In French, you would say “mon cher ami” for a male friend and “ma chère amie” for a female friend.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Mon: This means “my” and is used before masculine nouns.
- Cher: This means “dear” and is also masculine, so it pairs with “mon” when referring to a male friend.
- Ami: This means “friend” in the masculine form.
For a female friend:
- Ma: This means “my” and is used before feminine nouns.
- Chère: This means “dear” and is the feminine form of “cher.”
- Amie: This is the feminine form of “friend.”
So, when addressing a dear male friend, you use “mon cher ami” and for a dear female friend, you use “ma chère amie.”