How to write a letter to a friend? Letter to a friend in Russian.

Correspondence is one of the most important ways of communication between people all over the world. With its help, you can solve any issue: work, commercial, personal. This often saves time, because we do not have to wait for a person to talk to him (let it be better if the letter is waiting for him in the box).

Fortunately, today we do not have to wait long, and a letter can be sent at lightning speed thanks to the Internet. However, to avoid shame, it is important to know how to write it correctly in English language. Let's discard the officialdom and talk about something pleasant - today we are writing a letter to a friend.

Example of a friendly letter

Dear Paul,
Thank you for your letters! I "m glad to hear that you" ve passed your driving test! Congratulations!
I "m sorry I haven"t written for such a long time. I "ve been really busy with my new project. By the way, thank you for your brilliant idea. I really had the best presentation last time. I really appreciated your advice.
As for your question, I think all you have to do is just regular exercises. Don "t be lazy and try to find at least 20-30 minutes for your health every day. There is a rule of 30 minutes a day: if you do something at least 30 minutes a day you will have a result at the end of the week. For example, if you read 50 pages during this time, at the end of the week you"ll have total of about 350 pages. If we say that we don't have enough time for it (as we usually do) we have 0 result at the end of the week. Besides, they say that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So all you have to do is to take the bull by the horns and try it for just 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I need to come back to my project. I hope my advice was helpful.
Hope to hear from you soon.
take care,
Victor

Sample letter to a friend

Thank you for your letter!

I'm glad to know that you passed on the rights! Congratulations!
I'm sorry I didn't write to you long time. I have been very busy with my new project. By the way, thanks for great idea. I really had a great presentation last time. I really appreciated your advice.
Regarding your question, I think all you need to do is just exercise regularly. Do not be lazy and try to find at least 20-30 minutes a day for your health. There is a rule of 30 minutes a day: if you do something for at least 30 minutes a day, at the end of the week you will have a result. For example, if you read 50 pages during this time, by the end of the week you will have 350 pages. If we say that we don't have time for this (as we usually do), we will have a zero result at the end of the week. Plus, they say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So all you have to do is take the bull by the horns and try for 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I have to get back to my project. Hope my advice was helpful.
I hope for a speedy reply.

What is informal English writing?

Such a letter is also used to ask for some information, to congratulate on a holiday, to ask for advice / give advice. A friendly letter can be written to both an old friend and a new, unknown friend. The tone of the letter should show your love and concern for your friend.

How to start an informal letter?

Like any other type of letter, informal contains certain mandatory parts. Of course, this is a greeting and a farewell. Start with a word Dear(dear) + the name of the person you are writing to. Also (especially in e-mails) you can start with the word Hi+ person's name.

For example: Dear Bob, or Hi Bob. Do not address a person by their last name or Mr, Mrs. It sounds too formal and even ridiculous when combined with Dear.

In an informal letter, a comma is often put after the name, and the text of the letter itself begins on a new line. In this case, it is important to keep the style, that is, if you used a comma at the beginning, then repeat this technique at the end of the letter, saying goodbye.

What to write about in an informal letter?

How are you?- How are you?
How is your family?- How's your family?
Thank you/Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.- Thank you/Many thanks for the (recent/last) letter/card.
I hope you are well.- I hope you are well.
I was so surprised to hear that...- I was surprised to hear that...
It was good / nice / great to hear from you again.- It was good / nice / wonderful to hear from you again.

If you have not communicated for a long time, the following phrases will do:

It "s ages since I" ve heard from you. I hope you "re well / you and your family are well. Haven't heard from you in years. I hope you are well/you and your family are well.
I "m sorry I haven"t written/haven"t been in touch for such a long time. Sorry for not posting/ keeping in touch for so long.

Examples of phrases and variants of letters in English

If a friend wrote about the news:

Glad to hear that…- Glad to hear that...
Great news about…- Great news about...
Sorry to hear about…- Sorry to hear about...

I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that…“I thought you might be interested in hearing about/knowing what…”
Listen, did I tell you about …? You"ll never believe what…- Listen, did I tell you about...? You will never believe that...
By the way, have you heard about / did you know that…?- By the way, did you hear about / did you know that…?
Oh, and another thing… This is just to let you know that… Oh, and one more thing... Just so you know...

