for the B1 Cambridge test (PET) or the General Training IELTS test
Informal emails are the ones that people write to their friends, family members or people they know well. The language used in this type of emails is more casual and similar to the way that we speak.
| informal email | formal email |
| friends family members people we know well | people we don’t know bosses or managers doctors, teachers and professors |
Informal emails have a standard format, so they must include the following parts:
1. Greetings: We say hi! to the other person.
2. Opening paragraph: we react to the news that the other person has shared or we apologize and explain why we didn’t reply earlier.
3. Main paragraph 1: Here you answer the main question or request
4. Main paragraph 2: If there is more information or a different idea to deal with, you can write it in this paragraph (you can add more paragraphs if needed)
5. Closing paragraph: In this paragraph you start the farewell by sending good wishes to the other person and asking them to reply soon
6. Goodbye: We say goodbye! to the other person
7. Signature: write down your name/ nickname
Now that you know which parts should be included in an informal email reply, let’s see an example:
This is a part of an email you received from your Canadian friend Sandy.
When are you arriving in Toronto? If you send me your flight number and arrival time, I can meet you in the arrivals area.
Is there anything special you would like to do or see in Canada?
Now write an email to her.
Below you can find a list of formulaic expressions and connectors that you can include to replace the phrases in red in the example.
Useful language:
formulaic expressions for informal emails
Greetings
- Hi [name],
- Dear [name],
- Hey [name]
- Hey!
Opening expressions
- I hope things in (city) are going well.
- How is it going?
- Thanks for your email.
- Thanks a lot for writing.
- It was great to hear from you.
- It was good to receive your email.
- Sorry for not writing earlier.
- Sorry that I haven’t been in touch for a while.
- I hope you are well.
Responding to news
- Sorry to hear about … (sad news)
- I’m really sorry to hear you news. (sad news)
- Glad to hear that … (happy news)
- It’s great to hear that … (happy news)
- Good luck with … (a new project/ a trip/ a new class/ a new job…)
- Hope you get better soon.
Stating the purpose of your email
- I’m writing to let you know…
- I’m writing to tell you about…
- I’m writing to invite you to ….
- I was wondering if you would like to …
- I’d be really nice if you could …
- Regarding your question …
Closing expressions
- Anyway. Gotta go.
- Well, that’s all for now.
- Well, it’s time to go.
- Anyway/Well. It’s time to say goodbye.
- Hope to hear from you soon.
- Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
- I really hope to hear from you soon.
- Make sure you write back soon.
- Give my regards/ love to … (person).
- Drop me a line.
Goodbye
- Take care,
- Best wishes,
- Have a good day/ weekend,
- Lots of love,
- See you soon,
- Regards,
- Sincerely,
- Best,
- Best wishes,
Useful language: connectors
to add ideas
- As well as that…
- Also…
- As for + noun
to contrast ideas
- However, … + SVO
- Although …+ SVO
- In spite of … + gerund/ noun
- Instead of … + gerund/ noun
Pro tips for writing informal emails
- Use the standard format that English speakers use to write informal emails.
- Use formulaic expressions.
- Use contractions (I’m, I’ve, I’d, don’t, can’t, won’t, etc.).
- Use informal words and expressions.
- Don’t forget to ANSWER the questions that your friend has asked you.
Time to practice
The best way to improve your writing is to practice. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Remember that practice makes progress.
Now it’s your turn to write an informal email.
| You have just received an email from a friend you have not spoken to in a long while. Write a two or three-paragraph response to your friend explaining to your friend that you have started an English course. Share your experience learning English and your future goals with your friend. |
Type your answer in the reply section and I will give you personalized feedback.
Teacher Julieta 
Hi Rafael,
It was great to receive your email.
How is it going in Sidney? Did you get the job at the company of your dreams? Sorry for not remembering its name. However, I remember that you were very nervous about the interview two years ago when you sent me your last email, is that right? I hope you’re working and you’re well.
I’m very tired but I’m ok! I’m studying English five days a week for about six hours every day! I’m planning to apply to a college in Canada. I want to get a post-graduate diploma in Business next year. I’ve chosen Canada because my daughter wants to study and live there. Also, my nieces live there. Do you remember them? They were children when you met them.
I’d be really happy if we could meet on your next vacation! Are you planning to visit your family here in Brazil?
Please, let me know your plans, okay? I look forward to meeting you soon.
Well, that’s all for now.
Please give my love to Susie.
Take care,
Janine
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Thanks for sharing your email with us Janine 🙂 Well done! Please compare your first draft with the final one.
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To: Alex (alex2020@gmail.com)
Subject: Great News
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your email and sorry for not writing earlier. I hope you are well.
How is your family?. Your children must be really big now!
I’m happy to hear about your new job. You are very good at informatic and this work will be perfect for you. Tell me, when will you start?
I can tell you that my family is very well. My children are now at school and Oscar works hard so we can go to Canada next year. In my case, I started with English classes two months ago. Speaking English is difficult for me yet but I try to do better every day.
We are planning to go to the USA next month. I hope we can see you in California. We could go to UNIVERSAL Studios with the children and then have dinner at the Hard Rock like the old times.
Well, that’s all for now. Give my regards to Marlenne.
Take care and see you soon.
Magda
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Well done Magda! Please compare your first draft with the final version. 🙂
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Hi dear Grace,
It was great to hear from you. I was with your mother last month at church and I told her that my father and my aunt died last year. It was a very difficult year for us. I was pregnant again and lost the baby. At the end of the year, I separated from my husband. But this is the best news. I´m fine and happy now. I got married again.
Now Leo has been living in Montreal/Canada since last December 2 because he is doing a graduate degree there, but Sophia is here with us. My mom and I were very sad about daddy´s early death. To make things worse Sophia was also very bad with her grandfather´s death, you know how attached Sophia and her grandparents were because my parents always lived with us. Now we are going to therapy and everything is OK.
You need to know my new husband. You will love him. And the great and best news is that we´ll see you soon. We’re planning to live in Toronto next year. I´ll do a College in health services administration and for it nowadays I´m doing an on-line English course. In fact, I started last week and I love it.
Now tell me a little about you. How are Lis and Levi? Now Sophia plays a lot with them, doesn’t she?. Your mother told me that you have a little baby boy. So cute. I miss you so much. But now we´ll finally see each other frequently. California is closer to Toronto than Brazil. And maybe we can think about make Sophia´s birthday at Disney!! We can stay in your home, can’t we?
I really hope to hear more from you soon.
Take care,
With love,
Cynthia
P.S: Mommy sends you a big hug and says that she misses you.
;
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Thanks for sharing your email Chynthia. Please compare your first draft with the final version 🙂
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