KEY PHRASES FOR WRITING PROFESSIONAL EMAILS

 I. FIRST CONTACT

A. Announcing / Informing

- I'm writing to inform you that …

- I'm sending you this email to let you know that …

- I would like to draw your attention to the fact that …

- We wish to inform you that …

- I hope this email finds you in good health.

- Let me go straight to the point.

- How is everything going with you?

- Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't have time to reply to his email right now. 

- We are pleased to inform you that we will be visiting your premises in a few months.

- We have pleasure in announcing that we have won the contract thanks in particular to our expertise.

- We regret to inform you that the carrier was involved in an accident during delivery. An alternative solution is being developed.

- You will be interested in learning about our general terms and conditions which, in summary, remain unchanged from last year.

B. Acknowledging receipt

- Thank you for your confirmation.

- Please confirm that you have received my email.

- Please send me a confirmation by return email. 

- Thank you for your letter of October 10.

- We acknowledge receipt of your email dated October 10 (= October 10th).

- We acknowledge receipt of your invoice.

- We acknowledge with thanks your letter of February current.

- We received the goods you shipped to us last week.

C. Referring to a previous contact

- As mentioned in my email of last month, we will be increasing our production due to an influx of additional orders.

- As stated in my email last month, we will be moving to new premises starting next month.

- As per our telephone conversation, we would like to clarify that … 

- Following our telephone conversation which took place this morning, I would like to inform you that …

- Further to your email of February 9th, I would like to add a few points …

- Referring to my previous email, please detail the various points of the contract

- We are referring to your email from last January to inform you that …?

- With reference to your email of last January, we are able to process your order which had remained pending until now.

II. REQUESTS / INQUIRIES

A. Making a request

- I should be grateful if you would send me a confirmation email.

- Would it be possible for you to call me before 11am?

- Would you be so kind as to keep me posted on the progress of renovation work?

- Would you please send us the invoice in duplicate?

- Could you send us two copies of the contract?

- You are requested to report to the deputy manager.

- Please report any malfunctions you may observe to your line manager.

B. Getting informed

- Could you tell me whether you received the merchandise or not?

- I should be most grateful if you would send me the directions by email.

- I would be obliged if you would hand the file over to me so that I can act quickly.

- I would like to inquire whether you're coming to the awards ceremony.

- Please forward this parcel to whom it may concern.

- Please deliver the package to the person concerned.

- Please give me details of the forthcoming meeting which will take place later this week.

- Please give details about the upcoming conference which will be held early next month.

- Please send me the blank contract to sign.

- I would appreciate it if you could keep me informed.

- We should be glad if you would send us some identification.

- We would appreciate it if you could send us a copy of your identity document.

- We should be grateful for your discretion = We would appreciate your discretion.

- We should be grateful if you could attend the graduation ceremony.

- We would be interested to know the next step in your project.

- We would like to see you asap = We would like to see you as soon as possible.

- Would you kindly send a pro-forma invoice? = Could you send me a pro-forma invoice?

- Would you kindly spell your name, please? = Would you be so kind as to spell your name, please?

- Would you let us know if you need my intervention to get things moving? = Could you please let us know if you need my intervention to move things forward?

C. Requesting for an answer / Requesting a confirmation

- Please contact our Freight Forwarder.

- Please let us know by return email = Please inform us by return email.

- Please reply by return email.

- Could you give an answer at your earliest convenience?

- I would be glad if you could answer me at the earliest.

- Please reply without delay = Please respond without delay.

- Please send your response to our sales department = Please send your reply to our sales department.

- We hope to receive a response soon = We look forward to an early reply.

- We look forward to hearing from you = We hope to hear from you soon .

- We look forward to receiving the blueprint.

- Would you please confirm the venue of the meeting? = Could you confirm the location of the meeting? = Could confirm where the meeting is going to take place? = Could you confirm the location where the meeting will be held?

D. Claiming

- I regret having to complain about broken goods.

- It would be wise to respect the loan's waiting period = It would be sensible to observe the cool-off period of the loan.

- Please investigate the reasons for the non-delivery of raw materials = Please look into the non-delivery of raw materials.

- The package has not arrived yet = The dispatch has not arrived yet.

