What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative form of the verb 'contacter' (to contact) and the stressed pronoun 'nous' (us).
Which one should you use?
Contactez-nous is used for formal or group address, whereas contacte-nous is the informal singular form used with someone you know well.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Contactez-nous is the appropriate register for business websites, professional emails and official customer service communications. For a more specific formal way to say "Reach our customer service", you can use Joindre notre service client. When writing formal correspondence, you may also use Madame, Monsieur to mean "Dear Sir or Madam".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canada, Contactez-nous is commonly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form contactez-nous uses the second-person plural imperative, which is the standard way to address customers or a general audience.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'contact' as both a noun and a verb, the French word contact was originally a noun and the verb contacter only became common in the 19th century.
- The imperative contactez-nous is often avoided in high-end luxury branding in France, as direct commands can be perceived as too aggressive for a prestigious image.
- In highly formal French administration, you will rarely see contactez-nous and instead find veuillez nous contacter, where veuillez is a special polite form of the verb 'to want'.
Examples in context
- Pour plus d'informations, contactez-nous.For more information, contact us.This sentence shows how to use contactez-nous when offering more information.Tatoeba #8010638 by Aiji, translation #5743905 by Cainntear
- Si vous avez des questions, contactez-nous.If you have any questions, contact us.
- N'hésitez pas, contactez-nous par email.Do not hesitate, contact us by email.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are discussing a customer service website.
- LéaOn doit ajouter un bouton sur le site.We need to add a button to the website.
- LucasPour quoi faire, Léa ?To do what, Léa?
- LéaPour que les clients puissent nous contacter.So that customers can contact us.
- LucasD'accord, on peut écrire : contactez-nous.Okay, we can write: contact us.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
