How to Write Professional Emails in English (ESL Guide)

Writing professional emails in English can feel intimidating when it's not your first language. You know what you want to say, but finding the right words—words that sound natural and professional—is the hard part.

This guide will teach you the structure, tone, and phrases that native English speakers use in business emails. By the end, you'll have a template you can use for almost any professional situation.

The Basic Structure of a Professional Email

Every professional email follows a simple structure:

Subject line - Clear and specific
Greeting - Appropriate for your relationship
Opening - Context or reason for writing
Body - Your main message
Call to action - What you want them to do
Closing - Professional sign-off

Let's look at each part in detail.

1. Subject Lines That Get Opened

Your subject line should tell the recipient exactly what the email is about. Be specific:

Bad examples:

"Hello"
"Quick question"
"Following up"

Good examples:

"Q3 Budget Proposal - Review Needed by Friday"
"Meeting Request: Product Launch Planning"
"Following Up: Invoice #1234 Payment Status"

2. Greetings: Matching the Tone

The greeting sets the tone for your entire email. Here's a guide:

Situation	Greeting
Formal / First contact	"Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name],"
Professional but friendly	"Hi [First Name],"
Casual / Team member	"Hey [First Name],"
Unknown recipient	"Hello," or "Hi there,"

Tip: When in doubt, match the greeting your recipient uses. If they write "Hi John," you can reply with "Hi Sarah."

3. Opening Lines That Work

Skip the unnecessary pleasantries and get to the point. Native speakers rarely write "I hope this email finds you well" in internal communications.

Good opening lines:

"I'm writing to ask about..."
"Following up on our conversation yesterday..."
"I wanted to share the latest update on..."
"Quick question about the project timeline..."

4. The Body: Keep It Short

The biggest mistake non-native speakers make is writing too much. In English business culture, shorter is better.

Rules for the email body:

One topic per email
Use bullet points for multiple items
Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences
Put the most important information first

5. Clear Call to Action

Tell the recipient exactly what you need from them:

"Could you review this by Thursday?"
"Let me know if you have any questions."
"Please confirm the meeting time works for you."

6. Professional Closings

Choose your closing based on formality:

Tone	Closing
Formal	"Best regards," / "Sincerely,"
Professional	"Best," / "Thanks,"
Casual	"Cheers," / "Talk soon,"

Example: Before and After

Before (common ESL mistakes):

"Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to you to kindly inform you that I would like to request if it would be possible for you to send me the report that was discussed in the meeting. I hope this is not too much trouble. I would be very grateful if you could do this for me. Thank you very much in advance for your kind consideration. Respectfully yours, [Name]"

After (natural English):

"Hi Sarah, Could you send me the report we discussed in yesterday's meeting? I need it for the client presentation on Friday. Thanks, [Name]"

See the difference? The second version is:

70% shorter
Direct and clear
Has a specific deadline
Sounds confident, not apologetic

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Over-apologizing: "Sorry to bother you" / "Sorry for the inconvenience"
Too formal: "I humbly request" / "Please be informed that"
Unnecessary phrases: "As per my last email" / "Please revert back"
Wrong prepositions: "Discuss about" (correct: "discuss")

Try It Yourself

Want to see how your emails can be improved? Our free email polisher tool transforms your drafts into professional, native-sounding English in seconds.