En estos días puedes seguir preparándote para tus exámenes oficiales desde casa. En h4 queremos ayudaros a que sigáis mejorando y, para ello, seguimos ofreciéndoos nuestros consejos para que podáis practicar y mejorar desde casa. Hoy os ofrecemos maneras de escribir una carta o mail, un tipo de writing que aparece desde un nivel B1 hasta el C2 y que en ocasiones requiere un lenguaje formal o informal, dependiendo del receptor.
Antes de empezar con los ejemplos, hay que hacer notar que en los writings formales, las contracciones de las palabras no son para nada recomendables, pues formas como it’s o I’m son más propias del lenguaje informal.
PARA LOS SALUDOS
Lenguaje Formal (NO se utilizan los nombres de pila. Usar Señorita o Señora para dirigirse a una mujer no es apropiado, ya que no se sabe si está casada o no)
- Dear Sir/ Madam,
- Dear Sir or Madam,
- To whom it may concern:
- Dear Mr/ Ms Jones,
- Dear Dr Smith,
Lenguaje Informal (los saludos van seguidos de una (,). Excepción: «A quien corresponda:»)
- Hi Dennis,
- Hello Claire,
- Dear Mum,
RAZONES POR LAS QUE ESCRIBIMOS O CONTESTAMOS
Lenguaje Formal
- I am writing to make a reservation/ to apply for the position of…/ to confirm my booking/ to ask for further information about …
- I am writing with regard to the sale of …/ to the complaint you made on 29th February
- Thank you for your e-mail of 29th February regarding the sale of… / concerning the conference in Brussels.
- With reference to our telephone conversation on Friday, I would like to let you know that…
Lenguaje Semi-formal / Informal
- Just a quick note to invite you to…/ to tell you that…
- This is to invite you to join us for...
- Thanks for your e-mail, it was wonderful/great to hear from you.
- I wanted to let you know that / tell you about / ask you if…
PEDIR INFORMACIÓN O HACER PETICIONES
Lenguaje Formal
- Could you please let me know if you can attend … / if you are available for a meeting on 12th December?
- I would appreciate it if you could please send me a brochure/ if you could please reply within two days.
- Could you possibly arrange a meeting with the Logistics Manager?
- I would also like to know if there are any swimming pools in your area.
- Please let me know how much the tickets cost.
Lenguaje Informal
- I was wondering if you could come and see me sometime next week.
- Would you mind coming early to help me clear up the place?
- Do you think you could call Jerry for me?
- Can you call me/ get back to me asap? (as soon as possible)
DAR INFORMACIÓN U OFRECER AYUDA
Lenguaje Formal
- We are happy to let you know that your article has been selected for publication.
- I am glad to inform you that we will be holding our annual conference in Brussels on 20 September 2014.
- We regret to inform you that the show has been cancelled due to bad weather conditions.
- We are willing to arrange another meeting with the CEO.
- We would be glad to send you another statement if necessary.
- Please do let me know if I can be of further assistance.
- Should you need any further information/assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Lenguaje Informal
- I’m sorry, but I can’t make it tomorrow. (= I can’t come tomorrow.)
- I’m happy to tell you that John and I are getting married next month.
- Would you like me to come early and help you clear up the place?
- How about I come and help you out?
- Do you need a hand with moving the furniture?
QUEJARSE
Lenguaje Formal
- I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with… / to complain about…
- I regret to say that I was not completely satisfied with the room you provided us.
- We regret to inform you that your payment is considerably overdue.
- I would like to receive a full refund and compensation for the damages.
- I am interested to hear how your company can compensate us for the distress we suffered.
Lenguaje Informal
- I’m sorry to say that you’re late with the payments.
- I hope you won’t mind me saying that the place you’d recommended to us wasn’t as nice as we’d expected.
DISCULPARSE
Formal
- We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
- Please accept our apologies for the delay.
- Please let us know what we can do to compensate you for the damages caused.
- We will make sure that this will not happen again in the future.
- I am afraid I will not be able to attend the conference.
Informal
- I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.
- I apologize for the delay.
- I promise it won’t happen again
- I’m sorry, but I can’t make it to the meeting.
ADJUNTAR INFORMACIÓN O ARCHIVOS
Lenguaje Formal
- I am attaching my CV for your consideration.
- I am sending you the brochure as an attachment.
- Please see the statement attached.
- Please find attached the file you requested.
- I am afraid I cannot open the file you have sent me.
- Could you send it again in … format?
Lenguaje Informal
- I’m attaching/sending you the holiday photos.
- Sorry, but I can’t open it. Can you send it again in … format?
DESPEDIDAS
Lenguaje Formal
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to hearing when you are planning to visit our town.
Lenguaje Informal
- Hope to hear from you soon.
- I’m looking forward to seeing you.
CIERRE
Lenguaje Formal
- Yours faithfully, (when you start with Dear Sir/ Madam,)
- Yours sincerely, (when you start with the name e.g. Dear Ms Collins)
- Sincerely Yours, (AmE)
- Sincerely, (AmE)
- Yours Truly, (AmE)
Lenguaje Informal
- Love,
- Thanks,
- Take care,
- Yours,
- Best regards, (semi-formal, se puede abreviar con BR)