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How to Start and End a Letter or Email in Italian


Letters (though less used these days) and e-mail are both useful forms of communication and ways of informing others of a particular situation. You can use them for informal reasons, such as catching up with old friends. Alternatively, they can be used to contact companies about potential job opportunities, or to discuss work projects with clients or colleagues.

In this digital world, email is becoming increasingly indispensable for many activities that would otherwise be impossible. That’s why it’s very important to know how to write them and not write them unprepared. This is especially true in Italy, where people have maintained a certain formal style that sometimes looks a bit dated.

How to Start and End an Email in Italian

How to Start a Letter or Email in Italian

The structure of an email or the content of a letter has been known to change depending on the recipient. More precisely, we must pay special attention to the words and expressions used when the recipient is someone you do not know or when the situation calls for more polished and formal language.

You can use everyday Italian expressions when composing informal emails. For example, in an informal setting, you can start a letter or email in Italian by:

Dear/Dearest Julia,

Dear/Dearest Julia,

You always put the comma at the end of the name and start a new paragraph where you usually write an introduction – not unlike English in this case. Things get more difficult when you have to write to someone with the highest qualifications or who falls into a specific professional category. In fact, in Italian, you can put the abbreviation of the job qualification before the name. Let’s see how it works.

First, in formal Carlo and Very expensive to be replaced Gentiles or Honey By:

Dear Mr. Francesco Pio,

Dear Mr Francesco Pio,

However, when the recipient has a recognized title, you can show courtesy by substituting Signatory (gentlemen) or Miss (Mrs) with their qualifications or professional occupation.

The following is a list of abbreviations used instead Say. (gentleman) or Syrah (Miss):

  • PhD/PhD (anyone graduating from a post-secondary institution or practicing as a doctor),
  • Prof./ Prof.ssa (professors, mostly high school and college),
  • pressure. (high school or college dean),
  • Advanced (lawyer),
  • geometry. (surveyor),
  • Inge. (engineer),
  • arch. (architect),
  • rag. (Accounting),

There are many possible abbreviations, but these are enough to get you started. But remember, if you don’t know what someone’s Italian occupation is, gentleman and Miss Works fine too.

After addressing your recipients, you can move on to the body.


How to Write the Body of a Letter or Email in Italian

First, it is considered more polite to start an email with a formal structure, such as:

  • You are hereby notified as follows… (Hereby notify as follows…)
  • Regarding your/his request… (referring to your request…)
  • On topic… (on this topic…)
  • By agreement… (according to agreement…)
  • I send them as attachments… (Please check attachment……)
  • In replying to his/your e-mail dated… , I/you confirm/sign that… (Replying to your email dated… I can confirm…)
  • I’m contacting you for a phone interview… (I’m contacting you about a phone interview…)
  • We hereby formalize… (We formalize here…)

These are some forms you can use to start your formal letter or email in Italian. It’s a good idea to start by explaining why you’re writing the email and briefly introduce yourself to help the recipient understand who he or she is talking to.

It goes without saying that the main part of the email should be in the second and third paragraphs. Here you can write the meaningful content and audience of your email. You don’t really need to follow a precise structure in this particular section. However, it is recommended that you maintain a polite and formal tone throughout.

The situation is quite different when writing informal letters or emails. In this case, keep in mind that in Italian email people tend to be straightforward and without much frills.

In English, by contrast, you can leave some initial space for the prologue, which is the parentheses you ask after the receiver. In practice, the following formula is often used: I hope you are doing well / I hope this email finds you.

These ways of introducing an email also work in Italian, but are usually omitted. However, if you want to start the letter with these expressions, you are free to use the following wording:

  • i hope you are ok (I hope you are well)
  • Are you OK? (How are you?)
  • I hope everything goes well, (I hope everything is fine)

At the end of the day, it’s your choice to use lengthy and structured emails, or to cut to the chase. Italians would have no qualms about accepting either option.


How to End an Email in Italian

There are different ways to end an Italian letter or email, depending on how formal the writing is. For example, an informal letter could simply end like this:

  • a big bear hug (a big hug)
  • a hug (a hug)
  • greeting (greeting or goodbye)
  • have a good time (literally “Good continuation” – meaning “good luck/keep enjoying what you’re doing”)
  • soon (goodbye)

The form used to end a formal letter in Italian is quite different. They can take on an infinite number of shades, depending on the level of formality and the language ability of the writer. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones and their English literal translations!

  • best regards/best regards (kind regards)
  • Thank you and best regards, (Thank you and kind regards)
  • with best regards, (Sincere Regards/Your Sincerely)
  • My best regards to you, (with my best regards)
  • Please accept my sincerest regards. (Please accept my sincerest regards)
  • Awaiting your reply, my best regards. (waiting for your reply, best regards)
  • Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation and my best regards. (Thank you in advance for your continued polite cooperation and best regards)
  • Thank you for your kind attention, and I send you my sincerest regards. (Thank you for your polite attention, best regards)
  • Awaiting the reply, I will always provide clarification and best regards. (I await your reply, any further information I can provide, my best regards)

Armed with these tips, you should be able to write complete and efficient emails or letters, and even come across as a native Italian speaker! Don’t forget that in Italy, PS (Post Scriptum) is often used at the end of a letter to add something unrelated to the main content, or to share some information that you forgot to include in your email.

About the author: Fabio Guarino

As a linguist and language expert, as a Freelance Content Writer and SEO Marketer Allows me to combine my passions and interests with my career. My favorite thing to do with language is play with words. This is something I have always dreamed about since I started traveling the world and learning languages.



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