! It works just like À demain !
Writing a postcard
A postcard has a set shape as well. Say where you are, what the weather's like, and what you're going to do. You'll need these phrases:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| la carte postale | lah kart poss-TAHL | the postcard |
| Je suis à… | zhuh swee AH | I'm in… (a town or city) |
| Il fait beau. | eel feh BOH | The weather's nice. |
| la mer | lah MEHR | the sea |
Here's a complete postcard.
Chère Julie, je suis à Nice avec Marc.
Dear Julie, I'm in Nice with Marc.
Il fait beau et la mer est belle.
The weather's nice and the sea is beautiful.
Demain, on va visiter le musée. Grosses bises, Léa
Tomorrow we're going to visit the museum. Lots of love, Léa
Notice how little you need. You don't have to talk about the past yet, because the present and the near future do the job.
Reading text shorthand
French texts use many abbreviations. You don't need to use them, but it's useful to recognize a few.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| slt | sah-LEW | salut (text shorthand) |
| stp | seel tuh PLEH | s'il te plaît (text shorthand) |
| bjr | bohn-ZHOOR | bonjour (text shorthand) |
Your turn
Write these two on paper or in a notes app.
- A text exchange of four to six messages, making a plan for the weekend with a friend. Include a suggestion, a problem and a solution.
- A postcard from a town you'd like to visit, to someone you know well. Include the weather and one plan.
Read through each one, then ask yourself: does the opening suit the reader, and does the closing match it?
What's next
Only one lesson is left in A1. The A1 final review brings the whole level together and gives you a checklist of what you can now do.