A good business email in English has five parts: a clear subject line, a short greeting, one sentence saying why you're writing, the request or information (softened with could, would and please), and a closing that says what happens next. Most emails need fewer than 120 words. The phrases below cover each part, from neutral to more formal, followed by six complete templates you can adapt.
Quick win: replace "Please send me the documents" with "Could you please send me the documents by Thursday?" It's more polite and more useful, because it includes a deadline.
Subject lines that get opened
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Question | Question about invoice #245 |
| Meeting | Meeting request: delivery schedule, 13 or 14 October? |
| Urgent!!! | Action needed by Friday: contract signature |
| Hello | Introduction: Aziza Karimova, Silk Road Tours |
Formula: topic + what you need + (date). The reader should know what the email wants before opening it.
Greetings and openers
| Situation | Greeting | First line |
|---|---|---|
| First contact, formal | Dear Mr Brown, / Dear Ms Chen, | I'm writing to ask about… |
| You don't know the name | Dear Sales Team, / Hello, | I'm contacting you regarding… |
| Regular colleague or client | Hi Anna, | Thanks for your email. / Hope you're well. |
| Replying | Hi Mark, | Thanks for getting back to me. |
| After a meeting or call | Dear Ms Lee, | Thank you for your time yesterday. |
Use title + surname (Mr Brown) or first name only (Hi Anna), never Mr Anna or Dear Mr Aziz when Aziz is a first name. Avoid Dear Sir/Madam unless it's a very formal letter to an organisation.
Requests: from direct to very polite
| Level | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Direct (colleagues you know well) | Can you send me the file today? |
| Neutral, safe default | Could you please send me the updated price list? |
| Polite | Would you be able to share the contract by Friday? |
| Very polite (big favour, senior person) | I'd be grateful if you could review the proposal before our meeting. |
| Asking permission | Would it be possible to move the call to Wednesday? |
Follow-ups: gentle, then firmer
| When | Phrase |
|---|---|
| After 3–5 days, first reminder | I'm just following up on my email from Monday about the invoice. |
| Adding value | In case it's helpful, I've attached the spreadsheet again. |
| Second reminder | I wanted to check whether you've had a chance to look at this. |
| Deadline is close | As the deadline is on Friday, could you let me know by Thursday? |
| Last reminder | If I don't hear back by 15 October, I'll assume the dates are confirmed. |
Bad news, apologies and saying no
- Unfortunately, we won't be able to deliver by the 10th.
- I'm afraid the budget doesn't allow for this at the moment.
- I apologise for the delay in getting back to you.
- Thank you for thinking of us. We'll have to pass this time, but please keep us in mind for future projects.
Closings and sign-offs
| Closing line | Sign-off |
|---|---|
| Please let me know if you have any questions. | Best regards, (safe everywhere) |
| I look forward to hearing from you. | Kind regards, (slightly warmer) |
| Thanks in advance for your help. | Best, (colleagues) |
| I'll send the final version by Tuesday. | Sincerely, (very formal, rare in email) |
What Uzbek and Russian speakers carry over
| Carried over | Sounds like | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Hurmatli janob… → Dear respected Mr Smith | overly ceremonial | Dear Mr Smith, |
| Прошу выслать… → I ask you to send… | an order | Could you please send…? |
| I am writing you | missing word | I'm writing to you / I'm writing to… |
| Waiting for your answer. | impatient | I look forward to hearing from you. |
| Sorry for disturbing you. | too humble | I hope you don't mind me contacting you. or just start |
| Please, find attached… | comma is wrong | Please find attached… / I've attached… |
| Informations, advices | grammar error | information, advice (no -s) |
| One huge paragraph | hard to read | 2–4 short paragraphs, one idea each |
More workplace slips are collected in English speaking mistakes at work.
Six templates to copy and adapt
1. Asking a supplier for information
Subject: Price request: cotton fabric, 2,000 metres
Dear Ms Yilmaz,
I'm writing on behalf of Namangan Textile, a clothing manufacturer in Uzbekistan. We're interested in your organic cotton fabric and would like to know more.
Could you please send us your current price list for orders of around 2,000 metres, along with delivery times to Tashkent?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Dilnoza Yusupova, Purchasing Manager
2. Requesting a meeting
Subject: Meeting request: Q4 delivery plan
Hi Mark,
I hope you're well. I'd like to set up a 30-minute call to go over the delivery plan for the last quarter.
Would Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon work for you? I'm free after 2 p.m. Tashkent time (GMT+5).
Thanks,
Jasur
3. Following up when there is no reply
Subject: Re: Invoice #245, payment date
Hi Anna,
I'm just following up on my email from last Monday about invoice #245. I've attached it again in case it got lost.
Could you let me know when we can expect the payment? If there's a problem with the invoice, I'm happy to correct it.
Best regards,
Malika
4. Apologising for a delay
Subject: Update: website launch moved to 20 October
Dear Mr Brown,
I'm sorry to let you know that the website launch will be delayed by one week. Our testing found two problems with the payment page, and we'd like to fix them before going live.
The new launch date is 20 October. I'll send you a short progress update every Friday until then.
I apologise for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
Rustam Aliev, Project Manager
5. Saying no politely
Subject: Re: Partnership proposal
Dear Ms Petrova,
Thank you for your proposal and for thinking of our company.
After discussing it with the team, we've decided not to take on new partnerships this year, as we're focused on our current projects. We'll have to pass for now, but we'd be glad to talk again next spring.
Best regards,
Kamola Nazarova
6. Thank-you after a meeting
Subject: Thank you for today's meeting
Dear Mr Lee,
Thank you for taking the time to meet us today. It was very useful to hear about your plans for the Central Asian market.
As agreed, I'll send you our draft proposal by Friday, 16 October. Please let me know if I missed anything from our discussion.
Best regards,
Aziza Karimova
Exercise: rewrite the weak sentences
Make each sentence clear and polite.
- Send me the report.
- Why didn't you answer my email?
- I am writing you about the vacancy.
- Please, find attached the documents.
- Waiting for your answer.
- Give me the informations about prices.
- We cannot do it. Sorry.
- Hello Mr Aziz! (to Aziz Rakhimov)
Answers
- Could you please send me the report by Friday? A request with could + a deadline.
- I'm just following up on my email from Monday. Have you had a chance to look at it? Neutral, no blame.
- I'm writing about / to ask about the vacancy. Write needs to before a person, and I'm writing about is enough.
- Please find the documents attached. / I've attached the documents. No comma after please.
- I look forward to hearing from you. Standard closing, not impatient.
- Could you send me some information about your prices? Information is uncountable.
- Unfortunately, we won't be able to do this, but we could offer… Give bad news with unfortunately and, if possible, an alternative.
- Dear Mr Rakhimov, or, if you're on first-name terms, Hi Aziz,. Title + surname, not title + first name.
More templates and next steps
The Uzbek collection business email namunalari has twelve more templates, including payment reminders and job rejections. For the phrasal verbs that appear in meeting notes and emails (follow up, set up, go over), continue with phrasal verbs for work.
Saying it, not only writing it
Many emails lead to a call. In BandMate, you can role-play the conversation that follows: asking a supplier about prices, apologising for a delay, or declining a proposal politely. Bandi gives feedback on tone as well as grammar, which helps you notice when a sentence sounds more direct in English than you intended.
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