Sorry:

I "m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.- Sorry, I'm sorry I forgot to send you a birthday card, but I was busy with a new job.
I "m writing to apologise for missing your party but I"m afraid I was with flu.- I'm writing to apologize for missing your party, but I'm afraid I had the flu.

We invite:

Could you let me know if you can come / you "d like to join us?- Could you let me know if you can come/would you like to join us?
I was wondering if you "d like to come on holiday with us. I'm wondering if you would like to come with us on vacation.
I "m / We" re having a party on Saturday 13th and I / we hope you "ll be able to come.- I / We are having a party on Saturday the 13th and we hope you manage to come.

We answer the invitation:

Thank you very much for your invitation. I "d love to come. - Many thanks for invitation. I would love to come.
Thank you for inviting me to… but I "m afraid I won"t be able to…- Thank you for inviting me to... but I'm afraid I can't...

We ask:

I "m writing to ask for your help / you (if you could do me) a favour.- I am writing to you to ask for help / (could you give me) a favor.
I wonder if you could help me/do me a favour.- I'm wondering if you could help me / provide a service.
I "d be very / really / terribly grateful if you could ...- I would be very / really / terribly grateful if you could.

Thank you:

I "m writing to thank you for your hospitality / the wonderful present. I am writing to you to thank you for your hospitality/wonderful gift.
It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.“It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
I really appreciated all your help/advice.- I really appreciate your help/advice.

Congratulations/good luck:

Congratulations on passing your exams/your excellent exam results!- My congratulations on passing the exams / your excellent results!
I wish you good luck/Good luck in/with your exams/your interview.- I wish you good luck / good luck in / in the exams / interview.
Don "t worry, I" m sure you "ll do well / pass.- Don't worry, I'm sure you'll succeed / pass.

Why don't you…?- Why do not you…?
Maybe you could…?- Perhaps you could...?
How about…?- What about…?
You can't leave Moscow without... (doing sth)- You can't leave Moscow without... (having done something)
I "m sure you will enjoy... (doing sth). If you like, we can…- I'm sure you'll enjoy... (doing something). If you want we can...

How to end an informal letter?

Of course, after we shared everything, talked about everything, answered all the questions, you need to logically finish the letter, you can’t just cut it off. For this, we also have some blanks, traditional phrases.

Say why you end the letter:

Unfortunately, I need to / have to go.- Unfortunately, I have to / I have to go.
It's time to finish.- It's time to finish.
Anyway, I must go and get on with my work!“Anyway, I have to go and get the job done.

Say hello or tell me about your next meeting/letter:

Give my love / regards to... / Say hello to... - Give my regards to...
Anyway, don't forget to let me know the dates of the party."Anyway, don't forget to let me know the date of the party."
We must try and meet up soon.- We should try to meet soon.
I can't wait to hear from you.- I can't wait to hear from you.
Look forward to seeing you again.- Looking forward to seeing you again.
Hope to hear from you soon.- I hope to hear from you soon.
See you soon.- See you soon

And in conclusion, do not forget about the traditional wish from a new line

Love,/Lots of love,- With love,
All the best- All the best,
take care,- Take care,
best wishes,- With best regards.

Useful Linking Words

then- then
after it/that- after this/that
though- although
so- so, therefore
that's why- therefore, that's why
besides- Besides
still- Nevertheless
anyway- anyway, anyway
fortunately- Fortunately
unfortunately- Unfortunately

BONUS!
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Big and friendly family EnglishDom

Dear friends, today I decided to write about a sore point - about how to write letters 😉 . I think many specialists in various fields receive many letters daily with questions and requests for help.

Your obedient servant is no exception 🙂. The number of letters with questions and requests for help averages 40-50 per day and sometimes exceeds my physical ability to answer them.

In the correspondence, a significant part is made up of letters in which questions and descriptions of problems are not quite correctly formulated, which is why they require additional clarification letters, which takes extra time both the sender and the recipient.

