How to Write Emails in Spanish: Templates for Every Situation

The hard part of writing an email in Spanish isn’t the vocabulary — it’s the register. Get one decision right before you type a word: how formal is this email? That single choice drives your greeting, your sign-off, your punctuation, and whether you write tú or usted. Below you’ll find templates for every common situation, from a note to your mum to a complaint that means business.

First, though: how do you actually say “email”? The full term is correo electrónico (electronic mail), but most people just say correo. Email — pronounced with the stress on mail, not e — works too; correo and email are interchangeable. E-mail with a hyphen is rare, as it increasingly is in English.

Spanish has no verb “to email.” You can’t email something to someone — you send it by email, using mandar or enviar: Mándamelo por correo mañana or Envíamelo por email mañana (Send it to me by email tomorrow). And where American English allows “Write me,” Spanish is always indirect: Escríbele un correo (Write an email to her) — never escríbela.

When someone asks for your address, dictate it the Spanish way — this is where knowing the Spanish alphabet pays off. Gmail is pronounced roughly heh-mail, so for @gmail.com you’d say arroba heh-mail punto com (at gmail dot com).

Essential Email Vocabulary

Spanish	English
Recibidos, Enviados, Spam	Inbox, Outbox, Spam
Papelera, Borradores	Trash, Drafts
De, Para, Asunto	From, To, Subject
Cc, Cco	Cc, Bcc
Adjuntar, Adjunto	Attach, Attachment
Archivo/Fichero, Carpetas	File, Folders
Redactar, Enviar	New, Send
Responder, Reenviar	Reply, Forward
Insertar, Enlace	Insert, Link

Wondering why Bcc becomes Cco? Blind carbon copy translates as copia de carbón oculta.

Informal Emails: Family and Friends

For family and friends, open with a simple hola (hi), buenas (hiya) or querido (dear). You can drop the opening ¿ and ¡ marks, relax your punctuation, use colloquial language, and stick to tú — never usted.

Sign off with besos (kisses) or abrazos (hugs). Where wishing someone hugs and kisses might feel like a lot in English, it’s completely normal in Spanish. Play with augmentatives (besotes, abrazotes, besazos) and diminutives (besitos, besillos), or the singular forms: un beso, un abrazo, un besote. Before abrazo it’s common to add fuerte (literally, strong): un fuerte abrazo. Between male friends, abrazos is more usual than besos — though plenty of guys send besos too.

Email to a Family Member

Hola, Mamá:

Ya has hablado con tito Javi? Se queda en Murcia al final? Espero que esté contento con el nuevo curro. Por cierto, la semana que viene es puente y he pensado en bajar, te parece bien o estarás muy liada? Sé que tienes muchas cosas ahora. Ya me dirás!

Te quiero. Besos!

Hi Mum — Have you spoken to Uncle Javi? Did he decide to stay in Murcia in the end? I hope he’s happy with his new job. BTW, it’s a bank holiday next week and I’d thought about popping down — would that suit, or will you be too busy? I know you’re rushed off your feet right now. Let me know! Lots of love x

Email to a Friend

Buenass, Carmelo:

Qué tal crack? Te escribo porque el finde que viene estaré por Madrid así que si tienes un hueco quedamos para unas cerves o algo. El sábado por la tarde por ejemplo? Estaría bien charlar y ponernos al día.

Un abrazo! Carlos

Heyy Carmelo — How’s it going champ? I’m writing because next weekend I’ll be in Madrid, so if you’ve got an opening we could meet for a few beers or something. Saturday afternoon, for example? It would be good to have a chat and a catch-up. All the best, Carlos

Emails at Work

At work, unless you’re writing to a colleague you work closely with, open with Buenos días (good morning) or Buenas tardes (good afternoon) rather than just Buenas, and sign off with Saludos or Un saludo (regards). For important emails, take care with your punctuation.

Here’s the part that surprises learners: in Spain, emails within a company use tú and vosotros, not usted and ustedes. Address a few colleagues as ustedes and you’ll sound stiff and distant — quite unlike French, where vous is everywhere. In Latin America it flips: ustedes is always the plural, and in many countries you’d favour usted over tú.

Email to Work Colleagues

Buenos días Carlos y Cristina:

¿Cómo estáis? De cara a poder resolver el cierre mensual en las fechas establecidas por el Departamento Financiero, os pido por favor que todas vuestras facturas sean aprobadas y enviadas antes del día 25. Las facturas que sean recibidas con posterioridad no serán tramitadas hasta el mes siguiente. Gracias por vuestra colaboración.

Un saludo, Ana

Good morning Carlos and Cristina — How are you both? With regard to resolving the monthly closure in the finance department’s time frame, please make sure all your invoices are approved and sent before the 25th. Any invoices received after this date won’t be processed until the following month. Thanks for your cooperation. Regards, Ana

Emails to Clients and Customers

For clients and customers, it depends on the business and the nature of the email. A company reaching out to Instagram bloggers or promoting its new smartphone app would seem out of touch using usted. Contacting a potential investor for the first time with tú, on the other hand, would come across as rude and unprofessional. Judge the situation and the environment you’re in.