- We regret to inform you that the settlement is now considerably overdue = We regret to inform you that the settlement is now considerably delayed.

- We regret to inform you that we cannot guarantee delivery as originally planned = We regret to report that we can't deliver as planned initially.

- We would like to explore this issue further as soon as possible =  We should like to query into the matter asap.

- We would like to remind you that we are present at the fair this week = We would remind you that we are at the fair show this week.

III. PROPOSALS / OFFERS / INVITATIONS

A. Suggesting / Proposing

- I suggest that you read the contract and the fine print carefully before signing it = I propose that you read the contract and the small print before signing it.

- I suggest starting the project as soon as possible = I would suggest to start the project asap.

- I suggest you wait a little while before calling abroad = May I suggest to wait a while before you call overseas.

- We can offer you another solution = We are able to suggest another solution.

- What if you paid yourself a deposit right now? = What would you say about paying you a down payment now?

- You can pay in instalments if you prefer = You could pay by instalment if you deem preferable.

- You risk finding yourself in a difficult situation if you rush things = You might face a tricky situation if you rush into things.

B. Making an offer

- I should be delighted to see you again soon = I would be delighted to see you again soon.

- If you don't mind, I'm leaving soon = If you don't mind (informal) I'll take a powder real soon.

- It will be a great pleasure for me to have you on our team = It would give me great pleasure to have you on our team.

- These products are on offer = These goods are on offer.

- We can offer you a 15% discount on items displayed in the window = We are able to offer you a 15% markdown on the articles in the window.

- We have a special offer on the latest items in the collection = We are making a special offer of the last collection items.

- We offer a 20% discount on all our products = We are offering a 20% discount on all our products.

- We would be delighted to have you join us for our end-of-year meeting = We would be delighted to count you in regarding our end-of-year meeting.

C. Inviting

- I would be delighted to have you over for lunch to discuss prices = I should be delighted to have you for lunch to discuss prices.

- I would like to invite you to our conference which will be held next week = I should like to invite you at our conference to be held next week.

- We would be delighted to have you join us for our brand's anniversary = We should be delighted if you would join us for the anniversary of our brand.

 IV. RESPONDING TO REQUESTS

A. Confirming

- This confirms the delivery of your order = This is to confirm our delivery of the order.

- We confirm our presence tomorrow as planned = We should like to confirm that I'll be there tomorrow as planned.

- We confirm that we have shipped your package as requested = We write to confirm that we duly sent your consignment as requested.

B. Announcing attachments

- Please find attached the documents relating to the product warranty = Enclosed are documents relating to the guarantee of the product.

- Attached is a copy  of the contract = Enclosed is a duplicate of the contract.

- Please find attached the requested documents = Please find enclosed the documents requested.

- We are happy to submit the project in advance = We are pleased to submit the draft beforehand.

- We send the customs documents separately = We are sending the customs documents you requested.

C. Giving one's agreement

- I should be delighted to do business with you again.

- I go along with you there = That's alright with me = That's suitable for me = That's convenient for me

- That suits me = That works for me = It is fine by me (informal).

- It suits me perfectly = It suits me to a T = It suits me to a tee.

- We are very impressed by your outstanding results = We are favourably impressed by your windfall results.

- We greatly appreciated your time = Thank you so much for your time.

D. Refusing an offer / Declining an offer

- I can only regret you didn't tell me earlier about the mishap = I  only regret that you did not tell me about this incident sooner.

- We regret  to inform you that we will be closed during the bank holiday weekend = I regret to inform you that we will be closed over the bank holiday weekend.

- It's impossible for me to grant you a further discount = it is not possible for me to grant you an extra discount.

- Selling you inferior products is out of the question = It is out of the question to sell you substandard quality products.

- To my great regret, we no longer offer this product = Much to my regret, we no longer carry this product.

- Buying at a higher price is out of the question = There can be no question of buying at a high price

- Unfortunately, we do not accept checks, only cash or credit cards = Unfortunately, I am afraid we can't accept checks, just cash or credit card.

- We are unable to accept your offer = We are not in position to accept your offer.

- We regret to inform you that we do not offer refunds on underwear = We regret to have to inform you that we don't refund undies.

E. Reporting a problem

- A problem has just arisen concerning the preparation of the quote.

