In this new Business English class we are going to look at how to give bad news by email. It's never easy to give negative information to somebody so let's see how to say 'no' in a nice way!
When we give bad news or a negative response it's a good idea to use this phrase:
Native people use these phrase very frequently!
You don't need to use the 'that', so these phrases can also be written:
We normally put "I'm afraid" at the beginning of the phrase. It is a way of preparing the other person for bad news.
You can also use it at the end of the phrase:
However, I always recommend using the phrase at the beginning of the sentence in emails, or in emails.
In the following email we have to write to a colleague to explain that the date of an important meeting has been changed at the last moment. It's a very common thing to happen in most companies, but it can be very annoying for the meeting participants!
Hi James,
I'm afraid that next week's meeting has been moved from Wednesday to Thursday. It will take place at 15:00. Please let me know if you are still able to attend. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Best Regards
Jose*
*If your name has an accent in your language (like José in Spanish), I would recommend that you don't use it when you write in English, as many people may not be able to write the accent using their computer keyboards. However, the decision is up to you!
In the next example email, we need to tell a supplier that we are not happy with the price he has offered to us (another very typical problem in most companies).
Hello David,
I'm afraid that we can't accept the quote** which you sent us. The maximum price that we are willing to pay for this product is $120/unit.
Best regards,
Paul
** a quote is the price a supplier offers us for a product or service.
We also use "I'm afraid" a lot in spoken English, particularly when we answer the phone. Check out our Telephone English course to find out now.
A good alternative to I'm afraid is the adverb unfortunately:
This word can also go at the end of the phrase. However, I prefer to use it at the beginning of the sentence because I want to PREPARE the recipient for the bad news I am about to give him or her.
So, lets see some example emails which use "unfortunately" instead of "I'm afraid":
Dear Sam,
Unfortunately, I won't be able to come to the seminar next week. I have been asked to accompany the CEO on his trip to China. I would be very grateful if you could send me a video of the seminar when it is available. I apologise for any inconvenience.
Best regards,
Jonathan
When we put "unfortunately" at the beginning of the sentence we need to use a comma immediately after it. This is not the case with "I'm afraid".
I don't know about you, but I often have to apologise to people via email. Now that you know how to give negative information by email, why not take a look at our class on emails for saying sorry. We hope that you are finding this English email course useful!