How to Write an Email in Portuguese

So you’re looking to know how to write an email in Portuguese. Well, you have come to the right place! In this article, we will go through how to start and finish an email in Portuguese, complete with Portuguese greetings and endings.

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The good thing about letters and emails is that you have time to think about what to say and how to say it. The language used in letter and email correspondence, however, is not generally used in everyday speech. We will cover this vocabulary later while the first point to consider is to understand who the recipient of the email is. This will dictate the level of formality required.

1. Informal (emails to friends and close family members)
2. Semi-formal (emails to work colleagues or someone older than you)
3. Formal (when contacting someone for the first time, or someone with a high position)

Salutation/Greeting

Informal

You can use “Querido” to a male recipient or “Querida” for a female, to mean “dear.” Another way to say “dear” in Portuguese is “Caro/Cara.” However, the simplest salutation is just “Olá” (hello) or more commonly “Oi” (hi).

If you want to mention the time of day, you could also say “Bom dia,” (good day) or “Boa tarde,” (good afternoon) or “Boa noite” (good evening).

Check out our post on 15 Portuguese greetings for every day for more suggestions!

Formal

For more formal salutations to co-workers who you may not know very well, for example, you could use “Prezado colega” or “Estimado colega” (dear colleague).

“Prezado Senhor” (dear sir) or “Prezada Senhora” (dear madam) is another formal greeting you can use when you don’t know the name of the recipient. You can also use “Senhores,” if you’re writing to more than one person.

Another good formal opening in Portuguese is “A quem possa interessar” meaning “whomever it may interest.”

Body of the Email

Below are some key informal and formal phrases for the body of the email:

Informal

Tudo bem? or Tudo bom? (How’s it going?)

Como estão as coisas? (How are things?)

Tentei ligar para você (I tried to call you)

Queria saber se… (I wanted to know if…)

Bom final de semana! (Have a good weekend!)

Formal

Quero agradecer (I’d like to thank you)

Solicito essa oportunidade (I’m seeking this opportunity)

Escrevo-lhe para saber sobre… (I am writing to enquire about…)

Venho enviar a documentação (I’m sending you the documentation)

Encaminho em anexo (please find attached)

O documento está em anexo (the document is attached)

When you use the word “anexo,” remember that it’s an adjective and should agree with the noun it refers to. For example, “a fotografia anexa a este email” or “o relatório anexo a este email.”

Check out our article about learning Portuguese online to understand more about the Portuguese language, differences between Brazillian and European Portuguese and more useful Portuguese words and phrases.

Ending

Once you have the opening and body of your email completed, it’s now time to look at how to end an email in Portuguese:

Informal

Abraços (Regards)

Lembranças (Kind regards)

Um abraço (a hug) or Abraços!/Abs! (hugs!)

Um beijo (a kiss) or Beijos!/Bjs! (kisses!)

Até mais! (talk to you later!)

Formal

The most common way to sign off a formal email is with “Atenciosamente” or “Atentamente” (Sincerely). Here are some other ones you can use:

Caso necessite de qualquer assistência extra, por favor entre em contato (If you need any additional assistance, please contact me)

Sem mais, agradeço desde já (and with that, I thank you in advance)

Aguardo sua resposta (I look forward to hearing from you)

Saudações (Salutations)

Obrigado/Obrigada (Thank you)

Com meus cumprimentos (Best regards)

Sinceramente (Sincerely)

That’s everything you need to know to write an email in Portuguese! Are you also learning French, German or English? Check out our blog posts on how to sign off an email in French, how to write an email in German, and how to write a perfect email in English!