Lesson L1.7: Writing Simple Emails
This final lesson of Level 1 shifts from speaking to writing. Emails are one of the most common forms of written English in daily and professional life — requesting something, following up, or replying to a colleague. Unlike a chat message, an email needs a bit more structure, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.
What you’ll learn
- The basic structure every simple email follows
- Natural opening and closing lines for different levels of formality
- How to make a clear request or ask a question in writing
- How to follow up on an email politely without sounding impatient
- How to reply to an email briefly and clearly
- Common mistakes that make emails feel too stiff or too casual
Two real-life scenarios
Scenario 1 — Requesting information: You need to ask a vendor about pricing, but don’t want the email to sound too abrupt or too long.
Scenario 2 — No reply yet: You sent an email three days ago and haven’t heard back. You want to follow up politely, without sounding pushy.
Most everyday emails fall into a few categories — requesting, following up, or replying — and each has a simple, reusable structure you can lean on every time.
The building blocks
A simple email has four parts: a greeting, a short opening line, the main point (request, update, or question), and a polite closing. Keeping each part brief makes the whole email easier to read and respond to.
Key vocabulary
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hope this finds you well | A common formal opening line | Hi Rina, hope this finds you well. |
| I’m writing to… | Stating the reason for the email | I’m writing to ask about the invoice status. |
| Could you please… | A polite way to make a request | Could you please share the updated file? |
| Just following up on… | A gentle way to check on something unanswered | Just following up on my email from Monday. |
| Looking forward to your reply | A polite way to indicate you’re waiting for a response | Looking forward to your reply. |
| Please let me know if… | Inviting further questions or clarification | Please let me know if you need anything else. |
| Best regards / Best | A common professional sign-off | Best regards, Aisha |
| CC / attached | Common email terms for copying someone / adding a file | I’ve attached the report for your reference. |
Sentence patterns you can reuse
Email sample 1: Making a request
Subject: Question about pricing
Hi Team,
Hope this finds you well. I’m writing to ask about the pricing for the items we discussed last week.
Could you please share an updated quote by Thursday? Please let me know if you need any more details from our side.
Looking forward to your reply.
Best regards,
Aditi
Email sample 2: Following up politely
Subject: Following up — project timeline
Hi Priya,
Just following up on my email from Monday about the project timeline — I know things get busy, so no worries if it’s still in progress.
Whenever you get a chance, could you share an update?
Thanks so much,
Karan
Listening practice
Read this short email reply, then answer the questions below:
“Hi Aditi, thanks for reaching out. I’ve attached the updated quote as requested — let me know if the numbers work on your end. Happy to hop on a quick call if that’s easier. Best, Rohan.”
Comprehension questions:
- What has Rohan attached to the email?
- What alternative does he offer besides email?
- How does he sign off?
Practice it yourself
Speaking practice: Read one of the sample emails above out loud, at a natural pace, as if you were dictating it to someone.
Writing practice: Write a short email (4–5 sentences) requesting information from a colleague, following the Greeting → Reason → Request → Closing structure.
Practical activity: The next real email you write, check it against the four-part structure from this lesson before hitting send.
Common mistakes to avoid
| Instead of this | Say this |
|---|---|
| “Please do the needful.” | “Could you please take care of this?” / “Could you please [specific action]?” |
| “Revert back to me.” | “Please get back to me” / “Looking forward to your reply.” |
| No greeting or sign-off at all | Always include a short “Hi [name]” and “Best regards, [name]” |
| Very long, unstructured paragraphs | Break into short paragraphs: reason, request, closing |
| “I am waiting your reply since long time.” | “Just following up — I haven’t heard back yet.” |
Today’s challenge
Write and send one real email today using the four-part structure from this lesson — even a simple one, like asking a colleague for an update.
Self-assessment
Check off what you can now do confidently:
- I can write a short email with a clear greeting, reason, and closing.
- I can make a polite request in writing using “Could you please…”
- I can follow up on an unanswered email without sounding impatient.
- I can reply briefly and clearly to an email.
- I understood the sample email without reading it twice.
Quick quiz
1. Which is the correct structure for a simple email?
2. Which phrase politely follows up on an email?
3. Which is a natural way to make a request?
4. Which is a good professional sign-off?
5. Which phrasing should you avoid?
🎉 Level 1 complete!
You’ve covered small talk, work talk, directions, shopping, opinions, phone calls, and now email writing — a full toolkit for everyday Beginner-level English. Level 2: Intermediate starts next, moving into workplace fluency and richer conversation.
Lesson summary
You now have a reusable four-part structure for writing simple, clear emails — requests, follow-ups, and replies — along with the natural phrases that keep them polite without being stiff. Combined with everything from Level 1, you’re ready to move confidently into Level 2.