Six ways to start an email in English

There are two caveats when writing emails in any language. The first is to clearly identify the recipient: close colleagues, customers or leaders; from there, there are appropriate greetings and opening sentences, reflecting the relationship between two people. The second thing to keep in mind is to state the purpose of the email. When the purpose is not clearly stated, the recipient will feel confused and frustrated. To avoid missing this important element, you should incorporate the purpose of your email into your opening sentence.

With the above two notes, you can start an email with the following phrases/sentences:

Appropriate greetings

1. “Dear [Name]”

This is an appropriate greeting, often used in cover letters, business invitations, and other communications where you want to show respect to the recipient. For example: “Dear Sam”, “Dear Sam Barney”.

You can absolutely use honorifics like “Mr.” or “Mrs.” but it should be used only when accurately determining the marital status of the recipient to avoid the risk of confusion or false assumptions, making the recipient feel disrespected.

2. “Hi” or “Hello”

A informal greeting like “Hi” is perfectly acceptable in most work-related emails. If you prefer a slightly more formal tone, consider using “Hello”.

Although “hi” and “hello” are considered informal greetings, they also convey a direct and friendly tone.

3. “Hi everyone”, “Hi team” or “Hi [department name] team”

When writing an email to two or more people at once, you have some options like “Hi everyone” (Hello everybody), “Hi team” (Hello team) or “Hi [department name] team” (Hi [tên bộ phận]).

These are informal yet professional ways to greet a group of people. This greeting also avoids gender references to a group such as “Hi guys” (Hello boys), “Hi ladies” (Hello ladies), “Gentlemen” (Hello gentlemen).

Attractive email opening sentences

4. “I hope your week is going well”https://vnexpress.net/”I hope you had a nice weekend” (I hope your week is going well/I hope you have a nice weekend)

These are effective email opening sentences because they show that you care about the recipient of the email first, helping to build rapport with a coworker you already know or someone you want to develop a friendly working relationship with.

5. “I’m reaching out about …” (I am contacting about….)

Starting with “I’m reaching out about …” is a polite, direct and clear way of stating the purpose of the email. With hundreds of emails sent and received in a single business day, this opening sentence shows that you care about your recipient’s time by getting straight to the point.

Clarity of intent also avoids miscommunication or confusion about what you need from the recipient of the message.

6. “Thanks for…” (Thanks for …)

Expressing gratitude is another way to show your appreciation to email recipients. If the email you’re writing is a response to the email or the recipient’s actions, it makes sense to use this sentence from the start, showing sincerity and showing your closeness to the recipient.

Duong Tam (According to Grammarly)