How can I end an email? Here are some great examples of formal and informal phrases for ending an email. We'll help you to get the response you are looking for.
In the previous class in this course we looked at some useful phrases which we can use to end an email. In this new class we're going to look at those final phrases in more detail. We'll show you phrases for summarising, offering help, asking for action, giving support, and many other functions.
Here are two forms which native English speakers use very frequently:
We use this phrase to refer to future events, particularly actions which we hope the recipient of the email will carry out:
It is also used to talk about future meetings:
After "I look forward to" we can use a verb in ING form or a noun. We do not use a verb in the INFINITIVE form.
Correcto: I look forward to meeting you.
Incorrecto: I look forward to meet you.
Correcto: I look forward to hearing from you.
Incorrecto: I look forward to hear from you.
Make sure you avoid this mistake!
And here are a couple of examples using nouns:
This is my favourite way to finish an email, though it is not the most original form. 'Let me know' is another way of saying 'tell me':
You'll see sentences like this all the time when native English speakers write to you.
It's also very common to use the last line to offer help:
Here are some alternative forms:
We can change the order if we want to:
*get in touch : To contact, by email, phone call, Whats app message or any other method.
I often give my telephone number so that the other person can call me if they have an urgent question:
* 'mobile' or 'mobile phone' is British English. In the United States the people use 'cell' or 'cell phone':
Let's have a look at an email which uses both of the forms we have just seen.
In this example we have invited a client to a presentation at our offices and we send them a file related to the event.
Hi Sarah,
Please find attached a Word document with the details of next week's presentation. If you have any questions, please let me know. We look forward to seeing you.
Best regards,
Simon
Check out our class on attaching files to emails, for alternatives to the phrase: "Please find attached". Now, here is another example using just 'look forward to'.
Hello James,
I'm just writing to let you know that we have now booked our flights to China. We will arrive on June 15 and are scheduled to visit the factory on June 17. We look forward to meeting you and your team!
Best regards,
Chris
If we want the recipient of the email to do something we can also use this form:
Or the shorter form:
It means 'please could you...' but is more indirect and therefore more polite. Remember that native English speakers usually prefer indirect forms.
Here is another example email:
Hi Sarah,
Please find attached our proposal for the advertising campaign in Google.
I'd be grateful if you could approve the plan by Friday.
Best Regards,
Paul Flynn
Other example phrases with "I would be greateful if..."
If we know the recipient very well, and we know that they won't be offended by using direct sentences, we can re-write the previous email like this:
Hi Sarah
Attached is our proposal for the advertising campaign in Google.
Could you approve the plan by Friday?*
Paul
*We need the question mark (?) as this is now a direct question.
This form has the advantage of being very clear. As you know, in BE23 we like simple, clear emails!
Any, finally, if we have asked for help, it's often a nice idea to include the following line right at the end of the email:
Or, if you are writing to a native speaker, you can use a slightly longer form:
Native speakers themselves will probably use this longer form quite frequently, especially if the email is formal.
We hope that this class has been useful and that you now have new ways of ending an email in English. Don't forget to check out the rest of this course on writing emails in English. We have classes on different aspects of writing an email, including lessons on how to start an email in English and complaining by email. All the contents are completely free, and always will be!
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