Vocabulary related to Mail in French

While most people don’t write letters these days, people do love receiving handwritten mail. In this lesson, we will be going through words one can use to talk about mail in French.

Use them even when you want to talk about packages received through mail too. Learn to speak in french by reading our blogs.

1. poste 

Meaning: a place where stamps are sold and from where letters and parcels are sent

English: post office

Example:Je dois me rendre à la poste pour l’informer de mon changement d’adresse. (I’ve to go to the post office to inform them about my change of address.)

2.boîte aux lettres 

Meaning: a small, numbered, locked box at a post office to which letters are delivered

English:post box

Example: Elle mit elle-même la lettre qu’elle lui avait écrite dans la boîte aux lettres. (She put the letter she had written to him in the post box herself.)

3.courrier

Meaning: the letters, etc. that are sent to or from people, or the system for sending letters, etc. from place to place

English:mail

Example: N’ouvrez aucun courrier portant la mention « Confidentiel »(Do not open any mail marked ‘Confidential’.)

4.timbre

Meaning:a small piece of paper with a picture or pattern on it that is stuck onto a letter or package before it is posted, to show that the cost of sending it has been paid

English:stamp

Example: Elle a oublié d’acheter des timbres pour le courrier. (She forgot to buy stamps for the mail.)

5.Affranchir une lettre

Meaning :the act of putting stamp on a paper before sending it

English:to put stamp on a letter

Example: Elle affranchit toujours une lettre. (She always puts stamps on letters.)

6.Par avion 

Meaning the system of transporting mail by aircraft

English: Via air mail

Example: Comme son colis était urgent, elle l’a reçu par avion. (As her package was urgent she received it via air mail.)

7.Enveloppe

Meaning: a flat, usually square or rectangular, paper container for a letter

English: envelope

Example: Elle fendit l’enveloppe avec un couteau. (She slit open the envelope with a knife.)

8.Lettre

Meaning a written message from one person to another, usually put in an envelope and sent by post

English:letter

Example: Ma mère m’écrit une lettre tous les quinze jours. (My mother writes me a letter every fortnight.)

9.Paquet

Meaning :an object or set of objects wrapped in paper, usually in order to be sent by post

English:package

Example:Elle a été déçue de recevoir un paquet écrasé par la poste.(She was disappointed on receiving a crushed package by post.)

10.Colis

Meaning: an object or collection of objects wrapped in paper, especially so that it can be sent by post

English:a parcel

Example: Ce colis est en surpoids de deux kilos.(This parcel is two kilos overweight.)

11.Envoyer

Meaning :to cause something to go from one place to another, especially by post

English:to send

Example: N’oubliez pas de lui envoyer des cadeaux de Noël. (Don’t forget to send some Christmas goodies to her.)

12.Expéditeur

Meaning: a person who sends something

English:The sender

Example: Le colis a été retourné à l’expéditeur car les instructions étaient incorrectes.(The parcel was returned to the sender because the directions were incorrect.)  

13.Facteur 

Meaning: someone who delivers and collect letters, etc. that are sent by post

English: postman

Example: Le facteur est-il déjà venu ?(Has the postman been here yet?) 

14.Destinataire 

Meaning: a person who receives something

English:recipient

Example: Elle était la destinataire du colis livré hier. (She was the recipient of the package delivered yesterday.)

15.Recevoir 

Meaning: to get or be given something

English: receive

Example: Elle continue de recevoir des paniers de diverses marques dans le cadre du marketing. (She keeps on receiving hampers from various brands as a part of marketing.)

Now that you have learnt the meanings of these words in French, be sure to use them while you want to talk about mail in French. For more such vocabulary in French, keep following our blog.

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