How to Write a Strong Business Email in Spanish
Do you need to write a business email in Spanish and don’t know where to start?
Writing business emails in Spanish is a daily responsibility when doing business in Spanish-speaking countries or with the huge Spanish-speaking market in the U.S. So, learning to properly write an email in Spanish is a smart investment of your time.
Keep reading to learn why writing emails in Spanish is an important skill to have, why you should use formal language in your business emails, and to discover the key parts of a business email through examples and explanations.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Why You Need to Learn How to Write an Email in Spanish
- Formal and Informal Language in the Workplace
- 5 Parts of an Email in Spanish
- Don’t Forget Your Signature File
- Practice Spanish With Native Professionals
Why You Need to Learn How to Write an Email in Spanish
If you’re studying Spanish, odds are it’s because you need it for work and you do—or plan to do—business in Spanish.
Writing a business email in Spanish is arguably more important than writing a formal letter, as these days emails are more common in the workplace. Experts estimate that US workers receive an average of 126 emails per day.
Needless to say, learning how to properly write a formal email in Spanish is an essential skill to master if you do business in Spanish.
Formal and Informal Language in the Workplace
Keep in mind that Spanish has formal and informal language. In the workplace and in most of your business in Spanish, you should use formal language.
This means that when writing a business email in Spanish, you need to use usted (formal you) and ustedes (formal you all) and conjugate your verbs accordingly.
It’s rare for business emails in Spanish where to use informal language and conjugate verbs using tú (informal singular you) or vosotros (informal plural you).
5 Parts of an Email in Spanish
Every email has at least four parts: salutation, message content, closing, and signature. Let’s look at each of these parts of a business email in Spanish in detail.
1. Salutation
Known as saludo in Spanish, this is the brief greeting at the beginning of every email you send. If you want to know how to start a formal email in Spanish, you need to master the different types of saludos formales or “formal greetings” to use in emails.
Here some examples with translations and short explanations when required:
Estimado Señor González:
Dear Mr. González,
This is perhaps the most common way to start an email in Spanish. Estimado means “dear,” and when used to refer to a woman you need to change it to estimada.
If you prefer, abbreviate titles in Spanish (Sr. instead of Señor, for example). Take a look at this useful list of the most common abbreviations in Spanish to learn more.
Finally, notice how at the end of the saludo, you use a colon (:) instead of the typical comma (,) in English. This happens with every formal greeting at the beginning of emails.
When you aren’t sure about the person who will be reading your email, start it with the following formula:
A quien corresponda:
To whom it may concern,
This is the same formula used in formal letters, and it’s useful when you’re starting a business relationship and aren’t sure about who to direct your efforts to.
2. Message Openers
After the salutation comes a line that’s particularly hard to master. Although this is a formal email, you can’t simply go straight to the point, especially in Spanish where formalities are important.
A message opener is a show of courtesy before starting to do business. It’s like an extra saludo, which will also serve as a lead for you to explain the reason for the email.
Here are a few of the most common Spanish message openers:
Esperando que este correo lo encuentre bien…
Hoping that this email finds you well…
Reciba un cordial saludo…
Receive my cordial greeting…
Un gusto estar en contacto con usted…
A pleasure to be in contact with you…
And then you can go directly into explaining the reason for your email:
Mi nombre es _____ y le escribo para informarle que…
My name is _____ and I’m writing to inform you that…
Le escribo de parte de _____ …
I’m writing on behalf of _____ …
Me dirijo a usted con el fin de…
I’m writing to you in order to…
Me es muy grato comunicarle…
It’s a pleasure to inform you that…
3. Message Content
Known in Spanish as el contenido del mensaje, the message content is the actual reason you’re writing the email. Here is where you communicate your idea—be it a business proposal, a request, a sales follow-up, or any other business-related topic.
By its nature, the message content is varied, and its form depends on the idea you need to communicate. However, there are a few guidelines to follow when writing the message content in Spanish:
- Use a formal tone
- Avoid exclamation marks
- Be direct but polite
- Use classic fonts (Arial, Garamond, Georgia, Times)
Here you have a couple of samples to give you an idea of how to write the main body of your email in Spanish:
Aprovecho para informarle que su suscripción a nuestro servicio de entrega de medicamentos a domicilio está por expirar el próximo 10 de julio de 2023. Si desea renovar su suscripción, por favor haga click en este enlace.
“I’d like to inform you that your subscription to our medicine delivery service is about to expire on July 10th, 2023. If you want to renew your subscription, please click on this link.”
A couple of comments about this content. Notice how it keeps the formal tone and uses the formal you (usted) conjugation.
Have you ever wondered if the months are capitalized in Spanish? Well, they aren’t. That’s why julio isn’t capitalized in this example. Same thing happens with days of the week.
Por este medio, hago de su conocimiento que nuestra línea de productos ecológicos “Verde” se encuentra en promoción por el mes de abril con un 50% de descuento. Puede encontrar todos los productos disponibles en el archivo adjunto a este correo.
“I’d like to inform you that our ‘Verde‘ line of green products is on sale in April at a 50% discount. Please find all the available products in our catalog attached to this email.”
Formal, direct to the point, and communicating every piece of information you want to communicate.
An “attachment” in Spanish is called el archivo adjunto.
4. Closing
To end a business email in Spanish, consider writing both a cordial farewell and a closing phrase. Let’s see how each one of them works.
Cordial Farewell
Translated in Spanish as despedida formal, the cordial farewell is a polite way of saying goodbye once you’ve completed your business message.
Here are some of the most common cordial farewells in Spanish:
Sin más por el momento, quedo a la espera de su amable respuesta.
I look forward to your kind response.
Cualquier cosa estoy a su disposición.
I am available should you need anything.
De antemano, le agradezco su atención.
I thank you in advance for your attention.
Para cualquier duda al respecto, por favor no dude en contactarme.
For any doubt in this regard, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
5. Closing Phrases
The frase de cierre (closing phrase) is a short phrase or word. In Spanish, you use a colon where in English you would normally use a comma. Here are the most common closing phrases in Spanish:
Atentamente:
Sincerely,
Saludos:
Saludos cordiales,
Saludos cordiales:
Kind regards,
Don’t Forget the Signature File
To end an email in Spanish, don’t forget to add your firma corporativa (signature file). Signature files are short text files “you create for use as a standard appendage at the end of your e-mail notes.”
Most email softwares offer an option to create your own signature file, which usually includes:
- Name
- Job title
- Company
- Address
- Phone
- Website
Follow this example as a template to create your own signature file:
Miguel González
Gerente de Mantenimiento
Productos Ecológicos González
Calle Independencia 231
Monterrey, N.L., México, C.P. 48341
Tel: (+52) 814 238 765
Fax: (+52) 814 239 766
m.gonzalez@productosecologicos.com
Now You’re Ready to Write a Strong Business Email in Spanish
Every business email in Spanish is unique in its message, but they all share the same structure. Follow the template described in this post, and you’ll have the foundation to write a strong business email in Spanish. Just remember to double-check your email before sending it to avoid spelling or grammar mistakes.
One of the many benefits of speaking Spanish is that it opens the door to better jobs, where you will surely need to write business emails on a daily basis.
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