How to Write a Professional Email in English (with 5 Templates)
A simple structure for clear professional emails in English, the right greetings and closings, polite phrases for requests and follow-ups, and five ready-to-use templates.
Busy people read emails quickly — often on a phone, between meetings. A good business email makes its purpose clear in the subject line and first sentence, and makes the next step obvious. Here is a structure that works for almost every email, plus five templates you can adapt.
The structure
- Specific subject line — “Delivery date for order #882 — please confirm”, not “Question”.
- Greeting — “Dear Ms Benali,” / “Hi Karim,”.
- Purpose in the first line — “I’m writing to ask for…”.
- Details — short paragraphs of 1–3 sentences, with clear dates and numbers.
- Action and deadline — “Could you confirm by Friday?”
- Closing — “Kind regards,” + your name and role.
Greetings and closings
| Situation | Greeting | Closing |
|---|---|---|
| Formal / first contact | Dear Mr Alami, | Kind regards, / Best regards, |
| Colleague / regular contact | Hi Sara, / Hello Sara, | Best, / Thanks, |
| Name unknown | Dear Hiring Team, / Dear Sir or Madam, | Kind regards, / Yours faithfully, |
Polite phrases that make a difference
- Requests: Could you please…? · Would it be possible to…? · I’d be grateful if you could…
- Following up: I’m just following up on my email of 3 May. · I wanted to check whether you’d had a chance to…
- Bad news: Unfortunately, … · I’m afraid that… · We regret to inform you that…
- Attachments: Please find attached… · I’ve attached…
- Closing lines: Please let me know if you have any questions. · I look forward to hearing from you.
Avoid “Please do the needful”, “Kindly revert” and “ASAP”. They sound unclear or demanding to many international readers. Say exactly what you need and by when.
Template 1: Request
Subject: Request: updated price list for Q3
Dear Ms Benali,
I’m writing to ask for your updated price list for July to September. We are finalising our budget and would like to include orders of more than 500 units.
Could you send the price list by Friday, 14 June?
Kind regards,
Leila Amrani, Purchasing Manager
Template 2: Follow-up
Subject: Follow-up: proposal sent on 3 May
Hi Omar,
I’m just following up on the proposal I sent on 3 May. I wanted to check whether you’d had a chance to review it, and whether you have any questions.
Would a short call on Wednesday or Thursday be helpful?
Best regards,
Sara
Template 3: Complaint (polite but firm)
Subject: Order #882 — delivery 4 days late
Dear Mr Haddad,
I’m writing about our order #882 for 50 chairs, which was due on 10 May and has not yet arrived. This delay is causing serious problems, as we are opening our new office on 20 May.
Could you please confirm a new delivery date by tomorrow, 15 May?
Kind regards,
Youssef Tazi
Template 4: Apology
Subject: Your order #4471 — our apologies
Dear Ms Garcia,
Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order. I’m very sorry that two items arrived damaged.
We have sent replacements today by express delivery; you should receive them by Thursday. There is no need to return the damaged items.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
Kind regards,
Nadia Berrada, Customer Service
Template 5: Meeting request
Subject: Meeting request: Q4 marketing plan
Hello Karim,
Could we meet for 30 minutes next week to agree the Q4 marketing plan? I’m available on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.
I’ll send a short agenda in advance.
Thanks,
Hajar
Five-point checklist before you press Send
- Is the purpose clear in the subject line and first sentence?
- Is there one main topic?
- Are dates, numbers and names correct?
- Is the next step clear, with a deadline?
- Did you attach the attachment?
Want to practise with feedback? Business English Essentials covers emails, meetings, calls and negotiation, and its final assessment includes an email task with instant AI feedback.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use “Dear” or “Hi” in a business email?
Use “Dear + name” for formal emails, first contact or senior people; “Hello/Hi + name” for colleagues and people you already work with. When in doubt, mirror the style of the person who wrote to you.
How do I end a professional email?
“Kind regards” and “Best regards” are safe in almost every situation. “Best” and “Thanks” are fine with colleagues. Avoid “Yours faithfully” unless you began with “Dear Sir or Madam”.
How long should a business email be?
As short as possible while still being complete — usually 3 to 5 short paragraphs. If it needs more, consider a call or an attachment.
Is it rude to write “ASAP”?
It can sound demanding. Give a clear deadline instead: “Could you send it by Thursday at 12:00?”