How to write a letter in Spanish

Do you need to write a letter in Spanish and don't know where to start? Many times, you want to get information about your hotel reservation, your Spanish language school in Spain, about the services of a company or a reservation in a restaurant, the fastest way is through an email or a letter.

So you are in luck, at donQuijote we help you write a letter in Spanish for any situation. Find out how to start a letter in Spanish, what vocabulary you need and what structure you need to follow.

You can also read this same post in Spanish, Italian or French.

How to start a letter in Spanish?

Even if you think that writing letters is not fashionable in the 21st century, there are still romantics who carry out these practices. Besides, knowing how to write a letter in Spanish can also be useful for sending emails.

So, how do I start my letter or email in Spanish? Very simple: greeting the recipient. Moreover, depending on whether you are addressing a friend or a stranger, the greeting may vary. Here are some examples of how to do it:

• A quien pueda interesar or A quien corresponda (To whom it may concern)
• Estimado señor or Estimada señora (Dear Sir or Dear Madam)
• Hola (Hello)
• Querido/a (Dear)
• Buenos días (Good morning)

Remember that in Spanish, unlike in English, a colon is used to separate the salutation from the body of the letter or email, especially in formal letters. A formal greeting in a Spanish letter would be “Estimada señorita Gómez” (Dear Miss Gomez) or “A quien pueda interesar” (To whom it may concern). While an informal greeting might be “Hola Juan” (Hello Juan) or “Querida Maria” (Dear Maria).

After the initial greeting, comes the actual content of the Spanish letter. You can start by explaining the reason for the letter, asking the other person how they are or thanking them in advance for their attention.

Below, you will find useful vocabulary to start the body of your letter in Spanish, both for a formal and informal context:

• Te escribo porque… (I am writing to you because...) - informal
• ¿Cómo te va todo? or ¿Qué tal estás? (How are you doing?) - informal
• Espero que estés bien (Hope you are well) - informal
• Encantado de saludarte (Nice to say hello) - informal
• Me gustaría contarte sobre… (I would like to tell you about…) - informal
• Te escribo en relación con… (I am writing to you regarding…) - informal
• Le estoy contactando porque… (I am contacting you because...) - formal
• Adjunto encontrará… (Attached you will find...) formal
• Gracias por su tiempo, me gustaría comentarle en esta carta… (Thank you for your time, I would like to tell you in this letter...) - formal
• La presente carta tiene por motivo… (The purpose of this letter is…) - formal
• Les informo mediante la siguiente carta que… (I am informing you by means of the following letter that...) - formal
• Por favor, hazme saber si necesitas más información (Please, let me know if you need any further information) - formal
• Si tiene alguna pregunta, no dude en formularla (If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask) - formal
• Por favor, póngase en contacto conmigo lo antes posible (Please contact me as soon as possible) - formal

Once you have finished the body of the letter, where you explain the reason for it and you have formulated all your requests, you have to say goodbye. For this, there are several ways to say goodbye and close a letter or email in Spanish:

• Saludos (Best) - formal
• Un cordial saludo (Best regards) - formal
• Quedo a la espera de una respuesta (I look forward to hearing from you) - formal
• Atentamente or Cordialmente (Sincerely) - formal
• Muchas gracias por su tiempo (Thank you for your time) - formal
• Le agradezco su atención (Thank you for your attention) - formal
• Con cariño (Love) - informal
• Cuídate (Take care) - informal
• Espero saber pronto de ti (Hope to hear from you soon) - informal
• Seguimos en contacto (Keep in touch) - informal
• Hablamos pronto (Talk to you soon) - informal

Once you understand the basic structure of a Spanish letter, you're ready to send it! Practice and put into action everything you have learned to write your first letter in Spanish, or an informal email to your friends.

Here are some examples of letters in Spanish so that you have a reference when starting your own (you can also apply them to emails).

Informal letter in Spanish

Spanish:

Querida María:

¡Hola! Espero que estés muy bien. Te escribo porque hace mucho que no tengo noticias tuyas y quería saber cómo te va con tu nuevo trabajo y cómo está tu familia. Me encantaría que nos pusiéramos al día y recordar viejos tiempos.

Aquí en Madrid todo sigue igual. Estoy trabajando bastante, pero aprovecho los fines de semana para descansar y salir un poco. Últimamente he estado pensando en hacer un viaje. ¿Sabes qué sería genial? Que pudieras acompañarme, qué me dices, ¿te animas? Podemos organizar algo sencillo, visitar algún lugar cercano o simplemente vernos en el centro de la ciudad.

Cuéntame de ti cuando tengas tiempo. ¡Me encantaría saber más sobre tus planes y tus proyectos!

Te mando un abrazo fuerte y espero tu respuesta.

Con mucho cariño,

Laura
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English

Dear Maria:

Hello, I hope you are very well. I'm writing because I haven't heard from you in a long time and wanted to know how your new job is going and how your family is doing. I would love to catch up and reminisce about old times.

Here in Madrid everything is the same. I'm working a lot, but I take advantage of the weekends to rest and go out a bit. Lately I've been thinking about taking a trip. You know what would be great? If you could join me, what do you say, are you up for it? We can organize something simple, visit some place nearby or just meet in the city center.

Tell me about you when you have time, I'd love to know more about your plans and projects!

I send you a big hug and look forward to your reply.

With much love,

Laura

Formal letter in Spanish

Spanish:

Asunto: Solicitud de entrevista de trabajo

Estimado Lic. Pérez:

Espero que se encuentre bien. Mi nombre es Anna Gómez y me dirijo a usted con el fin de expresar mi interés en el puesto de Analista Financiero publicado en su sitio web. Me gustaría tener la oportunidad de conversar sobre mi experiencia y habilidades, que pueden contribuir al desarrollo de su equipo.

Cuento con más de cinco años de experiencia en el análisis de datos financieros, la creación de presupuestos y la elaboración de reportes de rendimiento. En mi empleo actual, he desarrollado competencias clave en la toma de decisiones financieras estratégicas, las cuales creo que podrían ser de gran valor para su empresa. Además, poseo un sólido manejo de herramientas de software financiero, lo que me permite optimizar procesos y obtener resultados precisos.

Quedo a su disposición para una entrevista en la fecha y horario que usted considere convenientes. Agradezco de antemano la oportunidad y el tiempo que pueda dedicar a mi solicitud.

Quedo a la espera de su respuesta.

Un saludo cordial,

Anna Gómez
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English

Subject: Job interview request

Dear Mr. Perez:

I hope you are well. My name is Anna Gomez, and I am writing to express my interest in the Financial Analyst position posted on your website. I would like to have the opportunity to discuss my experience and skills, which can contribute to the development of your team.

I have over five years of experience in financial data analysis, budgeting and performance reporting. In my current job, I have developed key competencies in strategic financial decision making, which I believe could be of great value to your company. In addition, I have a solid command of financial software tools, which allows me to optimize processes and obtain accurate results.

I remain at your disposal for an interview at the date and time you consider convenient. I thank you in advance for the opportunity and the time you can dedicate to my application.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Anna Gomez