Business Email Phrases

Quick Answer: A professional English email has five parts: a greeting (Dear Ms. Lee, or Hi Tom,), an opening line (I hope you are well. I'm writing regarding...), the main message with polite requests (Could you please...?), a closing line (Please let me know if you have any questions.) and a sign-off (Best regards,). When you are not sure how formal to be, choose the neutral option.

Key takeaways

• Use a title with the surname (Dear Ms. Johnson) or the first name alone (Dear John), never a title with a first name (Dear Mr. John).
• Best regards and Kind regards are safe sign-offs for almost every work email.
• Look forward to is followed by -ing: I look forward to hearing from you.
• Turn commands into questions: Send me the file becomes Could you please send me the file?
• Thank you for your patience often works better than a second apology.
• In British English, Yours faithfully follows Dear Sir or Madam, and Yours sincerely follows a named greeting; British style also often drops the period in Mr and Ms.

How formal should a business email be?

Formality	Use with	Greeting	Sign-off
Formal	unknown people, official requests, applications	Dear Mr. Patel,	Yours sincerely, / Sincerely,
Neutral	clients, colleagues in other teams	Dear Anna, / Hello Anna,	Best regards, / Kind regards,
Informal	close colleagues	Hi Anna,	Thanks, / Best, / Cheers (UK)

If you are unsure, choose neutral. It is never wrong in a work context.

Greetings

• Dear Ms. Johnson, - formal, using surname. Use Ms. for women unless you know they prefer Mrs. or another title.
• Dear Dr. Kim, - for doctors and PhD holders.
• Dear Hiring Manager, - when you do not know the name.
• Dear Sir or Madam, - very formal, quite old-fashioned.
• Hello team, / Hi all, - for groups.
• Hi Sam, - informal.

Avoid "Dear friend" and "Hey" in professional emails.

Opening lines

Starting the email:

• "I hope you are well."
• "I hope this email finds you well."
• "Thank you for your email."
• "Thanks for getting back to me."
• "It was great to meet you at the conference."

Stating the purpose:

• "I'm writing to ask about..."
• "I'm writing regarding the invoice from March."
• "I'm contacting you because..."
• "Just a quick note to let you know that..."

Making requests

Polite requests are the core of most business emails.

More direct	More polite
Could you send me the report?	Could you please send me the report by Friday?
Can we meet tomorrow?	Would it be possible to meet tomorrow?
I need the data.	I would appreciate it if you could share the data.
Tell me if it's OK.	Please let me know if that works for you.

Phrases:

• "Could you please confirm..."
• "Would you mind checking..."
• "I would be grateful if you could..."
• "When you have a moment, could you..."

For more on polite language, read how to make polite requests in English.

Attachments

• "Please find attached the updated contract."
• "I've attached the slides from today's meeting."
• "Attached is the invoice for October."
• "Sorry, I forgot the attachment. Here it is."

Giving information and updates

• "I'd like to let you know that the shipment has been delayed."
• "Just to update you, we have finished the first stage."
• "As discussed, I'm sending you the price list."
• "As mentioned in my previous email, ..."
• "Please note that the office will be closed on Monday."

How do you follow up politely?

• "I'm just following up on my email from last week."
• "I wanted to check whether you had a chance to look at the proposal."
• "Could you give me an update on the order?"
• "I'm sending a gentle reminder about the deadline on Friday."

Apologizing

• "Sorry for the late reply."
• "Apologies for the delay in getting back to you."
• "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused."
• "Thank you for your patience."

"Thank you for your patience" is often better than another apology. It sounds positive.

Arranging meetings

• "Are you available for a call on Tuesday afternoon?"
• "Would Thursday at 10 work for you?"
• "I'm afraid I'm not available then. How about Friday?"
• "I'll send you a calendar invite."

For the meeting itself, see English for work meetings.

Closing lines

• "Please let me know if you have any questions."
• "I look forward to hearing from you."
• "I look forward to working with you."
• "Thanks in advance for your help."
• "Feel free to contact me if you need anything else."

Note: look forward to is followed by a noun or -ing verb: "I look forward to meeting you," not "to meet you".

Sign-offs

• Best regards, / Kind regards, - safe for almost every email
• Regards, - short and neutral, can feel slightly cold
• Sincerely, / Yours sincerely, - formal (in British English, Yours faithfully is used after Dear Sir or Madam)
• Thanks, / Many thanks, - when you have asked for something
• Best, - friendly and short

Sample email

Subject: Request for updated price list

Dear Mr. Carter,

I hope you are well. I'm writing regarding our order for next month.

Could you please send us your updated price list by Friday? We would also be grateful if you could confirm the delivery time for orders over 500 units.

Please let me know if you need any more information.

Best regards, Elif Arslan Purchasing Manager

Common mistakes

Wrong	Right
I look forward to hear from you.	I look forward to hearing from you.
Please find attached file.	Please find attached the file. or Please find the file attached.
Dear Mr. John,	Dear Mr. Smith, or Dear John,
I want that you send the report.	Could you please send the report?
Dear friend,	Dear Ms. Clark, or Hello Anna,

Also keep emails short: short paragraphs and one clear request work best.

Practice

Make these sentences more polite.

1. Send me the file.
2. I want a meeting.
3. Answer quickly.

Possible answers: 1. Could you please send me the file? 2. Would it be possible to arrange a meeting? 3. I would appreciate a quick reply, if possible.

Good emails are a writing skill you can train. See how to improve your English writing, and for formal language in context, try our B1 English course.

People Also Ask

How do you start a formal email in English?

Use Dear plus the person's title and surname, such as Dear Ms. Clark, followed by a comma. If you do not know the name, use Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Sir or Madam.

What is a good sign-off for a business email?

Best regards and Kind regards are safe, professional choices for most emails. Sincerely is more formal, and Thanks or Best are fine with colleagues you know well.

How do I politely follow up on an email?

Write a short, friendly message such as I'm just following up on my email from Monday about the contract. Then repeat your request clearly and suggest a deadline if needed.

Is Hope you are well too informal?

No, I hope you are well or I hope this email finds you well is a common, polite opening in business emails. Avoid using it in every single email to the same person, though.

Related Reading

• English for Job Interviews
• English for Work Meetings
• How to Make Polite Requests in English
• How to Improve Your English Writing