French Phrase
On renvoie le reçu par la poste.
Meaning
This sentence means ‘We send the receipt back by mail.’ It is a neutral, slightly formal way to describe the action of returning a document through the postal service.
When to use
Use it when you need to tell a colleague, a client, or a friend that a receipt (or any document) will be mailed back to them. It works well in business emails, phone calls, or spoken instructions.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onrenvoielereçuparlaposte
On (impersonal pronoun)
‘On’ is used like ‘we/one’ in informal French to give general instructions or describe a common action.
Renvoie (present tense)
‘Renvoie’ is the 3rd‑person singular present of ‘renvoyer’ (to send back). It matches the singular subject ‘on’.
Le reçu (definite article + noun)
‘Le’ marks the noun ‘reçu’ (receipt) as a specific, known document.
Par la poste (means of transmission)
The preposition ‘par’ + article ‘la’ + noun ‘poste’ indicates the method: by post/mail.
🗨In Conversation
J'ai perdu le reçu, que dois‑je faire ?
I lost the receipt, what should I do?
On renvoie le reçu par la poste.
We’ll send the receipt back by mail.
✕Common Mistakes
On envoie le reçu par la poste.
‘Envoyer’ means ‘to send’, not ‘to send back’. Use ‘renvoyer’ when the document is being returned.
On renvoie le reçu au poste.
The correct preposition for the means of transmission is ‘par’, not ‘au’. ‘Au poste’ would refer to the post office building.
On renvoie reçu par la poste.
Dropping the article makes the phrase sound incomplete; French nouns usually need a determiner.
↔Alternatives
Nous renvoyons le reçu par courrier.
We send the receipt back by post.
Le reçu sera renvoyé par la poste.
The receipt will be sent back by mail.
Je vous renvoie le reçu par la poste.
I’ll send the receipt back to you by mail.
Cultural Tip
In French business correspondence, ‘par la poste’ is the standard way to refer to ordinary mail. For faster service you might hear ‘par courrier recommandé’ (by registered mail) or ‘par colis’. The impersonal ‘on’ gives a friendly, collective tone—perfect for emails or spoken instructions where you don’t want to specify a single person.