In this post, I want to talk about how to properly write letters with questions to specialists so that obtaining the information you need takes a minimum of time and does not require unnecessary correspondence.

The main rule, in my opinion, is that in a letter it is very important to make it clear that you value the recipient's time. Everything should be short and clear.

1. Greeting

I believe that any letter must begin with a greeting. “Hello”, “Hello”, “Good afternoon” - writing these words is not difficult and takes seconds. I personally don't like letters that don't say hello. Nothing is valued so dearly or given so cheaply as courtesy.

2. Address by name

On all pages of the blog site where there is a feedback form (for example, the page “”), I always write “My name is Mikhail”, so I don’t see a problem not to address in letters by name. Subconsciously, any person loves to be called by name.

And although I love “Mike” more than “Mikhail” 😉 , any appeal by name will do 🙂 .

3. Google your question first

How many times in correspondence have I had to give links to materials that I found by simply typing a question asked of me in a search engine! I don't even have enough fingers and toes!

Seriously, I sincerely advise you to first google the question you are interested in in various versions (including in English, you can translate through Google Translate) and take the time to study the materials found.

In most cases, you can easily find answers to your questions in search engines or on forums (many people come there to communicate, discuss specific problems on various topics and answer questions). Why waste another person's time when in many cases you yourself can easily find everything you need?

🔥 By the way! I plan to release a paid course on promoting English-language sites. If you are interested, you can apply for an early list through this form to be the first to know when the course is released and receive a special discount.

I invite you to subscribe to my channels in Telegram:

I wish you a successful increase in traffic to your sites!

Dessert for today - a video about how a guy pulls himself up on a horizontal bar on one finger. I want that too :)

Nowadays letters have become exotic. It rarely occurs to anyone to send a paper envelope with a message and wait for a response. We write business messages, we try to put as much meaning as possible into fewer words, stuffing SMS text, send links to each other and funny pictures. That is why men who at some point in their lives need to send a message to a friend by e-mail or regular mail often simply do not know how to write a letter to a friend, what should be in the text and how to start or end the message.

How to write a letter to a friend asking for help?

First determine the purpose of the message, it can be a solution to a business issue, and an expression of a request, or a response to a message previously sent to you. Thus, the guy will determine the subject of the letter. It is worth remembering that even if your goal is to solve a business issue, you should not start the text directly with a request or offer. Still, do not forget that you are friends. Therefore, try to ask at the beginning of the text how your friend is doing, what is new in his life, and how his family and friends are feeling.

Next, be sure to tell about your news, men are interested to read that a friend got a new position or sold. You should not write too much about your wife, girlfriend or children, as a rule, such issues are not customary to discuss between guys.

Only then can you move on to the question or request that is the purpose of the message. Carefully think over the text, it should not be too insistent, the fact that you are friends is not a reason for a person to feel guilty if he has to refuse you. But do not minimize the importance of this question for yourself too much. If a friend decides that your request is not so important, then the likelihood of refusal increases. The golden mean should be observed.

Equally important is how you end such a letter to a friend. At the end, you should thank the person for taking the time to read the message, and also assure him that regardless of the decision he made, you will keep your friends. This should be done without fail, male friendship should not be destroyed due to the fact that one friend could not help another.

How should you write a letter to a friend living in another country?

If a friend lives in another state, then, first of all, he will be interested not in the details of your personal life, but in what is happening in the cultural life of a country alien to him. Describe customs, lifestyle, and major news stories. Men, of course, like to talk about politics, but try to avoid it. These questions can cause controversy, which means that instead of a cheerful letter to a friend, you will end up with a not very pleasant dispute that can end in heated arguments.

Be sure to determine for yourself the style of communication with a foreign friend. Try not to violate the rules of etiquette that are accepted in another country. Read how to start and end a letter in the state, where the friend lives, also study the list of topics that are not customary to discuss there. For example, in England they don’t like it too much when their loved ones are mentioned, and in Germany, on the contrary, asking about a wife and children is a sign of good upbringing.

