How to Write an Email in Spanish from Start to Finish | FluentU Spanish Blog (2024)

How to Write an Email in Spanish from Start to Finish | FluentU Spanish Blog (1)

By Rosie Hilder Last updated:

Writing in Spanishtends to slip through the cracks when studying the language.

It’s not just about writing emails, either—there’s a whole world of Spanish text slang to get your head around, which will help you communicate wellwith friends and acquaintances on a daily basis.

While slang is what you’ll need to get chatting withyour budson Facebook or Twitter, what do you do when you have to write a formal email to someone you don’t know?

Look no further.

In this post, you’ll learn how to write a formal email in Spanish, plus how to personalize your email for different situations.

Contents

  • Greetings for Formal Emails in Spanish
  • Expressing the Reason for Your Email in Spanish
  • The Body of a Formal Email in Spanish
  • How to End a Formal Email in Spanish
  • How to Apply for a Job Through Email in Spanish
  • How to Make an Inquiry in a Spanish Email
  • How to Send or Accept Invitations in Spanish Emails
  • Why You’ve Gotta Learn to Write Formal Emails in Spanish
  • And One More Thing…

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Greetings for Formal Emails in Spanish

If you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to, you should start your letter with:

A quien corresponda:
(To whom it may concern:)

If you know the name but still don’t have enough of a relationship to use the their first name (i.e., it’s probably the first time you’re writing to this person), you can say:

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Estimada/o+ the person’s title and surname

Estimada/o means “esteemed.”

For example:

Estimado Señor Pérez (Esteemed Mr. Pérez)

Estimada Señora Pérez(Esteemed Mrs. Pérez)

Note that you need to change the last letter of estimado according to whether you’re writing to a man or woman.

Another thing to remember is that after the name, you need a colon instead of the comma used in English.

For example:

Estimado Señor Pérez:

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Also useful to know is that sometimes Señor, Señora andSeñorita are abbreviated to Sr., Sra. andSrta., respectively.

Doctor abbreviated would be Dr. for a man, but you’ll useDra. for the femaleDoctora.

Once you’ve established a relationship with someone but still want to keep things quite formal, you can start your letter with querido/querida (Dear) and the person’s first name.

For example, you may begin with something like:

Querido José:
(Dear José:)

Expressing the Reason for Your Email in Spanish

Once you’ve gotten past saying hello, you’ll need to explain who you are and why you’re writing.

You can continue with:

Mi nombre es____.
(My name is____.)

You should write your full name here.

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You might also add something about your position or the organization you’re working for.

For example, if you were a teacher writing to a parent you haven’t yet met, you might say:

Mi nombrees ClaireStone y soy laprofesora de suhijo John.
(My name is ClaireStone and I’m your son John’s teacher.)

If you’re writing on behalf of an organization or another person, you could say:

Escribode parte de____.
(I’m writing on behalf of____.)

You need to also explain why you’re writing your email.

So, you could say something like:

Le escribo para organizar una reunion para hablar sobre John.
(I’m writing to organize a meeting so that we can talk about John).

Poor John. It sounds like he’s in trouble.

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The Body of a Formal Email in Spanish

Now that you’ve introduced yourself and said why you’re writing, you’ll need to write your email’s body.

This part varies greatly depending on what your email is about, but here are some guidelines to help you keep your writing formal:

  • Use formal language and structures. Writing formally means using Spanish conditionals, especially to ask questions and make requests. For example:

Quería saber si ustedes estarían disponibles para hablar el miércoles.
(I wanted to know if you would be available to talk on Wednesday).

  • Don’t use slang. Avoid the use of slang, idioms or abbreviations. FYI (PTI, para tu información), emoticons and text speak—such as PQinstead of porque—are definitely not appropriate in a formal email. LOL.
  • Use the formal “you.” Useustedor ustedes to address your reader. You might adopt a more informal tone after one or two emails, but it’s best to keep things formal at the beginning and follow the example of the person writing to you.

How to End a Formal Email in Spanish

End your email with a finishing sentence. This might be something like:

Cualquier cosa estoy a su disposición.
(I am available should you have any questions.)

Espero su respuesta.
(I await your reply.)

