French Postcard Writing Lesson

1

The Greeting — Le Destinataire

Every French postcard begins with a greeting to the person (or people) you're writing to. The greeting must match the gender and number of your addressee(s), and also depends on whether you are writing alone or as a group.

Reference Table

Situation	One sender	Multiple senders
To 1 male friend	Cher / Mon cher	Notre cher
To 1 female friend	Chère / Ma chère	Notre chère
To several (mixed / male)	Chers / Mes chers	Nos chers
To several (all female)	Chères / Mes chères	Nos chères

Try it yourself

You (one person) are writing to your female friend Florence. Which greeting is correct?

Florence is a single female name, so use the feminine singular: Chère.

Now: Two of you (Fanny and Simon) are writing to your male friend Lucas and female friend Marie. Which greeting?

Multiple senders writing to a mixed group → Nos chers.

2

Sentence 1 — Where Are You?

The first sentence of your postcard should tell the reader exactly where you are on your trip: which country you came from before, which country and city you're in now.

English: "After the Philippines, we are in Vietnam and we are discovering Hanoi."

Translate this in French:

Key vocabulary: Après = After • nous sommes = we are • au Vietnam = in Vietnam • nous découvrons = we are discovering

Après les Philippines, nous sommes au Vietnam et nous découvrons Hanoï.

Useful patterns

French	English
Après + [country/place]	After + [country/place]
nous sommes à / au / en / aux	we are in [city/country]
nous découvrons	we are discovering
nous visitons	we are visiting

Tip: Use au before masculine countries (au Vietnam, au Japon), en before feminine (en France, en Thaïlande), aux before plural (aux Philippines).

3

Sentence 2 — Describe the Place & People

Now describe what the city and its people are like. Use adjectives!

English: "The city is magnificent, and the people, very friendly."

Translate this in French:

La ville = the city • magnifique = magnificent • les gens = the people • très sympathiques = very friendly

La ville est magnifique et les gens, très sympathiques.

Useful adjectives

4

Sentence 3 — The Weather

Describe the weather. In French, weather expressions use Il fait... (literally "it makes...").

English: "The weather is very nice but a little hot!"

Build the sentence — pick the correct order:

Click to drag the words into the correct order:

Il fait très beau mais un peu chaud !

Weather expressions

French	English
Il fait beau	The weather is nice
Il fait chaud	It's hot
Il fait froid	It's cold
Il pleut	It's raining
Il y a du vent	It's windy
Il fait humide	It's humid

5

Paragraph 2 — Food & Drink

A new paragraph! Tell your friend what you eat and drink. Start with "Ici, on mange..." (Here, we eat...).

English: "Here, we eat phở and we drink coconut water. It's delicious!"

Fill in the blanks:

Ici, on des phở et on de l'eau de coco. C'est !

manger = to eat (on mange) • boire = to drink (on boit) • délicieux = delicious

Ici, on mange des phở et on boit de l'eau de coco. C'est délicieux !

Food & drink vocabulary

French	English
on mange	we eat
on boit	we drink
des plats délicieux	delicious dishes
du riz	rice
des fruits tropicaux	tropical fruits
du café	coffee
du thé	tea

6

Sentence 5 — What Do You Do There?

Tell your friend about daily activities.

English: "Every day, we talk with locals and practise our Vietnamese."

Translate this in French:

Tous les jours = every day • on parle avec = we talk with • des habitants = locals • on pratique = we practise

Tous les jours, on parle avec des habitants et on pratique notre vietnamien.

Useful activity verbs

French	English
on visite	we visit
on découvre	we discover
on se promène	we go for walks
on prend des photos	we take photos
on achète des souvenirs	we buy souvenirs
on apprend	we learn
les habitants	the locals

7

Closing & Sign-off

End your postcard with a closing phrase, then sign your name(s).

English: "See you soon with the holiday photos!"

Pick the correct French closing:

Other closing options

French	English
À bientôt !	See you soon!
Amicalement,	In friendship / Warm regards,
Gros bisous !	Big kisses!
On pense à toi / à vous !	We're thinking of you!
Bises de [city]	Kisses from [city]

Then simply sign with your name or names: Fanny et Simon

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Your Postcard — Compose & Preview

Now write your own postcard! Use your own words — don't just copy the example. As you type, the postcard preview updates live.

Greeting

Greeting form Addressee name(s)

Paragraph 1

Sentence 1 — Where are you? (your itinerary) Sentence 2 — Describe the place & people Sentence 3 — The weather

Paragraph 2

Sentence 4 — Food & drink Sentence 5 — Activities

Closing

Closing phrase Your name(s)

Live Preview

Cher/Chère [Name],

[Your sentences about location, description, weather...]

[Food, activities...]

[Closing phrase]

[Your name(s)]

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Finalise Your Postcard

Upload a photo for the front of your postcard, fill in the postal address, and then download your finished postcard as a PDF!

Front — Photo & City

City name (shown on front) Upload a photo

Click to upload a photo

JPG, PNG — this will be the front of your postcard

Back — Address & Stamp

Addressee's name Street address Postal code & city Country

Final Postcard Preview

Upload a photo above

POSTES
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Bravo ! Bien fait !

Your postcard has been submitted and downloaded.

Total lesson time: 0 minutes