Thanking people by email

Examples of emails for saying 'thank you' in English.

I'm sure you all know this phrase!:

• Thank you

And the informal version:

• Thanks

And if we want to, we can add 'very much'. This makes the phrase stronger:

• Thank you very much 

Thank you + Noun

We can use "thank you" or "thanks" with a noun, for example:

• Thank you for the invitation.
• Thank you for the catalogue.
• Thank you for your help with the conference.

We only have to remember to add the preposition  "for". We often use this form when somebody has sent us something (like a report, file, invitation) or given us something (like a present, free concert ticket). 

Thank you + Verb

We can also use  "thanks" o "thank you" with a verb. In this case the verb must be in the ING form:

• Thank you for attending the seminar.
• Thank you for sending me your quote.
• Thank you for inviting me to your presentation.

Practical examples

Let's take a look at a very, very simple example!  

In fact, the previous email seems too short, in my opinion. It feels more natural to add an extra line at the end of the email:

 

Check out our class for other great ways to end an email, and find out why the final line in an email is so important. 

Example email: Thanks for the work!

In the following email we thank a colleague or collaborator for some work they have done for our company:

We can make our email more 'enthusiastic' by adding some additional ajectives and adverbs for emphasis:

Indirect ways to say thanks.

Native English speakers (patricularly the British) often prefer less direct ways of saying thanks:

Informal

• Just a quick note to say thanks for...
  

Formal

• I'm writing to say thank you for...
  

Here's an example of an email to thank a colleague for work they have done (Yes, it's always a good idea to recognise the good work of your colleagues!)

Should YOU use these indirect forms? That probably depends on who you are writing to.  At BE23 we normally recommend using simple and direct English, but if you are writing to a native English speaker and want to sound very natural, these type of indirect sentences are a good option.

Summarising...

We use 'thank you' or 'thanks' in emails the same as we do in spoken English. Both forms need the preposition 'for'.  English also has many indirect ways of giving thanks, which are often prefered by native English speakers.  Check out our English Email Course for many more classes on writing emails in English.