Essential Phrases for Professional Business Correspondence

Posted on Oct 24, 2025 in Business Management

Essential Phrases for Professional Business Letters

1. Salutations

• Dear Mr. Brown,
• Dear Miss White,
• Dear Madam,
• Gentlemen,

2. Starting the Letter

• We are writing to inform you that… (to confirm)
• I am contacting you for the following reasons.
• I am writing to tell you about…
• I would be interested in (obtaining/receiving)…

3. Referring to Previous Contact

• Thank you for your letter of July 23.
• Thank you for contacting us.
• In reply to your request…
• Thank you for your letter regarding…

4. Making a Request

• We would appreciate it if you would…
• I would be grateful if you…
• Could you please send me…?
• In addition, I would like to receive…
• I am interested in (obtaining/receiving)…

5. Offering Help

• We would be happy to…
• Would you like us to…?
• We are quite willing to…
• Our company would be pleased to…

6. Giving Good News

• We are pleased to announce that…
• I am delighted to inform you that…
• You will be pleased to learn that…

7. Giving Bad News

• We regret to inform you that…
• I am afraid it would not be possible to…
• Unfortunately, we cannot / We are unable to…
• After careful consideration, we have decided not to…

8. Complaining

• I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with…
• I am writing to complain about…
• Please note that the goods we ordered on (date) have not yet arrived.
• We regret to inform you that our order No. is now considerably overdue.

9. Apologizing

• We are sorry for the delay in replying.
• I regret any inconvenience caused.
• I would like to apologize for (the delay/the inconvenience).
• Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience.

10. Orders

• Thank you for your quotation of…
• We are pleased to place an order with your company for…
• We would like to cancel our order No.
• Please confirm receipt of our order.
• We can guarantee delivery before…

11. Prices and Quotations

• Please send us your price list.
• You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list.
• We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation.
• Our terms of payment are as follows:

12. Referring to Payment

• Our records show that we have not yet received payment of…
• According to our records…
• Please send payment as soon as possible.
• You will receive a credit note for the sum of…

13. Enclosing Documents

• I am enclosing…
• Please find enclosed…
• You will find enclosed…

14. Closing Remarks

• If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know.
• If I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• If you require more information…
• For further details…
• Thank you for taking this into consideration.

15. Referring to Future Business

• We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
• We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company.
• I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm.

16. Referring to Future Contact

• I look forward to seeing you next week.
• I look forward to hearing from you.
• I look forward to receiving your comments.
• I look forward to meeting you on the 15th.
• I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.

17. Ending Business Letters (Sign-offs)

• Sincerely
• Yours sincerely
• Sincerely yours
• Regards (Used for known contacts or less formal correspondence)