We spend a great amount of time receiving and answering emails at work, so why not do it properly? Here there are a few simple steps to write effective business English emails:
1. Subject Line
Remember to be clear in the subject line, you want the receiver to actually open your email so a good business English email starts with a clear subject line. Remember you can omit some words in the subject line.
Meeting Monday 20th
You don’t need to say: Meeting on Monday the 20th
2. Greeting
In business English emails, we should pay attention to everything, even if it is the greeting. This is the first thing the person who opens the email will read, so make sure you use a correct greeting. It will of course vary depending on the level of formality and familiarity you have with the person you are writing to.
If you don’t know the person well:
Dear Mr. Smith,
Dear Ms. Smith,
When the email is for a woman, try to omit Mrs, as this is used when the woman is married. Use Ms instead.
When you do know the name of the person but still the relationship is not that close, you can use his or her name:
Dear Sarah,
If you are already familiar with the person you can use more informal greetings such as:
Hello Rose,
Hi Rose,
3. Opening
Even though sometimes we want to dive into the business from the very beginning, remember that in business English emails we also want to give a good impression. We can do so by using a friendly opener such as:
I hope everything is going well.
I hope you are doing fine.
I hope you had a great weekend.
4. Reason for writing
It is time to mention why you are writing and what the purpose of your business English email is. Some phrases you can always use are:
I’m writing with regard to…
I’m writing to…
As agreed/discussed, I’m sending you…
I wanted to know…
(instead of I want to know, wanted is more polite)
The examples above are for formal emails. For informal ones, you would rather use direct questions, such as:
Do you know…?
Do you happen to know…?
The rest of the email will depend on the subject you want to discuss. Here, you have some business English email ideas:
5. Attaching documents
We should often attach document for our colleagues or clients. Here you have some typical phrases you can use to refer to such documents and attachments.
Please find attached the…
I have attached…
I am attaching…
After you have carefully checked your email for typos and mistakes, do double-check that you have attached the document.
6. Making an arrangement
If you need to agree on a day and time with a colleague or client of yours, you can use the following phrases in your business English email.
The following examples are in degree of formality, being the first one the most formal and the last one the least formal.
I was wondering if you would be available next week.
Would Wednesday be suitable?
Would Thursday morning work for you?
What about Tuesday at 10.00 a.m.?
How about next week?
7. Making requests
We often need people to do some things for us and it is important to be clear about our expectations. You can use the phrases below:
I would be grateful if you could…
I would appreciate it if you could…
Do you think you could…?
Could you please…?
Would you mind sending me…?
8. Closing the email
Opening a business English email is important, so it is closing it. We can use the following phrases:
Please do not hesitate to contact me/us for further details.
Contact us for further details or queries.
If you need further details, please do not hesitate to contact me/us.
Should you need more information, please let me know.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
9. Signing off
Formal ways of ending your business English emails are:
Best regards,
Kind regards,
Less formal expressions are:
Thanks,
All the best,
Best,
10. Last but not least
Before sending the email:
-Make sure you have included the subject line
-Double check the email address of your colleague or client is correct, you don’t want another person to receive it!
-Check for mistakes: typos, grammar and vocabulary.
You can take a look at this blog where we explain some of the common mistakes in English and how to correct them
– Check the whole email: do you sound professional and friendly?
SEND!
Do you need some help to improve your writing skills in English? Book a free LET’S TALK session and Daiana will be glad to discuss your needs and help you reach your objectives!