You should then end with a final greeting, such as:

Saludos
(Greetings)

Saludos cordiales/Un saludo cordial
(Cordial greetings—this is more formal than Saludos)

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Le saludo atentamente
(I attentively send greetings—this is even more formal)

Muchas gracias por su ayuda/tiempo
(Thank you for your help/time)

Graciasy saludos
(Thank you and greetings)

How to Apply for a Job Through Email in Spanish

Writing to apply for a job? Pepper your Spanish email with these phrases:

Quisiera postularme para el puesto de_____anunciado en_____el día_____.
(I wanted to apply for the post of_____, advertised in_____on [date].)

Actualmente estoy trabajando para_____y mis responsabilidades incluyen_____.
(At the moment I’m working for_____and my responsibilities include_____.)

Tengo experiencia con_____.
(I have experience with_____.)

Como pueden ver en mi currículum, mi experiencia y capacidades encajan con los requisitos de este puesto.
(As you can see from my resume, my experience and skills fit the requisites for this job.)

Me gustaría saber más sobre el puesto, en particular_____.
(I would like to know more about the position, in particular_____.)

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How to Make an Inquiry in a Spanish Email

Seen something you want to know more about? Include these phrases in your email:

Me interesa mucho_____y quisiera saber más sobre_____.
(I’m veryinterested in_____and I would like to know more about_____.)

¿Podría darme más información sobre_____?
(Could you give me some more information about_____?)

Quería saber los horarios y los costos del_____.
(I would like to know the timetable and cost of_____.)

How to Send or Accept Invitations in Spanish Emails

Want to invite someone to a formal event or accept their invitation? Try these:

Queremos invitarle formalmente a formar parte de nuestro evento_____que se llevará acabo el día_____a las_____.
(We would like to formally invite you to take part in our event_____, which will take place on_____at_____.)

Muchas gracias por su invitación. Estaré encantada de asistir.
(Thank you for your invitation. I will attend with pleasure.)

Estoy muy agradecidapero lamentablemente no voy a poder asistir debido a_____.
(I thank you for your invitation, but unfortunately, I will not be able to attend due to_____.)

Why You’ve Gotta Learn to Write Formal Emails in Spanish

Learning how to write formal emails in Spanish is an incredibly useful skill. Here’s why:

  • You never know when you might need it. Who knows when you’ll need to write to someone you don’t know? When you do send that email, you’ll want to get the tone right so whoever receives it won’t be put off about corresponding with you.
  • It can help you get a job. What if one day you find the job of your dreams…in Spanish? You’ll need to write a formal letter to apply for it, and you may even need to translate your CV into Spanish.
  • It might help you keep the job you’ve already got. If you’ve already got a job where you need to speak Spanish, some degree of writing will likely be involved. Learning how to address your colleagues appropriately, make requests and ask polite questions could be the thing that keeps you employed.
  • You don’t want to sound rude. Nothing is worse than messing up something important just because you worded a phrase incorrectly, like calling someone querido instead of estimado.
  • Writing can help consolidate the Spanish you’ve already learned. Seeing the Spanish you’ve mastered on paper is a great way to solidify and review what you’ve already learned.

So there you have it. Now you’ve got no excuses to not reply to that email you just received! Or to apply for that job!

But don’t forget to keep practicing your general Spanish writing and conversation skills.

This will make your messages sound more authentic—just because something is formal doesn’t mean it has to be painfully dry.

So get exposure to real Spanish through native speakers or media like books or videos. There are also multimedia language learning tools that can improve your written Spanish.

One resource is FluentU, which has Spanish videos equipped with subtitles and other tools that teach words and their usage in context.

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Soon enough, you’ll be able to easily tackle written Spanish correspondence, and your responses will ooze grace and politeness.

Saludos cordiales,

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And One More Thing…

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU.

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FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

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How to Write an Email in Spanish from Start to Finish | FluentU Spanish Blog (2024)

FAQs

How do I start off an email in Spanish? ›

How to Begin an Email in Spanish
  1. Hola. This is a pretty standard email greeting in Spanish. ...
  2. Buenos días/tardes. ...
  3. Querido/a. ...
  4. A quien corresponda. ...
  5. Apreciado señor/a o señorita. ...
  6. Un saludo. ...
  7. Espero tus noticias. ...
  8. Espero tu repuesta pronto.

