cordialement
/kɔʁ.djal.mɑ̃/
In French, "best regards" is translated as cordialement.
cordialement is the standard, professional way to say "best regards" in business correspondence. In modern French email culture, it is often used as a standalone sentence at the end of a message, similar to how English speakers use "Best," or "Regards,".
Meaning: polite closing of a letter (noun)
Which one should you use?
While cordialement is the standard, you can use bien cordialement to mean "very best regards". Adding the adverb bien makes the closing slightly warmer and more polite. For even higher levels of formality, Meilleures salutations translates to "Best regards" and Cordiales salutations is a formal way to say "Best regards" that is slightly more formal than Meilleures salutations.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
cordialement is the standard professional closing. For informal situations, use Amicalement or Bien amicalement to express warm regards. If you need an extremely formal closing, use Veuillez agréer, [Monsieur/Madame], l'expression de mes sentiments distingués.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables: /kɔʁ.djal.mɑ̃/.
Did you know?
- In French, the term 'sentiments' is used in formal closings like mes sentiments distingués, which can sound strangely romantic to an English speaker.
- In certain very traditional French circles, failing to use a long, elaborate closing instead of a short one like cordialement can be perceived as a lack of education.
- The word cordialement shares its root with the English word 'cordial', but in French, it specifically evokes the 'coeur' or 'heart'.
Examples in context
- Cordialement.Best regards.This sentence shows the use of cordialement as a standalone closing.Tatoeba #6778328 by Fabimaru, translation #4299336 by Globetrotter
- Je vous écris pour confirmer le rendez-vous. Cordialement.I am writing to confirm the appointment. Best regards.
- Merci pour votre aide rapide. Cordialement, Marc.Thank you for your quick help. Best regards, Marc.
Example conversation
Gabriel is sending a professional follow-up email to Emma.
- GabrielBonjour Emma, voici le document demandé.Hello Emma, here is the requested document.
- EmmaMerci beaucoup, Gabriel. Je le regarde tout de suite.Thank you very much, Gabriel. I will look at it right away.
- GabrielParfait. Cordialement, Gabriel.Perfect. Best regards, Gabriel.
- EmmaBonne journée à vous.Have a good day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “best regards” translations and entries cordialement, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cordialement, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
