Writing a professional email in Spanish

Speaking Spanish at work is one thing. Writing a formal email in Spanish is another. In a conversation, a small slip disappears in a second. In an email, it sits there in black and white, and the person on the other side reads every word. No pressure!

The good news is that formal emails are one of the most predictable things you'll ever write in Spanish. They follow a pattern, and the same phrases come back again and again. When I worked as a translator and interpreter at an international company, emails were a big part of my day, and I can tell you that most professional emails are built from the same ten or fifteen building blocks.

In this post I'll take you through each part of a professional email, from the subject line to the sign-off. You'll get a full sample email with every line explained, a table of phrases to save, the mistakes I see most often, and a short quiz. ¡Vamos!Let's go!Used to cheer someone on or get moving.

The shape of a formal email in Spanish

Every professional email in Spanish has the same five parts:

1. AsuntosubjectThe subject line of an email.: the subject line
2. SaludogreetingThe opening line that greets the reader.: the greeting
3. Opening line: why you're writing
4. Body: what you need, with any attachments
5. Despedidasign-offThe closing line before your name.: the closing, then your name

Let's go through them one by one.

Writing the subject line

Keep the asuntosubjectThe subject line of an email. short and clear, just like in English. A few words that tell the reader what the email is about:

• Solicitud de informaciónRequest for informationA clear subject for a first enquiry.
• Reunión del juevesThursday's meetingSimple and specific.
• Propuesta para el proyectoProposal for the projectGood when you're sending a document.
• Factura pendienteOutstanding invoicePendiente means pending or unpaid.

One small difference from English: in Spanish, only the first word and proper names get a capital letter. So it's Reunión del juevesThursday's meetingDays of the week are lowercase in Spanish., not "Reunión Del JuevesThursday's meeting (wrong)Too many capitals for Spanish.". Days and months are lowercase too, which surprises a lot of learners.

How to start a formal email in Spanish: greetings

This is where the formality is set, so it's worth getting right.

• Estimado señor García:Dear Mr García,Formal, to a man you know the name of.
• Estimada señora García:Dear Ms García,Formal, to a woman you know the name of.
• Estimados señores:Dear Sir or Madam,Formal, when you don't know who will read it.
• Estimado equipo:Dear team,Polite and modern, for a group.
• Hola, Marta:Hi, Marta,Friendly but still fine at work once you know someone.

You'll often see the short forms Sr.MrShort for señor. and Sra.Ms or MrsShort for señora.: Estimada Sra. García:Dear Ms García,The same greeting with the short form.

The colon, not the comma

Notice something about every greeting above? It ends with a colon, not a comma. In Spanish, the standard punctuation after the greeting of a letter or email is a colon, and the email continues on the next line with a capital letter. A comma there is one of the clearest signs that someone is translating from English. Use the colon and you instantly look like you know what you're doing.

Why not queridodearUsed for people you're close to.?

English uses "Dear" for everyone, even a stranger at a tax office. Spanish doesn't. QueridodearAffectionate, for friends and family. is warm and personal, the word you'd use in a birthday card to a friend. In a work email, it sounds far too close. Use estimadodear, esteemedThe professional choice. instead.

Ustedyou, formalThe polite form of you.: the key to sounding professional

Hindi speakers already know this feeling. You wouldn't write तुम to a client you've never met, you'd write आप. Spanish works the same way: formal emails use ustedyou, formalLike आप., and that changes the verbs and the little words around them.

• tu correoyour emailInformal your, for tú. becomes su correoyour emailFormal your, for usted.
• ¿Puedes enviarme...?Can you send me...?Informal. becomes ¿Puede enviarme...?Can you send me...?Formal, for usted.
• te escriboI'm writing to youInformal. becomes le escriboI'm writing to youFormal, for usted.

The golden rule: pick one and stay with it. The most common mistake in formal emails is starting with ustedyou, formalThe polite form of you. and slipping into túyou, informalThe friendly form of you. halfway through. Read your email once just to check this. For the full picture, see my post on tú vs usted.

Opening lines: saying why you're writing

After the greeting, get straight to the point. Spanish emails are polite, but they don't need a long warm-up.

• Le escribo para...I'm writing to...The most useful opener of all.
• Me pongo en contacto con usted para...I'm getting in touch with you to...A little more formal.
• En relación con su correo del lunes...Regarding your email of Monday...For replies.
• Muchas gracias por su respuesta.Thank you very much for your reply.A polite way to open a reply.
• Como acordamos en la reunión...As we agreed in the meeting...Great for follow-ups.

The body: useful phrases for requests and attachments

This is where you ask for what you need. The secret to sounding polite in Spanish is the conditional tense, the "-ía" forms. It works just like "could" and "would" in English.

• ¿Podría enviarme...?Could you send me...?Conditional of poder. Very polite.
• Le agradecería que...I would be grateful if...Followed by the subjunctive.
• Me gustaría saber...I would like to know...Softer than quiero saber.
• Le adjunto...I'm attaching...Use it for files you send.
• Adjunto encontrará...Attached you will find...A more formal way to mention attachments.

