cher
/ʃɛʁ/
The English phrase 'dear someone' is translated into French as cher.
cher is used as a polite or affectionate greeting at the beginning of a letter or email.
Which one should you use?
In French, cher/chère is used for people you know or have a relationship with, whereas Monsieur/Madame is used for formal business correspondence where you do not use 'dear'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes to chère when addressing a woman, chers when addressing a group of men or a mixed-gender group and chères when addressing a group of only women.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃɛʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use Cher Monsieur in formal business letters. In strictly formal French, it is more standard to use only Monsieur or Madame.
Did you know?
- In French, the price of an item is also described as cher, meaning that 'dear' and 'expensive' are the exact same word.
- The word cher shares the same root as the English word 'charity', as both stem from the idea of holding something or someone dear.
- In very traditional French epistolary style, it is common to see the greeting Mon cher or Ma chère, adding a possessive pronoun that is rarely used in English.
Examples in context
- Chère Marie, Salut ! Comment ça va ?Dear Marie, Hi! How are you doing?
- Cher Marc,Dear Marc,
- Cher professeur,Dear professor,
- Cher ami,Dear friend,
Example conversation
Léa is asking Lucas for help with a formal letter.
- LéaLucas, comment commencer cette lettre ?Lucas, how should I start this letter?
- LucasTu peux écrire : Cher Monsieur Martin.You can write: Dear Mr. Martin.
- LéaD'accord, merci beaucoup !Okay, thank you very much!
- LucasDe rien, Léa.You're welcome, Léa.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cher, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cher, CC BY-SA 4.0.