- The invoice does not reflect either the quantity of products purchased or the price initially indicated.

- There is an error in the final invoice. Could you please correct it?

- There must be a mistake regarding the invoice I sent you last time.

- We should like to draw your attention to the fact that it is not too late to complete the project.

F. Apologizing

- Please excuse us for the misunderstanding regarding the delivery dates = Do forgive us for the misunderstanding over the delivery dates.

- Please accept our sincere apologies for the incorrect order that was shipped to you.

- We apologize for any inconvenience caused = We apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused.

- We apologize for this unforeseen event = We are very sorry for this event, which was beyond our control = We are sincerely sorry for this uncontrollable event.

- We are sincerely sorry that you did not receive your package within the expected timeframe = We are very sorry that you didn't receive your dispatch on schedule.

- We apologize for the lack of information regarding the items = We must apologize for the lack of information concerning the items.

- We were sorry to hear that you got injured at work.

V. EXPRESSING VIEWPOINTS AND FEELINGS

A. Expressing a certainty

- It is clear that we are doing everything we can to meet our delivery deadlines.

- There is no doubt that the warranty covers all damage caused to the product.

- We are confident that they shall do everything in their power to get back into profits = We are confident that they will do everything possible to become profitable again.

- We are confident that sales figures will increase again = We are convinced that the sales figures will  go up again.

- We will keep you informed of any new developments = We shall not fail to keep you posted on new developments.

B. Making assumptions

- Everything seems to indicate that human error was the cause of the accident = Everything seems to point to the fact that there was a human error to the accident.

- If this does note suite your plans, please contact us as soon as possible = If this does not fit in with your plans, get back to us asap.

- It is quite possible that we will send you a refund voucher = It is quite possible that we send you a payback voucher.

- It would  be great to see you again soon.

- It appears that the product arrived completely broken = It would seem that the product arrived smashed to pieces.

- If this is not suitable for you, please do not hesitate to contact me again = Should this  not be convenient, feel free to get back to me.

- If you are unavailable, inform us as soon as possible = Should you be unavailable let us know in due course.

C. Expressing one's doubts and fears

- I highly doubt that the company will live up to our expectations.

- I fear that we may not be able to meet our contractual obligations within the given timeframe.

- My fears are confirmed: the delivery will not take place within the scheduled timeframe.

- I have some concerns about our company's ability to cope with this increase in activity.

- I fear our time is running out = I'm afraid we are running out of time.

- Your order processing may be delayed = There could be a delay in processing your order.

- We strongly doubt that they are capable of respecting the rules = We doubt very much whether they can respect the rules.

D. Congratulations and best wishes

- I wish you a speedy recovery = I send you my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

- I'd like to wish you a happy birthday = I'd like to wish you many happy returns of the day.

- Congratulations on your sales campaign = Many congratulations on your sales drive.

- I offer you my sincere condolences = May I offer you my sincere condolences.

- We send you our best wishes.

- We wish you every success = We wish you much success.

E. Thanking

- Thanks for having my back = Many thanks for your support = Thanks for the assist = Grateful for your help.

- Many thanks for everything = I want to acknowledge how much you have done.

- I thank you in advance = It means the world to me.

- Thank you for your business = Thank you for trust

- Thank you for your understanding.= You support means the world.

- Thank you for your help = Thank you for your assistance = I appreciate your help.

- Please accept my warmest thanks = I'm beyond grateful.

- Thank you for responding so quickly = Thank you for answering me so quick.

- We would like to sincerely thank you for your purchasing advice = We should like to express our sincere thanks for the buying tips.

- We should like to thank you for your time and consideration = Thank you for your time and attention.

- Thank you for the time you have dedicated to customer issues = We thank you for the time allotted to dealing with customer issues.

F. Expressing gratitude

- We are extremely grateful for your commitment to our brand = We are most grateful for your commitment to our brand.

- Please accept my deepest gratitude = We would like to express our gratitude for your kindness = We should like to express our gratitude for your kindness.

- I would like to sincerely thank you for your loyalty to our brand = I should like to express my sincere thanks for your loyalty to our brand.

- That was very kind of you = It was most kind of you.

- We are very grateful for your trust = We are most grateful to you for trust.