Compare Quiero el informe.I want the report.Correct, but sounds demanding in an email. with ¿Podría enviarme el informe?Could you send me the report?Polite and professional. Both are grammatically fine. Only one keeps your relationship happy.

A note for B1 learners: le agradecería queI would be grateful ifAlways followed by the subjunctive. is followed by the subjunctive, so you'll write Le agradecería que me enviara el contrato.I would be grateful if you sent me the contract.Enviara is the past subjunctive of enviar. If that form is new to you, just learn this sentence as a fixed block for now. If you want to understand it properly, my post on the subjunctive for beginners will help.

Before you close

Just before the sign-off, Spanish emails often add one polite line:

• Quedo a la espera de su respuesta.I look forward to your reply.Literally, I remain waiting for your reply.
• Quedo a su disposición para cualquier consulta.I'm at your disposal for any questions.A very common, very polite closing line.
• Si tiene alguna pregunta, no dude en contactarme.If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.Close to the English version.

How to end a formal email in Spanish: sign-offs

Pick your sign-off based on how formal the email is:

• Atentamente,Yours sincerely,The most formal. Official letters and first contacts.
• Un cordial saludo,Kind regards,Formal but warm. Safe for most work emails.
• Saludos cordiales,Kind regards,Very similar to un cordial saludo.
• Un saludo,Best regards,Friendly and professional. For people you write to often.

Then your name, and your job title and company on the next lines if it's a work email.

A full sample email in Spanish

Here's a complete professional email. Imagine Rahul, who works at an Indian company, writing to a client in Madrid after a meeting. Hover over or tap each line to see what it means.

AsuntoSubjectThe subject line.: Propuesta para el nuevo proyectoProposal for the new projectShort and clear.

Estimada Sra. García:Dear Ms García,Formal greeting, ending with a colon.

Le escribo en relación con nuestra reunión del pasado martes.I'm writing regarding our meeting last Tuesday.States why you're writing straight away. Muchas gracias de nuevo por su tiempo.Thank you again for your time.A polite touch after a meeting.

Como acordamos, le adjunto la propuesta para el nuevo proyecto.As we agreed, I'm attaching the proposal for the new project.Mentions the attachment. En ella encontrará el plan de trabajo y las fechas principales.In it you'll find the work plan and the main dates.Tells the reader what the file contains.

¿Podría revisarla y enviarme sus comentarios antes del viernes?Could you review it and send me your comments before Friday?A polite request with the conditional podría. Le agradecería mucho su respuesta.I would really appreciate your reply.Adds warmth to the request.

Quedo a su disposición para cualquier consulta.I'm at your disposal for any questions.The classic polite closing line.

Un cordial saludo,Kind regards,Formal but warm sign-off.

Rahul Sharma

Director de proyectosProject managerHis job title.

Look at how short it is. Greeting, reason, attachment, request, polite closing, sign-off. Every line has a job, and there's nothing extra. That's what a good professional email looks like, in any language.

Formal email phrases at a glance

Save this table for the next time you write to a Spanish-speaking client or colleague.

Common mistakes in formal Spanish emails

These are the slips I see most often, and they're all easy to fix.

Using a comma after the greeting

As we saw, Spanish uses a colon: Estimada Sra. García:Dear Ms García,Colon, not comma. It's a small thing that makes a big difference.

Translating "Dear" as queridodearAffectionate, for people you're close to.

Keep queridodearAffectionate, for people you're close to. for friends and family. At work, it's estimadodear, esteemedThe professional choice..

Mixing túyou, informalThe friendly form of you. and ustedyou, formalThe polite form of you.

Watch the little words: tuyourInformal. or suyourFormal., teyouInformal object pronoun. or leyouFormal object pronoun.. Decide once and check them all at the end.

Capitalising days and months

In Spanish, it's el lunesMondayLowercase in Spanish. and el 31 de octubre31 OctoberMonths are lowercase too.. Capitals only at the start of a sentence.

Being too direct

QuieroI wantFine in speech, can sound demanding in writing. and NecesitoI needSame here. Soften it with the conditional. aren't wrong, but in a formal email the conditional sounds much better: ¿Podría...?Could you...?The polite request., Me gustaría...I would like...The polite wish.

False friends

Some Spanish words look like English ones but mean something else, and an email is the worst place to fall for them. ActualmentecurrentlyNot actually. Actually is en realidad. means "currently", not "actually". Asistirto attendNot to assist. To help is ayudar. means "to attend". My post on Spanish false friends has many more.

Test yourself: formal email quiz

Five quick questions. See how many you get right.

Keep going

Formal emails are one of the most satisfying things to learn, because a handful of phrases takes you a very long way. Write one this week, even if it's just to yourself, and use the table above as your checklist. If you'd like to practise writing (and speaking) for real situations, my live B1 batches on Google Meet are small groups of up to 5 students, so I can look at your writing closely. For the speaking side of work, read my guide to business Spanish phrases for meetings. And if you have an important email that simply has to be right, my translation service can help. ¡Venga!Come on!A friendly push to get going.