Email to an Important Client

Estimado Sr. Rodríguez:

Soy Ángel Sastre, responsable del Departamento Legal de la empresa TBP. Me pongo en contacto con usted para informarle sobre unos cambios en las condiciones de su fondo de inversión. Adjunto a este correo encontrará un documento explicativo. Si tiene cualquier duda me puede contactar mediante teléfono, email o en persona en nuestras oficinas, lo que más le convenga a usted.

Reciba un cordial saludo, Ángel Sastre

Dear Mr. Rodríguez — I’m Ángel Sastre, head of the Legal Department at TBP. I’m writing to inform you about a number of changes to the conditions of your investment fund. Attached to this email you’ll find an explanatory document. If anything is unclear you can contact me by phone, email or in person at our offices, whichever is most convenient. Sincerely, Ángel Sastre

For formal emails like this one, Un cordial saludo or Saludos cordiales (kind regards) beat a plain saludo. Slightly less common options are Atentamente and Sinceramente (sincerely). For the greeting, use Estimado señor / Estimada señora (Dear Sir / Dear Madam) or the abbreviations Estimado Sr. / Estimada Sra. — or simply Buenos días / Buenas tardes. If you don’t know exactly who will read it and want maximum formality, reach for A quien le corresponda (To whom it may concern) or Muy señores míos (Dear Sirs) — though that last one is extremely formal, best reserved for older people in positions of importance.

Informal Promotional Email to a Customer

Marketing emails swing hard the other way — augmentatives, exclamation marks and all:

¡Planazos de verano!

Ha llegado el verano y la hora de ir a la playa. Píllate un cochazo de TBP y disfruta de un viaje inolvidable. Te esperan un montón de experiencias y planazos gratis cuando alquilas un coche con nosotros ¿Te apuntas? Bájate la app para tu dispositivo Android o IOS, ¡no esperes más!

¡Buen finde!

Summer plans! Summer’s arrived and it’s beach time. Grab an amazing car from TBP and enjoy an unforgettable trip. Loads of incredible free experiences and plans are waiting for you when you hire one of our cars. Are you in? Download the Android or iOS app — what are you waiting for? Have a great weekend!

Asking a Company for Information

What about contacting a company yourself — to ask for information, complain, book, or cancel a service?

The key grammar move: use the imperfect (quería — I wanted) when asking for things. Quiero saber… (I want to know…) sounds slightly abrupt. To be more formal still, switch to the conditional: querría or me gustaría (I would like). And unless you’re writing to a specific person you already know, address the company in the plural — vosotros or ustedes.

Email Asking for Information

Buenas tardes:

Quería saber un poco más de información sobre vuestros servicios. Me voy una temporada a Irlanda y quiero llevarme el piano (es de cola). ¿Es algo que podríais hacer? ¿Cuánto costaría aproximadamente? Es muy importante que llegue en perfecto estado, ¿ofrecéis algún tipo de seguro?

Saludos, María Jose

Good afternoon — I wanted to find out a little more about the services you offer. I’m moving to Ireland for a spell and I want to take my piano with me (it’s a grand). Is that something you could do? Approximately how much would it cost? It’s essential that it arrives in perfect condition — do you offer any type of insurance? Regards, María Jose

Formal Email Asking for Information

Buenos días:

Tengo una consulta. En el documento que ustedes me dieron como confirmación de la solicitud del canje de permiso de conducción, pone: «se le concede un plazo de 10 días para aportar dichos documentos, si así no lo hiciera se le tendrá por desistida la petición». Las primeras citas que me ofrece la página web son el 15 y 18 – dos fechas en las cuales no podré acudir y que son más de 10 días posteriores a la cita original. Me gustaría por favor que me confirmasen que no habrá problema al elegir una cita después de esas fechas para ultimar el canje. Espero su respuesta.

Saludos cordiales, Nestor Galán

Good morning — I have an enquiry. The document I was given as confirmation of my driving licence exchange application says: “you are given a period of 10 days to provide the stated documents, otherwise the application will be assumed to be withdrawn”. The first appointments the web page offers are the 15th and 18th — I can’t make either, and both are more than 10 days after the original appointment. Could you please confirm there won’t be a problem choosing an appointment after those dates to finalise the exchange. I look forward to hearing back from you. Sincerely, Nestor Galán

Espero su/tu respuesta — and the more informal espero tus noticias — literally say “I await your reply/news,” but they do the job of “looking forward to hearing from you.”

Complaining by Email

Unlike English, Spanish is perfectly happy using the imperative to ask for things instead of the imperfect or conditional. Me gustaría que me confirmasen… in the email above could become Confírmenme por favor que… (Please confirm to me that…). Do add the por favor — it softens the landing; mind your Ps and Qs.