Also, do not write the first letter to a foreign friend expressing any requests. It's just not polite. Such a message can destroy friendships. But it is quite possible to invite your virtual interlocutor to visit you, but here the guy himself must decide whether he wants to host a visitor. If there is no certainty in this, then you should not express a desire to meet.

trying, writing, picking necessary words- and all is useless! A potential partner or investor does not open or scroll through your business letter without even deigning a response. Familiar situation? In our new article, we tell you how to conduct business correspondence correctly and what to write in a letter so that it is read to the end.

Who is this article for?

Just note: we are talking about e-mails. If anyone else uses regular mail, we assure you, the rules are the same. In principle, all these rules also apply to regular mailings, which we have already written about. Now we are talking about business correspondence. If you:

an entrepreneur who communicates with important people for the business;
an employee who writes to the boss or future management;
a person who is interested in the basics of Internet etiquette and human psychology - then feel free to read, it will be interesting.

Features of business correspondence

smooth, calm presentation - not to be confused with dry bureaucratic language;
communication strictly on the case - to convey certain information to the addressee;
small volume - A4 sheet is more than enough;
observance of subordination, no familiarity. In special cases, when an informal, non-working relationship develops with the addressee of a business letter, of course, this rule can be neglected. But it will not be quite a business letter, but a friendly one, agree?
a special solidity gives a letter written on the letterhead of the company. It should contain the logo and name, details and contact details, site address.

Types of business letters

1. Informational. Such letters do not require a response - you write them to tell the addressee about some information. For example, you own an online store and announce that tomorrow is the last day of discounts. Or that prices change. There are many types of information letters: they can declare intentions, remind about important event, confirm the delivery and receipt of goods and so on.

2. Letters with requests. How often entrepreneurs, especially beginners, have to write them! These are appeals to investors with a request to sponsor your cool project, countless offers of cooperation, all kinds of requests to find out, for example, some information.

3. Post-letters - something that sometimes needs to be written after meeting with the addressee. In this letter, recall the main topic of your meeting, express your attitude towards it, emphasize that you want to continue cooperation and offer your own version of the time and place of the next meeting.

4. Warranty. If you have already agreed on cooperation, you may soon need the need for these types of letters. In them, you give guarantees that you will fulfill your obligations: you will do the work on time, pay for the service, bring the goods on time, and so on.

5. Work letters are the ones that any company sends and receives every day. This is correspondence with partners and clients: conclusion of contracts, discussion and negotiations, familiarization with the price list and product catalog, reminders of meetings - routine work processes.

6. Letters of claim - yes, it is necessary and so. Usually they are written when one side is dissatisfied with the actions of the other. And not just actions, but obligations enshrined in the contract. For example, Vasya entered into an agreement with suppliers of goods, and they, such radishes, constantly delay the deadlines. Or he bought a car and it broke down.

7. Non-working letters are messages that are not directly related to your activities. These are congratulations, thanks for the work and even condolences - everything happens in life.

1. Title. Composing email headers is a whole science. We talked about secret tricks in more detail in the article.. In short, the headlines of business letters should be as useful as possible for the addressee.

Provocations and humor are hardly suitable here: we write to serious people, remember? Now, if you get to know the person better, then you can try, but for now it’s better not to risk it.

Introduction. Like a regular business letter, it begins with an introduction, or preamble. In it you say hello and tell the very essence, the very meat. Take care of the addressee's time: immediately tell what you need from him. “I, Vasya Pupkin, came up with a cool start-up in the field of Internet marketing (construction, beauty, industry, auto - depending on your field of activity) and I ask you to get acquainted with it and support it financially. The main mistake at this stage: spreading thoughts along the tree, mumbling, not moving on to the essence of the issue.
The main part. Everything is simple here: you tell in detail what your idea is, set out facts and arguments that can interest the addressee. If we return to Vasya and his startup, he will explain what its essence, benefits and benefits are for humanity in general and for the addressee of the letter in particular. He will give figures and facts, the opinion of the target audience, the opinion of experts. We believe in Vasya, he can!
The most important thing. If you ask, ask again. If you are asking, be specific and specific. If you hope for cooperation, once again clearly formulate your offer. And all this in a few lines.
Conclusion. Thank you for your attention and express the hope that the recipient will answer you or take another necessary action. Use a call to action like in selling texts or .
Specify your details: full name, contacts, name of the organization and its details.
Attached files. Often this is forgotten, but in vain. Many people find visual information easier to appreciate than just letters and lines. Attach photos to the letter for the most complete idea of the subject of the letter, attach Required documents to assure the addressee of his solvency and seriousness of intentions.

