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Do you remember being in trouble because the reply to the English email was not assembled well? English emails have certain patterns and points to keep in mind. Simply translating a text made is not a true English email.
This article describes the elements and templates needed to reply to an English email. If you understand "where and what to say" correctly, you will be able to return English emails quickly. Also, I will explain how to write for each situation, such as delayed reply or no reply from the other party.
Flow of replying English mail
There is a certain pattern in English mail, and the most polite pattern is greeting → thank you → message → closing words → closing phrase. If you have a close relationship, you may omit the closing words or simplify the greetings and conclusions. First, let's check the content and key phrases to convey in each situation.
Greetings
English emails start with greetings. At this time, don't forget to put a comma after the other party's name. Also, misspellings are very rude, so be sure to check the spelling before sending, especially if you're contacting for the first time.
The address at the beginning such as "To Mr. XX" or "The person in charge of XX company" is called formal communciation. The gretings in English depend on your relationship and familiarity with the other person. If you have a problem, please refer to the email you received. If you receive an email that starts with Dear, it will also be returned with Dear, and for Hi, it will also be returned with Hi.
If you are not very familiar with your first business partner
Dear Mr. Male, / Dear Ms. Female, / Dear Full name
Dear Mr. Jones, / Dear Ms. McDonnel, / Dear Karen McDonnel,
If you are close to friends
Enter the name as it is.
Jim, / Karen,
Mr. Jones, / Ms. McDonnel,
When sending to a specific department
Dear Department Name / Title
Dear Planning Department,
Dear Sales Manager, (Sales Manager)
To whom it may concern, (person in charge)
In the case of a reply email, send it back as it is without changing the subject so that the sender does not mistake it for other exchanges. For mailing services such as Gmail, Re: indicating a reply is automatically added to the beginning of the original subject. Only when the number of round trips in the response increases and the original subject becomes difficult to understand, you can repartition.
Thank you for your email
After the greeting, I will move on to the main subject immediately. There is no need to call out, such as "I am indebted to you" or "I am a messenger." Instead be aware of what you want to convey in the form of an English email.
First of all, thank you for what the other person did. After Thank you for ~ (Thanks for ~), I will briefly summarize the contents received in the first email.
For example, if you want to return an inquiry about a new product, write your interest in our new products. If you have a problem, you can thank the email itself, such as getting in touch or your inquiry.
Casual scene
Thanks for getting in touch.
Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday.
Formal scene
Thank you for your inquiry. (Thank you for your inquiry.)
Thank you for contacting us. (Thank you for contacting us.)
Besides thank you for your email, there are some classic expressions. The commonly used I hope you is literally "I hope you are", but when you use it in an email greeting, it means "I know you are, I'm happy if you are." If you want to return the email after a while, you can use this.
Standard expressions other than Thank you for
I hope this e-mail finds you well. (How are you doing? Translated literally, "I hope this email helps you.")
I hope you had a good holiday.
How are you getting on these days?
Communicate your requirements
Try to convey your business in an English email. We often use cushion words such as "I'm sorry" and "I'm sorry to be busy", but in English, the longer the sentence, the harder it is to read. One sentence should be around 60 to 70 characters, and one email should be 2 to 6 sentences. Let's summarize the answers to the other party's questions and the requests you want the other party to make with short phrases.
When can you attend John's birthday party?
It's John's birthday party and I can attend on the 4th or 5th.
Do I need to bring anything other than a present for him?
Where can I get a catalog of new products?
Please fill in our application form or contact us in-shop. (Please fill in our application form or contact us at the store.)
You will receive your order in two to three working days.
Separate paragraphs when replying with new content. If there is room in the number of characters and it seems okay to add a few words, adding In addition to the above, (in addition to the above) or By the way, (by the way) makes it easier to understand the change in context.
In addition to the above, the time of next week's meeting has been changed from 5 pm to 7 pm. (In addition to the above, next week's meeting has changed from 17:00 to 19:00.)
Closing statement
If you want to be courteous, such as a teacher at school or at work, or if you have an inquiry, add a polite word to your impression. It is okay to reiterate the opening thanks as a closing sentence. If you have any further questions or replies, be careful to the end so that you can save the other person's trouble as much as possible.
Closing sentence that can be used for close relationships such as teachers
Please drop in on me anytime.
I wish you all the best.
I look forward to seeing you again. (I look forward to seeing you again.)
Closing statement for businesses such as customers and business partners
Thank you for your consideration. (Thank you for your consideration.)
If you have any questions, you can always contact us at this address. (If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at this address.)
We appreciate it.
On the other hand, since the closing word such as "respectful" is written separately, it is okay to have no closing sentence depending on the situation. You don't need it if you have a frank relationship such as a friend or family member. For close relationships, we recommend short phrases such as Thank you. And Please check it.
Conclusion
At the end of the email, in addition to the closing word, put a signature with a line break. The closing word is different from the closing sentence. The latter does not need to be included depending on the situation, but the former should be included unless there is a specific reason.
Since the closing word is used as etiquette, it is recommended to use it properly according to the situation. The phrases introduced below will become more polite and clever as you go on, so please refer to them.
Close relationships such as friends
With love,
Karen
Best,
Jim (Pray for the best, from Jim)
A close but respectful relationship, such as a teacher
Regards,
Karen McDonnel (with respect. Karen McDonnel)
Best regards,
Jim Jones (with the best respect. Jim Jones)
Business relationships such as business partners
Sincerely,
Karen McDonnel
The above closing words are for e-mail, so even a close relationship may feel overwhelming in a short office contact. For trivial errands and requests, it's a good idea to add words that double as a closing statement, such as Thank you in advance. (Thank you in advance) or Please check it.
