How to Say “Kind Reminder” in French

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gentil rappel
The English phrase "kind reminder" can be translated into French as gentil rappel.
A "kind reminder" is a polite way to tell someone that they have forgotten to do something or to remind them of a deadline. In professional French, rather than using a literal translation, speakers often use specific formulas to achieve this tone. For instance, Relance is the standard term used in business correspondence to describe the act of following up on an unpaid invoice or an unanswered request. To express the idea in a sentence, one might use Je me permets de vous rappeler que to mean "I am taking the liberty of reminding you that."

Which one should you use?

While gentil rappel is a direct translation of the English phrase, it is often replaced by more idiomatic expressions depending on the context. For a professional but slightly less formal context, French speakers often use petit rappel instead of gentil rappel to soften the tone. In a formal letter or email, the phrase Par la présente, je vous rappelle que … is used to convey formality and politeness.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The level of formality in French reminders varies significantly. For highly formal correspondence, use Par la présente, je vous rappelle que … or Je me permets de vous rappeler que. For a professional but slightly less formal context, petit rappel is common. If you are communicating among friends, colleagues or familiar acquaintances, you can use the informal and friendly gesture Je voulais juste te rappeler …

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often use gentil rappel as a direct translation of "kind reminder", but in French, this sounds unnatural and overly literal. It is better to use more standard professional formulas.

Did you know?

  • The word gentil in gentil rappel comes from the Latin word 'gentilis' meaning 'of the same clan'. In Old French, this referred to someone of noble birth rather than someone with a kind personality.
  • The phrase Je me permets de used in formal reminders literally means 'I allow myself to'. It is a linguistic tool used to acknowledge that the speaker is intruding on the recipient's time.
  • In a French business context, the word relance is used to describe the act of reminding someone. It comes from the verb 'relancer', which means to launch something again or to restart a process.

Examples in context

  • Je vous rappelle aimablement …
    I kindly remind you …
  • Par la présente, je vous rappelle que …
    By this letter, I would like to kindly remind you that …
  • Je voulais juste te rappeler …
    I just wanted to remind you …

Example conversation

Hugo is reminding Léa about a report she needs to send.

  1. Hugo

    Salut Léa, voici un gentil rappel pour le rapport.
    Hi Léa, here is a kind reminder for the report.
  2. Léa

    Oh, j'avais complètement oublié, merci Hugo !
    Oh, I completely forgot, thank you Hugo!
  3. Hugo

    Pas de problème, peux-tu l'envoyer ce soir ?
    No problem, can you send it tonight?
  4. Léa

    Oui, je m'en occupe tout de suite.
    Yes, I will take care of it right away.

Sources

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Julie Sadie
Julie SadieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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