The imperative earns its keep when complaining, since you usually want action taken. And here’s a register trick: if you’re annoyed, switching to usted is a good way to show distaste and put distance between you and the person you’re writing to — especially if you’d normally use tú. If you’re really furious, of course, you can throw the rulebook out the window and write as informally as you like.

Complaint Email from an Angry Customer

Hola, David:

Sepa que es ilegal reembolsar solo una parte de la compra. El plazo de devolución y reembolso para compras hechas por internet en la Unión Europea son 14 días y puede ser por cualquier motivo. Pedí el reembolso 3 días después de la compra por lo cual tiene usted que cumplir con la normativa. ¡Cumpla la ley o no tendré más remedio que denunciarle! Envíeme confirmación del reembolso íntegro en cuanto esté. Recuerde que tiene 14 días (desde la fecha en la que lo pedí) para hacerlo.

Un saludo, Carmina Álvarez

Hi David — You should know that it’s illegal to refund only part of the purchase. The period for returns and refunds for online purchases in the European Union is 14 days, no justification required. I requested the refund 3 days after the purchase, so you are required to comply with the regulation. Obey the law or I’ll have no choice but to report you! Send me confirmation of the full refund as soon as it’s done. Remember you have 14 days (from the date I requested it) to do so. Regards, Carmina Álvarez

Complaint Email (Calmer)

In the next example, Carmina is somewhat calmer — and the email follows suit:

Buenas tardes:

Hace una semana pedí dos libros (pedido #9389759) y han llegado hoy en mal estado. La portada de uno está rayada y el otro tiene manchas en algunas páginas. Quiero hacer una devolución y el reembolso del importe íntegro de ambos.

Saludos, Carmina Álvarez

Good afternoon — A week ago I ordered two books (order #9389759) and they arrived today in bad condition. The cover of one is scratched and the other has stains on some pages. I’d like to return them and receive a full refund for both. Regards, Carmina Álvarez

Booking and Reserving by Email

Booking or reserving something works like asking for information: use the imperfect or conditional to ask for what you want.

Reserving a Time to See a Flat

Buenas noches:

Estoy interesado en el piso en la calle Llull. Me gustaría pasar a verlo esta semana si es posible. Tengo disponibilidad cualquier tarde a partir de las 18. Dejo mi número de contacto, 123456789.

Un saludo, Álvaro Fuentes

Good evening — I’m interested in your flat on Llull Street. I’d like to come and have a look round this week if possible. I’m free any evening after 6pm. My contact number is 123456789. Cheers, Álvaro Fuentes

Estar interesado (to be interested) is a workhorse phrase for whenever you’re interested in or want something.

Cancelling: Darse de Alta and Darse de Baja

Two more phrases you’ll need constantly: darse de alta and darse de baja. Each covers a cluster of English verbs. Darse de alta means to join, register, enrol or sign up; darse de baja means to close or cancel an account, unsubscribe, or leave a job.

Email to Cancel a Subscription

Hola:

A partir del mes que viene quiero darme de baja. Como habéis quitado muchas clases y cambiado el horario de las demás, ya apenas puedo ir a ninguna. Es una pena porque cuando me di de alta había muchos instructores y clases diferentes.

Saludos, Álvaro Fuentes

Hi — I’d like to cancel my membership from next month. As you’ve got rid of lots of classes and changed the timetable of the rest, I can barely go to any now. It’s a shame, because when I joined there were loads of instructors and different classes. Regards, Álvaro Fuentes

Alta and baja also work as nouns. Alta can be membership — Solicita el alta en el club llamando al secretario (Apply for club membership by calling the secretary) — or a medical all-clear: Me dieron el alta tres días después de la operación (They discharged me three days after the operation). Baja is its opposite: cancellation — Solicita la baja en el club llamando al secretario (Cancel your club membership by calling the secretary) — or being off sick or injured: Estuve de baja 2 semanas con la gripe (I was off sick for 2 weeks with flu), El médico me dio la baja (The doctor signed me off sick), El equipo tiene dos bajas (The team has two players out injured).

The Register Cheat Sheet

Every template above comes down to one decision made early: how formal is this email? Answer that, and the rest follows:

Situation	Greeting	Sign-off	Address
Family and friends	Hola / Buenas / Querido/a	Besos / Un abrazo	tú
Colleagues (Spain)	Buenos días / Buenas tardes	Un saludo / Saludos	tú / vosotros
Clients, formal contacts	Estimado Sr. / Estimada Sra.	Un cordial saludo / Atentamente	usted
Unknown reader, max formality	A quien le corresponda	Saludos cordiales	usted / ustedes

And the three habits that make any of them sound native: ask with the imperfect or conditional (quería / me gustaría), not the abrupt quiero; remember that in Spain workplace email runs on tú while much of Latin America leans usted; and if you’re angry, switch up to usted — formality as distance is a register move Spanish speakers will read loud and clear.

P.S. — Postscript in Spanish is P.D. (postdata), which wraps up this post.