Most Common Business Email Mistakes

Don't say hello. Yes, thousands of polite and well-mannered people for some reason forget to say hello, starting a letter with the words “Dear (s) ...” Of course, it’s nice to be respected, but no one has yet canceled a simple human greeting.
As already mentioned, to spread the thought, that is, the thought, along the tree. If you jump from one to another, learn to formulate thoughts, and if there is no time, hire copywriters and journalists - they will definitely help.
Speak in a lifeless, dry language. Leave all these “taking into account”, “if possible” to officials - you don’t express yourself like that in real life, so why should your addressee? Have pity on the person, write as simply as possible!
At the same time, do not slide into familiarity. There are two styles in business correspondence: personal and formal. In personal, you communicate in the first person - that is, “I, Vasya Pupkin, offer you ...” In the formal, personal pronouns are usually replaced with neutral-medium “Horns and Hooves Company offers you ...” Which style is closer to you and how much it correlates with the field of activity of your addressee - you decide. If your partner is young modern man Feel free to write in the first person. If you need to communicate with government agencies, municipal organizations, it is better not to tempt fate and communicate neutrally. They will answer you - they are obliged! - but you can make a negative impression. Be relevant.
Be unfounded. You can say a hundred times what a profitable offer you have and cool idea, but what's the point without evidence? Business people are accustomed to operating with facts, they do not believe beautiful words and pictures. Figures, facts, specifics - that's your main weapon.
Don't yak, but get out. Imagine that you yourself receive a business letter from Vasya Pupkin. You open it, start reading, and there ... completely praising Vasya and his product. I'm happy for Vasya, you might think, but what's the point? But if Vasya tells how he can help you, what benefits he will bring and how soon the investment will pay off, then it will become interesting.
Mistakes, omissions, sloppy formatting ( different font, no spaces) — no comments.
Excessive use of slang. Even if you and your addressee work in the same field with special professional slang, use specific expressions carefully. It is better to insert them into the text to a minimum, decipher abbreviations, explain the meaning of some words. Suddenly your interlocutor is 60?
Irrelevance. We still hope for Vasya. Vasya is smart, he will not send out offers about his startup in the auto business to the owners of beauty salons. And how many Sing and Kol make such a mistake! How to create a database of addresses for sending out commercial offers is well written in the article.

How not to and how to. Real example

And here it is - the most important question that the collective mind will now answer. Editor Pavel Molyanov recently held a competition among the subscribers of his group on VKontakte

Are you sure that among the hundreds of letters that the recipient views, your letter really stands out? Career development specialists and marketers talked about how to correctly indicate the subject of an email so that the recipient will open it and respond to it in a timely manner.

1. Always include a subject line

Ignoring the subject field of an email is the biggest mistake a sender makes when expecting a timely response. The subject of the letter, as a rule, indicates the content of the message to the recipient and makes him decide whether or not to open the letter. An email with an empty subject field is likely to be deleted immediately, as it annoys the recipient as they need to open the email to find out what it is about.

2. First, enter the subject of the letter, and then start writing the message

Many people think that the subject line of an email is a secondary task after writing it. However, Amanda Augustine, who works as a career consultant at The Ladders, emphasizes that the subject of the letter is a priority for the author. Firstly, it is the topic that sets the tone for the message, and, secondly, it does not allow you to be distracted by other topics.

3. Be brief

Whereas when you open your inbox on a computer monitor, you can see 60 characters in the subject line, on a smartphone you can only see 25-30 characters. Therefore, fit the subject of the letter in 6-8 words. This will be more than enough.

4. Indicate the most important thing at the beginning of the email subject

Dmitry Leonov, vice president of SaneBox, said that about 50% of emails are viewed from mobile phones. Consider this, and write the most important thing at the very beginning of the subject of the letter. Otherwise, in 50% of cases, important parts of the message can simply be cut off by mobile devices and not read by recipients.