English business email reply template
Below are some specific examples of replies to English emails. We have prepared two types, casual and formal, so let's identify the appropriate scene and use it.
Reply when invited to a barbecue party with friends
I will answer whether or not to participate in the text. Also, if you have additional questions, split the sentence into two or more. Try to give each sentence only one meaning.
Susan, (to Susan)
Thanks for getting in touch. Please
let me join the party. Is
Ken's house the right place?
I look forward ? to seeing you and Ken. (I'm looking forward to seeing you and Ken.)Love,
Karen (with love from Karen)
Reply to inquiries asking for repair center for in-house products
If you have any questions, answer them at the beginning of the subject and then add more details. Also, in case your question cannot be resolved with this reply, add a follow-up word as a closing word. At this time, the content of the text and the closing words will change, so leave a space for one line. Also, when returning as a company, it is more kind to write the company name and department after signing.
Dear Mr. Lee
Thank you for your inquiry about our repair center. The
contact point will vary depending on the product you want to repair.)
In the case of mobile phones, please send the goods to the distributor's shop, otherwise to the following address .If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know. (If you have any questions or questions, please feel free to contact me.)
Sincerely,
Jim JonesCustomer Support
Example company Customer Center
Example of English email reply by situation
Below, we will explain how to reply to English emails according to the situation. Find out how to apologize if your reply is delayed without making the other person uncomfortable, or conversely, how to casually urge the other person if your reply is delayed.
Phrase when reply is delayed
If the reply is delayed, we apologize for the delay at the beginning. If you're friends, it's as casual as verbal. If you feel like you're used to communicating in English, you can make a little joke. In addition, I'm ~ at the beginning of the sentence may be omitted.
Sorry for my late reply. (Sorry for my late reply.)
Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.
get back to you is a more casual expression than reply. Other expressions that can be used often are late and response. Please refer to the above example if you have a close relationship or if you are a business partner or colleague who has interacted with you several times.
In the business scene, I apologize for being late and immediately tell you what I need to do. Depending on the cause of the delay, it may make the other party angry, so there is no need to write the reason. However, unavoidable problems such as factory power outages and unexpected situations such as sudden business trips are likely to gain the understanding of the other party, so it can be said honestly.
I apologize for my late reply. (Sorry for the late reply.)
I sincerely apologies for the delay in replying. (I sincerely apologize for the delay in replying.)
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you as I was unable to check my emails due to a business trip.
It will take courage to reply to English emails before you get used to them. Therefore, in order to reduce the trouble of returning, we will prepare the environment so that only the name and the message need to be rewritten. It is recommended to register the template introduced earlier in the mailing service.
Phrase when you want to urge a reply
If you want to urge a reply, be aware of the two points of "conciseness of content" and "politeness of expression" so as not to make the other party uncomfortable. Briefly summarize "what and where to send a reply" and convey it in a polite request such as Could you ~ / Would you ~. Also, if you add the reason "Why do you want me to reply as soon as possible", the other person will understand.
Could you reply to this email with any questions you may have about the new products we sent you last week?
→ In the case of this reply, it is more kind to attach the contents sent last week separately.
I would be grateful if you could reply to this message for our meeting this week.
Since the words of the reminder email are inevitably strong, it is okay to soften the nuances a little over. Cushion words such as I'm afraid and It seems to be enhance the calm and polite impression. It is difficult to judge whether the text is too hard, so if you are uncertain, ask another person to check it before sending it.
I'm afraid that you may not have received my message. (I'm worried that you may not have been contacted.)
I sent you an email last Wednesday, but it seems that you have still not replied.
Assemble the body of the reminder email in the order of "Situation where you have not received a reply yet" → "When do you want a reply and why" → "Consideration for circumstances where you cannot reply" → Conclusion.
Configuration example of reminder email
I hope you have received the email we sent you on the 12th. (Did you receive the email you sent on the 12th?)
The data will be used at the meeting on the 18th.
I would be very grateful if you could return our call by the 17th. ( Is it possible to get back to you by the 17th?)
Pay attention to the timing and how to convey when prompting for a reply
Do not send a reply reminder unnecessarily, and create it only when it is unavoidable such as work delays. There may be circumstances with the other party, and it may be difficult to reply to an email. It is important to consider the emotions of the recipient in the email, but especially in the reminder email, consider "the circumstances where you cannot reply, the circumstances where you do not receive a reply".
For example, the other person may not have the information needed to reply. If you do not have enough information to make an informed decision, please let me know. It will be easier to cut out.
Also, maybe you have already received a reply from the other party. If there is a possibility of miscommunication, please add If you have already replied to us, please ignore this message. (If you have already replied, please ignore this email.) Let's do it.
Phrase when no reply is required
If you do not need a reply, write No Need to Reply. At the end. You can write NNTR / NRN (No Reply Needed) for short. This email is a reminder of next week's meeting, so no need to reply. (This email is a reminder of next week's meeting, so you don't need to reply.)
NFA (no further action, no special action required) is one of the phrases similar to NNTR. It has a nuance close to "Please include" and is used when you just want to convey information. For example, Visiting hours have been changed from 2pm to 3pm. NFA. (The visitor time has changed from 14:00 to 15:00. No special action is required for this.)
Replying or additional response is an act of taking the other person's time. Complete the required requirements with a single email as much as possible, and let us know what to do if you need to respond. If you find it difficult to judge for yourself, you can ask someone who is familiar with English-speaking culture, such as a native friend or an English conversation school teacher.
Conclusion
English email replies are organized according to a certain flow from greetings to conclusions. Incorporate the necessary information according to the situation and the other party, and communicate smoothly. If you refer to the template, you can create a reply text even if you are in trouble.