How do you end an email reply in Spanish? ›

Let's see what the options are when it comes to Spanish:
  1. Saludos cordiales – Best regards.
  2. Atentamente/Sinceramente – Sincerely.
  3. Cordialmente – Cordially.
  4. Esperando su repuesta – Waiting for your reply.
  5. Para cualquier cosa estoy a su disposición – I am at your disposal for anything you need.
Sep 16, 2019

How do you introduce yourself in Spanish in an email? ›

The most common way to introduce yourself in Spanish is to say "Me llamo" followed by your name. Alternatives include "Mi nombre es" or "Soy" followed by your name. "Hola" can be used for either "hi" or "hello."

How do I begin an email? ›

44 ways to start an email
  1. I hope this email finds you well.
  2. I hope you're doing well.
  3. Thank you for the update.
  4. Thank you for the swift follow-up [Name]
  5. I'm hoping to connect on [Subject]
  6. Good afternoon [Name]

How do you start a letter off in Spanish? ›

You can take more liberties when opening a Spanish letter with an informal greeting and express the various degrees of how close you are to the recipient:
  1. Hola, – Hi, / Hi there, / Hey,
  2. Querido Pablo, – Dear Pablo,
  3. Querida Pilar, – Dear Pilar,
  4. Queridos, – Dears,
  5. Amado / Amada – Beloved.
Apr 14, 2020

How do you end an answer email? ›

How to end an email
  1. Best.
  2. Sincerely.
  3. Regards.
  4. Thank you.
  5. Respectfully.
  6. Please let me know if you have any questions.
  7. Looking forward to our meeting.
  8. Thank you for your consideration.
Apr 8, 2024

What is the subject line of a Spanish email? ›

The subject line in Spanish is called el asunto (ah-soon-toe). As in English, Spanish subject lines should be succinct and include the most important or essential part of the email. For example, an email containing an invoice from a vendor would include the invoice number in the subject line.

How do you format a Spanish address? ›

The format for writing an address in Spanish closely follows the format in English, except that in Spanish, the street typically comes before the building number and the postal code may come before the city: street + house or building number. apartment number (if applicable) city, state, country (if applicable)

How do you address someone in Spanish in an email? ›

Email Greetings in Spanish
  1. A quien corresponda. = To whom it may concern.
  2. Muy señor mío. = Dear Sir.
  3. Estimado Señor (apellido) = Dear Mr. (last name)
  4. Don (nombre) = Dear (first name)
Dec 8, 2016

How do I write in Spanish in Gmail? ›

Change the language in Gmail

In the top right, click Settings . Click See all settings. In the "Language" section, pick a language from the drop-down menu. At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.

How to finish an email in Spanish? ›

To close a formal email, you can say:
  1. Quedo pendiente de su respuesta. (I remain attentive to your response.)
  2. Espero sus noticias. Gracias por su atención. (I await the news. Thank you for your attention.)
  3. Gracias por su atención. (Thanks for your attention.)
Sep 8, 2023

What is a polite response to an introduction in Spanish? ›

Introductions and Welcome

Igualmente: When someone says “Nice to meet you” using one of the expressions found below, you can reply with “Igualmente” (literally “equally”). Me llamo…: When someone asks your name, reply with “Me llamo [first name].” ¿Cómo se llama (usted)?

How do you end an informal letter in Spanish? ›

Phrases commonly used to close an informal letter:
  1. Con todo mi cariño ("With all my affection")
  2. Con amor ("With love")
  3. Un fuerte abrazo ("A tight hug")
  4. Besos / Besos y abrazosKisses/ ("Kisses and hugs")
  5. Tu amorosa hija / nieto / madre ("Your loving daughter/ grandson/mother")

How to start a formal letter in Spanish? ›

There are a couple of ways in which you can open a letter in Spanish with a formal greeting:
  1. Distinguido Señor Rosario: / Distinguida Señora Rosario – Distinguished Mr./Mrs. ...
  2. Estimado Sr. ...
  3. Estimada Sra. ...
  4. Estimada Srta. ...
  5. Estimado señor / Estimada señora – Dear sir / Dear madam.
Apr 14, 2020

Can I start an email with buenas noches? ›

Also, if you are sending an email to a colleague or a coworker who you know well, then you can use something less formal such as Saludos (Greetings) or the usual Buenos días (Good morning), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon), or Buenas noches (Good night).

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