5. Avoid unnecessary words

Do not litter the subject line with unnecessary phrases such as "Good afternoon", "Nice to meet you", "Thank you" and so on. First, they mean nothing to the recipient. Secondly, you can safely use them in the letter itself, which will be even more logical.

6. Be clear and specific in the subject line

The subject of the letter should indicate exactly what the letter will be about. It is on the subject of the letter that the recipient must prioritize and decide when exactly he needs to respond to it. For example, a message in the subject "Do you have free time now to solve my question?" very vague, because it does not give the recipient an understanding of what exactly they want from him, and forces him to open the letter. Therefore, if you send a resume, then feel free to write your name and the title of the vacancy for which you are applying in the subject line. And if you want to ask a colleague or partner a question about the current project, then indicate the name of the specific project in the subject line.

7. Keep the theme simple and call to action

This tip is especially helpful for marketers and those who send marketing emails. Kip Bodnar, Vice President of Hub Spot, advises writing a subject line that would call the recipient to action, would interest him.

8. Use keywords to further search and filter

Many professionals in e-mail there are thematic folders, and they also actively use filters to search for certain letters. Therefore, if there are no such labels in the subject line of your letter, then your letter will most likely simply not be noticed. Therefore it is very important to use keywords, reflecting the subject of the letter, so that in the future the recipient can easily find it through the search system.

9. Specify if you need a response

When a person receives a letter, it is also important for him to know whether he just needs to read it or whether it needs to be answered. So, says Amanda Augustine, put "Please reply" or "Please read" in the subject line of your email. You can also use the expression "For your information". It is used to inform the recipient that they will be interested in the message. In business e-mail emphasizes that the sender wants to inform the recipient, but the message is not an instruction and does not require the recipient to perform actions directly related to the message.

10. Indicate a deadline in the subject line

If you send a lot of information in the body of the letter, but you need it to be responded to within a certain timeframe, then indicate it in the subject line of the letter. This will significantly increase the chances of reading and responding to the message in a timely manner. For example, you could say, "Please reply to this email by the end of business Friday."

11. If someone referred you to this recipient, let them know

If the contact of the recipient was given to you by any partner, client, colleague, then indicate his name directly in the subject line, and not in the letter itself. First, a familiar name will grab the recipient's attention. Second, it will give the recipient an idea of a project or issue that you can approach them with.

12. Highlight what you want to offer

If you're sending a cold email, you don't know if your offer will be of interest to your recipient. Therefore, indicate in the subject line what you offer, and also tell us about bonuses - discounts, special offers.

13. Enter the name of the recipient or the name of the company

You must know who you are sending the letter to. And the recipient should also immediately realize that this letter is intended specifically for him. Kip Bodnar claims that one of the most better ways this show is the indication of his name or the name of the company in the subject of the letter. For example, you could write: "Vladimir, look at these figures: the company's sales increased by 25%."

14. Use words that limit the response time to the letter

If you want to grab someone's attention and convince the recipient to respond to you, put the term of your offer in the subject line of your email. For example: "Registration is required today", "The number of seats is limited - hurry up to sign up for the event."

15. Don't start a sentence in the subject line of an email that ends in the email itself.

If you start writing a question or a sentence in the subject of the letter, then end it right there, without continuing in the letter itself. This annoys the recipient, as it forces him to open the letter and continue reading. Think, maybe a messenger or even a call is more suitable for a short question?

16. Reread the message in the subject line

Amanda Augustine recommends rereading the subject line before sending. Why is this? Very often, when a sender sends a whole "bunch" of emails to various recipients, they forget to change the name or company name in the subject line. This can annoy the recipient or even offend. Therefore, before sending a letter, re-read it and check for inconsistencies.

17. Don't write in uppercase

The use of uppercase words draws attention, but in the wrong direction. This method makes the letter difficult to read and causes the recipient to worry on a subconscious level. Instead, you can use dashes, colons, to draw some line between words and emphasize something.

The translation of the article was prepared by Ekaterina Nikitina based on materials from Business Insider