A close-up of a person's hand writing in Arabic on a piece of paper with a pen, set on a wooden table in a warmly lit room with large windows and bookshelves visible in the background.

How do you write emails and formal letters in Arabic?

Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult. Here are some sentences and expressions for the salutation (المخاطبة) and examples of opening sentences.

byGerald Drißner

September 29, 2018

3 minute read

3 comments

Last updated: 1 month

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Writing letters or emails in Arabic is actually not that difficult. Once you have started writing letters or emails, you will get used to the standard phrases pretty quickly. Never forget the most important rule: try to be polite!

This is part 1 of the series How do you write emails and formal letters in Arabic? (Here is part 2.)

Writing letters and email in Arabic – address and salutation Hide

Address
Salutation
Phrases to start the letter

We will look at common phrases, vocabulary lists and traps.

Address

Okay, this is very traditional. But maybe you still have to send a written letter.

صندوق بريد

P.O. box

(Postfach) 1234

يصل ويسلم ليد السيد بركات

For the attention of Mr. Barakat

Zu Händen von Herrn Barakat

Salutation

The proper and respectful greeting is very important in Arab culture.

السادة المحترمون جدًا

Dear gentlemen

Sehr geehrte Herren

السيدات المحترمات والسادة المحترمون

Dear ladies and gentlemen

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren

السيد سالم المحترم جدًا

Dear Mr. Salem

Sehr geehrter Herr Salem

السيد الدكتور سالم المحترم

Dear Dr. Salem

Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Salem

أمي الحبيبة

Dear Mother

Liebe Mama

عزيزي حسن

Dear Hassan

Lieber Hassan

عزيزتي فاطمة

Dear Fatima

Liebe Fatima

فضيلة الشيخ

Esteemed Sheikh

Geschätzter Scheich

حضرة القاضي

Your Honor

Herr Vorsitzender (Anrede eines Richters)

Phrases to start the letter

Here are some example that may be useful if you have to write a letter or an email.

نحن نشكركم على المعلومات التي نهتم بمعرفتها

We thank you for your information which we found interesting.

Wir danken Ihnen für Ihre Informationen, die wir mit Interesse zur Kenntnis genommen haben.

.نحن نشكركم على طلبكم 7 أغسطس

We thank you for your order dated 7th August.

Wir danken Ihnen für Ihre Bestellung vom 7. August.

.شكرًا جزيلا على العرض الذي قدمتموه يوم 15 أغسطس

Thank you very much for your offer dated 15th August.

Herzlichen Dank für Ihr Angebot vom 15. August.

.ردًا على خطابكم, أرسل لكم

In response to your letter I hereby send…

In Antwort auf Ihren Brief sende ich Ihnen…

.نود أن نجيب عن استفساركم بشأن

We are happy to respond to your inquiry regarding…

Wir beantworten gerne Ihre Anfrage bezüglich…

نظرًا لعدم وجود عنوان للاتصال بالمكان المطلوب, فإني ﻷرجوكم أن تبعثوا بهذا الخطاب إلى الجهة المختصة

In the absence of a contact address, I turn to you with a request to forward this letter to the right place.

Mangels einer Kontaktadresse wende ich mich an Sie mit der Bitte, diesen Brief an die richtige Stelle weiterzuleiten.

:أنا أود أن أحجز لديكم كما يلي

I would like to make the following reservation:

Ich möchte bei Ihnen Folgendes reservieren:

برجاء إبلاغنا بسعر 3 غرف مزدوجة بالحمام/التواليت وبالفطور في الفترة من 5-8 أغسطس

Please tell us the rate for 3 double rooms with bathroom/WC, breakfast included, for the period of 5th to 8th August.

Bitte teilen Sie uns den Preis für 3 Doppelzimmer mit Bad/WC und Frühstück für die Zeit vom 5. bis 8. August mit.

.نحن نتقدم بالشكر الجزيل على مكالمتكم

We thank you for your call.

Wir danken Ihnen für Ihren Anruf.

بالإشارة إلى خطابكم المؤرخ 4 أغسطس لهذا العام يؤسفنا أن نبلغ حضرتك أننا لا نستطيع

Concerning your letter dated 4th August 2018, we are very sorry to inform you that we are not able to…

Mit Bezug auf Ihr Schreiben vom 4. August dieses Jahres müssen wir Ihnen leider mitteilen, dass wir nicht in der Lage sind…

إنه يؤسفني أن أشكو لسيادتكم سوء الخدمة في فندقكم والذي نعرضت له خلال فترة إقامتي الأخيرة لديكم

Unfortunately, I have to complain about the poor service of your hotel during out last stay.

Leider muss ich mich über den schlechten Service Ihres Hotels während unseres letzten Aufenthalts beschweren.

Now, how should we finish a formal letter? Check out part two!

A close-up of two hands writing on paper at a wooden desk, with a laptop open displaying text in the background. One hand holds a pen, while the other appears to be resting on an open book containing Arabic text. A formal setting is indicated by elegant curtains and a leather chair.

Common phrases for closing letters and emails in Arabic

Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult: Sentences and expressions for the last parts of a letter.

byGerald Drißner

October 13, 2018

Did you like this?

How do you write emails and formal letters in Arabic? Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult. Here are some sentences and expressions for the salutation (المخاطبة) and examples of opening sentences.

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This post was published on September 29, 2018 and is over 6 years old. It was last updated on March 17, 2025 (1 month ago). If you find any outdated information, please let us know.

Author

Gerald Drißner

Gerald Drißner (Drissner) has lived in Arab and Islamic countries for more than a decade. He is the founder of Arabic for Nerds.

3 Comments

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Sara

4 years ago

Amazing, please try also to give tutorials and write a book on formal Arabic letters

5 years ago

Whoaaa nice! You also got them in German.

Badrul Aini Shaari

6 years ago

In the future, I would like to suggest you to write a book on writing skills in Arabic, especially on the stylistics, and the common terms and expression usage.

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