You never know when you may need to write a formal letter to a company in Spain, whether looking for work or linked with a holiday booking, car hire issue and so forth. It is always good to try to write a few phrases in Spanish to show you are making an effort. It may help you get a job, land a promotion or just help to practise and extend the Spanish you already know.
Here are some key phrases to help you write a polite email or letter:
Estimado Señor (surname):
Estimada Señora (surname):
“Estimado/a” just means “esteemed” but the whole opening is the equivalent of “Dear Mr. / Mrs. …” in English.
If you don’t know exactly who you are writing to use:
Muy Señor Mío:
A quien corresponda:
(To whom it corresponds)
Note: In Spanish they use a colon rather than a comma in the opening phrase.
If you know the person fairly well, or after a few correspondences you could start to use:
Querido (first name):
Or if they are female:
Querida María:
You would then begin the letter by explaining who you are. So you would say something like:
Mi nombre es …. y soy ….
(My name is … and I am …)
If you are writing on behalf of a company, you would use:
Le escribo en nombre de ….
(I am writing on behalf of …)
Examples phrases include:
Les agradecemos su carta del 12 de octubre
(Thank you for your letter of the 12th October)
En contestación a su carta de fecha de 5 de julio …
(In answer to your letter of 5th July …)
Les informamos que ..
(We are informing you that …)
Me dirijo a ustedes para preguntar si …
(I am writing to ask if …)
Quería saber si … (I would like to know if …)
Me podría informar de … (Could you tell me about …)
Les agradeceríamos que nos enviasen cuanto antes, a ser posible …
(We would be gateful if you could send as soon as possible …)
Espero su respuesta / Awaiting your reply
Muchas gracias por su ayuda / Thank you for your help
Le saluda atentamente / I send warm regards
Reciba un atento saludo de /
Saludos / Regards