How to write an email in Spanish

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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.

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How to start an email in Spanish

To start an email in Spanish, let’s look at greetings first.

Greetings 

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.

Informal greetings

  • ¡Hola, Juan! ¿Qué tal todo? (Hi Juan! How is everything?)
  • Querido amigo Juan: (Dearest friend, Juan,)
  • ¡Juanito! ¿Qué pedo? (Juanito! What’s up?)

Formal greetings

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: 

  • señor = Sr. (Mr.)
  • señora/señorita = Sra. (Mrs.)/Srta. (Ms.)
  • señores = Sres. (Sirs)

A full formal greeting will look like this:

  • Estimado Sr. Ruiz: (Dear Mr. Ruiz,)
  • Estimada Sra. López: (Dear Mrs. López,)
  • Estimados Sres.: (Dear Sirs,)

If you don’t know the name of the email’s recipient, opt for a more general formal greeting:

  • A quien corresponda: (To whom it may concern:)

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

The opening sentence will set the tone for the email. As with greetings, this can be either informal or formal.

Informal opening

Use the informal tú form when writing an informal opening, like so:

  • Te escribo porque… (I’m writing to you because…)
  • Te escribo para… (I’m writing to you in order to…)

Formal opening

For a more formal opening, use the formal usted or ustedes form:

  • Le escribo con motivo de su anuncio… (I’m writing to you in regards to your advertisement…)
  • Les escribo con motivo de explicarles… (I’m writing to you in order to explain/address…)

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Wording for the email body

We often use the body of an email to describe something or make a request. Here are some phrases you can use:

Informal phrases

  • Lo que pasó es… (What happened is…)
  • Voy a… (I’m going to…)
  • Tengo que… (I have to…)
  • Por favor, me puedes… (Please, can you ____ for me…)

Formal phrases

  • En primer lugar… (Firstly…)
  • En segundo lugar… (Secondly…)
  • Les ruego que… (I request that you…)
  • Sería posible… (Would it be possible…)

Closing the body section of a formal email

To close a formal email, you can say:

  • Quedo pendiente de su respuesta. (I remain attentive to your response.)
  • Espero sus noticias. Gracias por su atención. (I await the news. Thank you for your attention.)
  • Gracias por su atención. (Thanks for your attention.)

How to end an email in Spanish

End the email with a closing or despedida (goodbye). Again, you can do this in an informal or formal manner, depending on the recipient.

Informal email closing phrases

  • Hasta pronto, (See you soon,)
  • Muchos besos, (Lots of kisses,)
  • Un abrazo fuerte, (A big hug,)
  • Estamos en contacto, (Keep in touch,)

Formal email closing phrases

  • Atentamente, (Sincerely,)
  • Saludos cordiales, (Kind regards,)

Spanish email example

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

Know how to write an email in Spanish

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. 

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Alison Maciejewski Cortez

Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X.

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