How to write a letter in Spanish - Format - Part 3

So guys, here I'll be posting the format for the formal letter writing!

Presenting you the MASSIVE 8 POINTS TO REMEMBER AND EXECUTE



1. Addresses of both: The sender & the receiver.

The sender: Dr. Alvaro Morata
The receiver: Sr. Pablo Diaz


2. Include the date below :

For example, today's date : 19 de noviembre de 2017

For letters printed on letterhead, or more casual letters to friends or acquaintances, place the date in the top right-hand corner where you normally would put your name and the address.

Formal business letters typically have the date on the left-hand side of the paper below the names and addresses.



3. Subject (Asunto): This step is crucial for both, emails & your letter because you immediately want the reader to understand your message. This is only in the case of formal letters.

For example, Asunto: Solicitud de trabajo para el puesto de ejecutivo de marketing (Application for the post of Marketing Executive)




3. Include your greetings.

Just like I said, in my previous post, what matters a lot is your tone towards the receiver. You can refer to my previous post for this.

Just to reduce your efforts, in formal letters it would be "Estimado/ Estimada Sr. Alvaro Morata:"
While in informal ones you'd just write querido/querido based on the gender. Always include the colon for the same.



4. Your introduction

Now many people learn Spanish and always refer to "My name is" as "Me llamo". The literal translation of "me llamo" is "I am called/ I call myself". The is because "llamo" which rather sounds more like an informal tone. So, when we write a formal letter, we always say "Mi nombre es _____"

Follow that with a sentence that explains who you are, such as if you are a student from some college or a mutual friend.

Say it with me! Mi nombre es (Your name)



5. State your purpose for writing the letter.

Immediately after you've introduced yourself, state your purpose of writing the letter.

• This should be somewhat like a short summary. For example, if you're writing a letter to inquire about a job or an internship that is being offered, you might write " Te  escribo porque quiero solicitar para el puesto de ____", meaning "I am writing to you because I want to apply for the post of ___". Then you  describe the mediums through with you came across this post. Maybe adverts in a newspaper or so.
• Only 2 sentences here and this will complete your first paragraph.

6. Divide different topics into paragraphs. 

.

For example, you're writing a Spanish letter to apply for a job application. You have two basic points that you want to get across: your experience, and why you would be the best applicant for the internship. Your letter will include the introductory para, a para about your work experience, a paragraph about why you're the best applicant, and a closing paragraph.

7. Summarize the purpose of your letter.

Begin your closing paragraph with a sentence or two that summarizes your PURPOSE.

• For example, if you are writing to apply for a job, you'd might want to give the references through which you got an opportunity.
• If your letter is only a couple of paragraphs, this may not be necessary. However, it can be helpful for longer letters that are a couple of pages long, as it will bring your reader back to the reason you wrote to them in the first place.
• This portion of the closing paragraph also typically isn't important if you are writing to a close friend or family member.

8. Hit the concluding sentence!

For example, if you simply want a reply, you could just move ahead with "Espero su respuesta", which means "I await your reply."

That's it. You're good to go. All the best!


In cae, you want to get deeper into these topics & their explanations, head on to the sources mentioned below!

Sources: fluentu.com, wikiHow.com