How to Structure a Business Email in English?

It is the first information that recipients see when they receive an email. If it is not written clearly, it could lead the recipient to ignore it without even opening it. Therefore, it is essential to give a precise and concise message from beginning to end, stating the reason for writing it in two or three words.

Example:

• Subject: Delivery delay
• Subject: Web Content Editor position
• Subject: New product catalogue

Unlike other languages ​​where long and complex sentences are necessary in a formal written context, English is very concise and short sentences and a simple way of writing predominate. You should make sure to divide the text into two or three paragraphs, this makes it easier for the reader to quickly visualize the key points.

When you write an email in English, you are not only using another language, but also entering another culture with other customs. Anglo-Saxons in particular pay close attention to forms of courtesy and gratitude, so you should be careful to add them.

Example:

• Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms / Dear Sir/Madam/Madam
• Dear Sir/Madam
• Best regards / Sincerely
• Kind regards / Cordial greetings

Don't send an email in English without first re-reading what you wrote, this applies to all languages. It's common to make grammatical or transcription mistakes, even in our own language. So if you wrote an email in English, you might easily make some mistakes.

Double-checking what you've written is a simple process that will prevent you from looking sloppy and unprofessional.

The signature at the bottom of the text in an email is vital so that the recipient knows and understands all the important information about you, including:

• First and last name
• Professional position
• Contact phone number
• Company details (name, address)
• Company website link

Emails in general should be structured as follows: introduction, body of the text and conclusion.

There are several ways to start an email in English, but either way, you should always start with a greeting. In the formal case, the most appropriate options are:

• Recipient's last name / example, Mr. John
• If you don't know the name of the recipient you can start with Dear Sir/Madam
• More generally, "To whom it may concern" / "To whom it may concern"

After the initial greeting, an introductory sentence is necessary, stating the reason for the email. This should be consistent with the subject of the email. Keep the introduction short; long texts are boring and discourage people from continuing to read them.

There is no exact formula for writing a body of text in English. This will vary depending on the function of what you want to communicate. We recommend making an initial draft.

The general rules are simply that the text should be divided into short paragraphs that avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

The most common way to end an email is:

• Best regards / Sincerely
• Kind regards / Cordial greetings
• Regards / Greetings