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Lesson 14.14A1

Exam Writing: An Informal Letter

പരീക്ഷാ എഴുത്ത്: അനൗപചാരിക കത്ത്

Informal French letters and messages follow a loose but recognizable shape — a warm opening, casual closing formulas — that's worth having ready-made for A1 writing tasks. Formal correspondence, with its much stricter formulas, comes later.

Grammar Comparison

വ്യാകരണ താരതമ്യം

Cher/Chère — the informal letter opening

French

Cher Thomas, / Chère Priya,

Malayalam

പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട Thomas, / പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട Priya,

Cher (to a man) and Chère (to a woman) both mean 'dear' and open an informal letter, agreeing in gender with the person addressed — one of the few times you'll gender-agree a word based on the person you're writing to rather than a grammatical noun. Salut also works as a more casual opener, like starting with 'Hi' instead of 'Dear'. Malayalam's പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട ('dear') stays exactly the same word no matter the addressee's gender, so this is a genuinely new habit to build.

Closing formulas: warmth, not formality

French

Je t'embrasse, / Amicalement, / Bisous,

Malayalam

സ്നേഹപൂർവ്വം, / സൗഹൃദപൂർവ്വം,

Informal letters close with warm, personal formulas rather than the stiff business-letter closings French is also known for: Je t'embrasse ('I hug/kiss you') and Bisous ('kisses') are affectionate, used with close friends and family; Amicalement ('in friendship') is a slightly more neutral but still informal option, close to Malayalam's സൗഹൃദപൂർവ്വം ('in friendship') in everyday letters.

Vocabulary

വാക്കുകൾ

Cher / Chère...shair
Malayalam
പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട...priyappetta...
English
Dear... (masc./fem.)
Salut !sah-LU
Malayalam
ഹായ്!haai!
English
Hi! (casual opener)
merci de ta lettremair-SEE duh tah LET-ruh
Malayalam
നിന്റെ കത്തിന് നന്ദിninte kathinu nandi
English
thanks for your letter
comment vas-tu ?koh-mahn vah-TOO
Malayalam
നീ എങ്ങനെയുണ്ട്?nee engganeyundu?
English
how are you?
je t'embrassezhuh tahn-BRAHS
Malayalam
സ്നേഹാശംസകൾsnehaashamsakal
English
hugs/kisses (closing)
à bientôtah bee-an-TOH
Malayalam
ഉടനെ കാണാംudane kaanaam
English
see you soon
amicalementah-mee-kahl-MAHN
Malayalam
സൗഹൃദപൂർവ്വംsouhrudapoorvvam
English
in friendship (closing)
bisousbee-ZOO
Malayalam
മുത്തങ്ങൾmuthangal
English
kisses (casual closing)