A business email in English should quickly tell the reader why you are writing and what action you expect. Most work messages need a suitable greeting, a reason for writing, a specific request or answer, and a brief closing. Below are ready-to-use phrases for six situations, with explanations to help you choose the right tone.
Politeness does not always survive a word-for-word translation. I kindly ask you to… can sound heavier than Could you…?, while I demand… turns an ordinary request into a demand. A more precise verb and a clear next step often solve the problem.
LetsWords helps you learn this vocabulary for real correspondence. You write a sentence with a work-related word, receive feedback on its use and grammar, and reinforce it through review. The free sentence checks linked below let you try the process with expressions from this article.
How to open and close a work email
The subject line should help someone find the message later: Delivery schedule — confirmation needed or Updated proposal for review. The single word Question does not identify the issue. If a long email thread moves to a new subject, update the subject line too.
| Part of the message | Neutral wording | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | Hello Maria, | Everyday work correspondence |
| More formal greeting | Dear Ms Brown, | A first formal approach |
| Reason for writing | I’m writing about the revised schedule. | To establish the subject |
| Reply | Thank you for your message. | To continue an exchange |
| Closing | Kind regards, | A neutral, polite sign-off |
| Short closing | Best, | Familiar correspondence with a colleague |
Match the greeting to the relationship and the company’s style. If a colleague signs with a first name, replying with Hello and that name is usually appropriate.
1. Requests: name the action, item, and date
| What you need | Phrase | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|
| A document | Could you send me the updated proposal? | The latest proposal |
| Clarification | Could you clarify which version we should use? | A decision about the correct version |
| Confirmation | Please confirm whether Friday works for you. | Confirmation of availability |
| A review | Would you be able to review the figures by Tuesday? | A review with a deadline |
Could you…? already makes a request polite. There is no need to add kindly, please, possibly, and a lengthy introduction all at once.
Compare Please send it soon with Could you send the signed agreement by 3 p.m. on Thursday? The second sentence identifies both the document and the deadline. In an international team, add the time zone when a particular hour matters.
2. Reminders: follow up without assigning blame
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| An email has not received a reply | I’m following up on the proposal I sent on Monday. |
| You need an update | Could you let me know whether you have had a chance to review it? |
| An agreed deadline is approaching | A quick reminder that the feedback is due on Thursday. |
| You need a decision before the next step | Could you confirm the quantity so we can arrange delivery? |
A reminder is more useful when it names the subject and explains why you need a response. Any updates? may work in a brief chat. In an email a week later, identify the document or question.
Do not confuse remember with remind. Remembering is keeping something in mind; reminding someone helps that person remember. For example: Please remind me to send the invoice. The remember vs remind page explains the distinction and includes a free sentence check.
3. Deadlines: by, until, and a change of date
| Your message | Phrase |
|---|---|
| A result will be ready no later than a date | I’ll send the final version by Friday. |
| A state or action continues up to a date | I’ll be away until Friday. |
| You need an extension | Could we move the deadline to Monday? |
| You expect to finish on time | We are on track to meet the deadline. |
| You need information to finish on time | We need the final figures to meet the deadline. |
By Friday sets the latest time: you can send the file earlier. Until Friday describes how long a state or activity continues. I will send the report until Friday therefore does not express the usual promise to send a report by that date.
When requesting a change, give a new date and the next action. There may be a delay warns of a problem but leaves the reader without a useful time frame. We need one more day to verify the figures. I can send the report on Tuesday gives a clear plan.
Practise meet a deadline for free in a sentence about a current work task.
4. Answers: give the requested information first
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Confirm a fact | Yes, the quote includes delivery. |
| Explain a limitation | The quote covers delivery, but installation is charged separately. |
| Send a document | I’ve attached the revised schedule. |
| Answer a specific point | Regarding your question about timing, we can start on Monday. |
| Explain that you are checking | I’m checking this with the logistics team and will reply tomorrow. |
If someone asks about delivery, answer that question first, then add the explanation.
Please find attached… is acceptable, but I’ve attached… is often enough for an ordinary work email. Check that you have attached the correct version.
Avoid an indefinite I’ll get back to you shortly when you can already give a time. By tomorrow afternoon is more useful to someone planning their next step.
5. Apologies: identify the problem and the fix
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| A late reply | Sorry for the delayed reply. |
| A more formal apology | I apologise for the delay. |
| The wrong attachment | I attached the wrong file. Please use the version attached to this message. |
| Incorrect figures | There was an error in the total. I’ve corrected it in the attached document. |
After apologising, explain what you have done to resolve the issue. A long account of how busy you are will not help a recipient who needs the right file.
Compare Sorry for inconveniences with I apologise for the inconvenience. The second naturally identifies the inconvenience caused by this particular situation. If a simple apology for a delay is enough, you do not need the most elaborate formula.
The preposition matters too: apologise for the delay, but apologise to the client. It depends on whether you are naming the reason for the apology or its recipient.
6. Refusals: make the decision clear
| What you need to say | Phrase |
|---|---|
| You cannot fulfil a request | I’m afraid we can’t accommodate this request. |
| The proposed date is impossible | Unfortunately, we won’t be able to deliver by Friday. |
| Another date is possible | We can deliver on Monday instead. |
| You cannot accept the terms | We can’t accept the proposed terms, but we can discuss a revised schedule. |
Do not hide a final decision inside It may be difficult. The recipient may read that as an invitation to continue negotiating the same condition.
Keep the reason brief and specific: The final inspection will not be completed until Monday. If an acceptable alternative exists, state it. If there is none, a clear and polite refusal is more useful than a promise you cannot keep.
Six wording mistakes to remove
| Awkward or incorrect wording | Correction | Why |
|---|---|---|
| We discussed about the delivery. | We discussed the delivery. | Discuss takes its object without about here |
| Please answer on my question. | Please answer my question. | Answer takes my question directly |
| I wait your reply. | I look forward to your reply. | A natural way to close a business email |
| We made a meeting yesterday. | We had a meeting yesterday. | Have a meeting describes the meeting that took place |
| The actual version is attached. | The current version is attached. | Current identifies the version in use now |
| I look forward to hear from you. | I look forward to hearing from you. | This to is followed by an -ing form |
On look forward to, you can check a closing sentence for free. Say what you look forward to: a reply, a meeting, or working together.
Stop searching for the same wording every time
Tomorrow’s email will have a different recipient, action, deadline, or tone. You need to change those details without breaking the construction. That is what you practise with LetsWords for work and everyday English.
Add work vocabulary to a personal collection in LetsWords and use it in situations from your correspondence. Suppose you are studying meet a deadline and write:
We can meet the deadline if we will receive the figures today.
What the feedback explains. Meet the deadline is correct. The error is in the condition: when if introduces this real future condition, the present simple is needed instead of will.
We can meet the deadline if we receive the figures today.
Make the timing more precise: We can meet the deadline if we receive the figures by 3 p.m. today. The reader now knows exactly when the figures are needed. The correction fixes the grammar; the extra detail removes ambiguity from the work message.
During review, you recall the expression from its meaning and use it again for another task. Further LetsWords feedback examples show how the analysis explains word choice and constructions.
Use the phrases above for today’s email, then build the vocabulary into regular LetsWords practice. Learn to change the deadline, action, and condition without relying on a word-for-word translation, with feedback on each attempt and later review of the words. Start with the vocabulary trainer, choose your goal and level, and try the feedback before paying.