Published on September 8, 2023
How to write an email in Spanish
Wondering how to write an email in Spanish? Every Spanish language learner has been there.
We all love an old-fashioned letter or postcard, but these days we mostly send or receive emails and text messages. While texts are usually informal, the context in which we send emails is generally limited to work, customer service and school. These official communications require a more formal tone, which can be an intimidating challenge when writing in a non-native language. Not to worry — we’re here to make it easy.
Knowing how to write an email in Spanish will help you with everything from travel plans to getting a new job. Here’s all the wording you need to know for how to write an email in Spanish. We’ve even included a Spanish email example to show you what all these formalities look like in practice.
To start an email in Spanish, let’s look at greetings first.
Every email starts with a greeting or a salutation. In Spanish, this is called un encabezamiento (a heading). The greeting you use depends on the person you are writing to.
For friends and family, your greeting can be informal. With work colleagues or customer service representatives, formal is the way to go.
Note: If you are from the United States, you may be comfortable going directly into the purpose of your email. U.S. Americans generally like to get down to business and not waste time on pleasantries. This would be considered rude in many Spanish-speaking countries. In most Latin cultures, it’s best to ask how somebody is doing before launching into your issue.
Formal greetings typically start with estimado (esteemed), followed by a title and last name. Remember that titles in Spanish are capitalized and abbreviated when used in correspondence:
A full formal greeting will look like this:
If you don’t know the name of the email’s recipient, opt for a more general formal greeting:
Note: When writing in English, you might be accustomed to adding a comma after the salutation in less formal emails. In Spanish, as in formal English communications, a colon follows the addressee.
The opening sentence will set the tone for the email. As with greetings, this can be either informal or formal.
Use the informal tú form when writing an informal opening, like so:
For a more formal opening, use the formal usted or ustedes form:
We often use the body of an email to describe something or make a request. Here are some phrases you can use:
To close a formal email, you can say:
End the email with a closing or despedida (goodbye). Again, you can do this in an informal or formal manner, depending on the recipient.
There are plenty of famous letters in Spanish that we can look to for inspiration. Here is one example of a formal email in Spanish:
Estimados Sres.:
Me llamo María Fernandez, y soy especialista en diseño de moda. Les escribo con motivo de entregar mi CV para trabajar en su empresa.
He estudiado diseño en la Universidad de Monterrey. Me encanta tratar con los clientes y hacer nuevas propuestas originales.
Espero sus noticias para acudir a una entrevista. Gracias por su atención.
Atentamente,
María Fernandez
Dear Sirs,
My name is María Fernández, and I am a specialist in fashion design. I am writing to you with the hopes of submitting my CV to work at your company.
I have studied design at the University of Monterrey. I love dealing with customers and making new, original proposals.
I await your notice in order to attend an interview. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Maria Fernandez
Whether you are sending your CV in for a new job or catching up with friends, knowing how to write an email in Spanish will improve your communication. Formal emails can be nerve-racking and may take additional time to compose at first. But with these key phrases and a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it.
