Spanish For Beginners
Even if you are just starting to learn Spanish, you may find that you need to write an e-mail or a letter in the new language. Perhaps a letter to reserve a hotel room for your upcoming vacation in Spain. Or an e-mail to a new friend in Buenos Aires. But regardless of your motivations for writing in Spanish, e-mail and letter writing – in any language – tend to be rather formulaic. This means that once you learn the most common letter-writing formulas in Spanish, you should successfully be able to get started writing letters to almost anyone in Spanish. Here are some tips and the most common ways to write a letter in Spanish:
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Dates
A formal or business letter lists the date in the right-hand corner. In Spanish, dates are written with the day first followed by the month and the year, with the preposition “de” used in between both spaces. So July 1, 2010 (or 1 July 2010) is written in Spanish as 1 de julio de 2010. Months of the year, just like days of the week and the names of languages, are never capitalized in Spanish.
As in English, e-mails and informal letters are not typically dated.
Opening
In informal letters, you could open with informal greetings like:
Hola = Hello
Hola a todos = Hello everyone
Querido Antonio = Dear Antonio
Querida Marta = Dear Marta
Queridos Pablo y Victoria = Dear Pablo and Victoria
Queridos Señores Bueno = Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bueno
In formal letters, you could start with:
Estimado Señor Martínez = Dear Mr. Martínez
Estimado Señor = Dear Sir
Estimada Señora Espinosa = Dear Ms. Espinosa
Estimada Señora = Dear Madam
Or for very formal letters:
Muy Señor Mío = Dear Sir
Muy Señora Mía = Dear Madam
Muy Señores Míos = Dear Sirs
Body
As you would expect, the body of the letter is where things get more free form. This is the part where you articulate the motive for writing the letter. In other words, this is where you say what it is you wish to say. However, some common expressions you might find handy for writing informal e-mails and letters are:
Adjunto = I am attaching (in an e-mail) / I am enclosing (in a letter)
Gracias por = Thank you for
Nos vemos pronto. = We’ll see each other soon.
Common expressions in formal communications include:
Quería reservar = I would like to reserve
El motivo de esta carta es = The reason for this letter is
Nos complace comunicarle = We are pleased to inform you
Nos complace comunicarles = (If writing to more than one person) We are pleased to inform you
Estamos agradecidos por su interés en = We appreciate your interest in
Estoy agradecido por su interés en = (If you as the speaker are a man) I appreciate your interest in
Estoy agradecida por su interés en = (If you are a woman) I appreciate your interest in
Close
The universal approach for ending an e-mail or letter in Spanish is with an affectionate or a respectful close that is followed by your name.
Informal letters often end with closing expressions like “Un saludo”, “Un beso”, or “Un abrazo”.
The most common way to end a formal or business letter in Spanish is with the phrase “Un cordial saludo”. However, you could also use “Sinceramente”, “Cordialmente”, or “Le saluda atentamente”.