Writing an Email in Portuguese

• 🎩 Exmo. Sr. ____, or Exma. Sr.ª ____,
  • Abbreviation of Excelentíssimo Senhor or Excelentíssima Senhora.
  • Translates to something like Your Excellence. This is the gold standard for more formal communications. You may think it sounds over the top, but it’s actually very common.
• 🎩 Prezado Sr. ____, or Prezada Sr.ª ____,
  • Pretty much the same as Esteemed ____ in English.
  • Still very formal, but below excelentíssimo(a).
• 🎩 Caro Sr.  ____, or Cara Sr.ª ____,
  • Caro Sr. Pedro Silva, or Cara Sr.ª Lara Silva – This is like writing Dear Mr. Pedro Silva or Dear Mrs. Lara Silva
  • A good neutral option if you want to be formal, but not too formal
• 🎩 Prezado ____, or Prezada ____,
  • Less formal than the previous iterations because there are no titles associated with it.
• 🎩 Estimado ____, or Estimada ____,
  • We’re placing this one between Prezado(a) and Caro(a). It translates to Dear ____ but is a bit more like Esteemed.
  • This one appears more often in business / shopping related e-mails, but it can still be used in formal settings such as with work colleagues and students.
• 🎩 Caro ____, or Cara ____,
  • This is the same greeting as one of the formal options above, but instead of using any titles, you could just use the person’s first name. It’s very neutral as a greeting, so it’s especially good for acquaintances or people you don’t know, but who you also don’t need to be very formal with.
• 🎩🙂 A quem possa interessarTo whom it may concern,
  • This is a formal alternative for when you don’t know the position nor the person you’re writing to.

Informal Greetings

Now, onto the more informal options:

• 😎🙂 Bom diaGood morning Slow audio Play audio , or Boa tardeGood afternoon Slow audio Play audio ,
  • You can follow these with just the person’s name, or add a title to add a touch of formality.
• 😎 OláHello Slow audio Play audio Interjection ,
  • Same as above. You can attach the name of the person, job position, or just leave it as it is.
• 😎 [name of the person],
  • Keep it simple by starting with just the first name and a comma.
• ❤️ QueridoDear ____, or QueridaDear ____,
  • This also means Dear, but it’s much more intimate than Caro or Cara. It can be used with a partner or with really close friends or family.

Which Name Should I Use?

As you may have noticed in the examples above, some greetings are more specific than others.
It’s somewhat rare to see the full name of the person an e-mail is addressed to (Exmo. Sr. Pedro Miguel Lopes Saraiva,), unless it’s a serious, very formal message from the government or an institution. Using the full name is more common in formal letters. As such, just the recipient’s first and last name should suffice for a formal email (Exmo. Sr. Pedro Saraiva,), or just the first name for an informal email to a friend (Olá Pedro,).
It’s uncommon to use just the last name, as in Exmo. Sr. Saraiva, but using just the first name is okay when the last name is not known: Exmo. Sr. Pedro,
When you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to at all, you can just use their title, position, or the name of the department instead.

When you’re not sure about the gender of the person you’re talking to, you could include both using a forward slash / or parentheses ( ). For example:

• Caro/a senhor/a,
• Sr.(a),
• Exmo(a). Sr.(a),

Ending an Email in Portuguese

Thinking of an appropriate way to end an email can be even more difficult than getting the introduction right, especially in a foreign language you haven’t yet mastered. But don’t worry, in this section we’ll list the various terms available and order them from most formal to most informal.
They are all followed by a comma, a blank line, and then your name.

Formal Closings

We’ll start with the more formal options:

• 🎩 Com os melhores cumprimentosWith my best regards,
  • This is the gold standard, for formal to very formal communications.
  • Melhores cumprimentos, is a shortened option, and thus slightly more informal.
• 🎩🙂 AtenciosamenteSincerely, | AtentamenteSincerely, | CordialmenteCordially,
  • To give it a warmer touch, while still sounding formal
• 🎩🙂 Grato pela atençãoThank you for your attention Slow audio Play audio , or Desde já, obrigado pela atençãoThank you in advance for your attention,
  • Good options for business-related, or possibly school, communications.
  • The word grato (or grata, when written by a female) involves a bit more gratitude than obrigado / obrigada.
• 🎩🙂 GratoGrateful(sing.,masc.) Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Masculine , | GrataGrateful(sing.,fem.), | ObrigadoThank you (male speaker) Slow audio Play audio Singular, Masculine | ObrigadaThank you (female speaker) Slow audio Play audio Interjection ,
  • Nice and simple! Good for conversations already taking place, acquaintances, somewhat informal contexts.
• 🙂 CumprimentosRegards ,
  • This is a neutral option. Good for contexts that don’t require much formality, but in which you’re not writing to someone close.

It’s entirely possible to combine some of these. For example, you could write something like:
Muito obrigado pela atenção.
Melhores cumprimentos,
Your Name

Informal Closings

Next, the more informal options, for family, friends, and acquaintances:

• 😎 BeijinhosLittle kisses Slow audio Play audio Noun, Plural, Masculine , or Beijinhos e abraçosKisses and hugs,
  • Very informal, but it doesn’t have romantic implications.
  • Remember that in Portugal, and most of Europe, it’s common to greet someone and say goodbye with kisses on the face. So, this is just the written version of that!
  • It’s typically written from a woman to either gender, or from a man to a woman. It’s not as common for this to be written from man to man.
• 😎 AbraçoHug , or Grande abraçoBig hug, or Forte abraçoStrong hug,
  • Very informal, but once again, it’s not a romantic closing. This is commonly written from a man to another man, even between men who wouldn’t physically greet each other with hugs.
• 😎🙂 Até breveSee you soon ,
  • If you intend to meet soon, go with this one.
• 😎🙂 Bom fim de semanaHave a good weekend,
  • If you’re writing an e-mail on a Friday or early Saturday.
  • More common with colleagues or friends.
• 😎 Com muita amizadeWith much friendship, or Com muitas saudadesMissing you very much,
  • Good options for a friend, or someone you miss a lot.
• ❤️ O teu filhoYour son, or A tua netaYour granddaughter, and so on
  • You could use a simple option like one of these with a family member.
• ❤️ Com amorWith love, or Com muito amor e carinhoWith much love and affection, or Com todo o meu amorWith all my love,
  • A few examples of romantic options that you could use with a partner. Or feel free to get creative and come up with your own! 😉