How to Write an Informal Email in English [2026]

An informal email is the kind you send to friends, family and people you know well, and its whole job is to sound natural and warm rather than careful and distant. The mistakes learners make are usually not grammar errors but tone errors: an email that is too stiff for its reader. This guide covers the greetings, openings, language and sign-offs that make an informal email sound right, with a full example at the end. For the opposite situation, our guide to writing a formal email covers the careful version.

Greeting

Keep it relaxed and use the person's first name.

• Hi Sam, (the safe, friendly standard)
• Hey Leo, (very casual)
• Hello Priya, (friendly but a touch more neutral)

Avoid "Dear Sam" for a close friend; it can sound oddly formal, almost like a joke.

A friendly opening line

Informal emails usually open with a little warmth before the main point.

• "How are you?" / "Hope you're well."
• "It was lovely to see you last weekend."
• "Thanks for your message, sorry for the slow reply!"

The body: relaxed but clear

The tone is casual, so use contractions (I'm, don't, we'll), everyday words, and even the odd exclamation mark. Keep it clear, though; friendly does not mean confusing.

• Use everyday phrasing: "Do you fancy meeting up?" rather than "Would you be available to meet?"
• Contractions are fine and natural: "I'll be there by six."
• Short paragraphs keep it easy to read.

Sign-off

Match the warmth of the greeting.

• Cheers, / Take care, / Speak soon, (warm and casual)
• Love, (for close friends and family only)
• Best, (friendly but slightly more neutral)

A full example

Hi Sam,

Hope you're well! It was great to catch up last week. I'm writing because a few of us are planning a picnic on Saturday, and it wouldn't be the same without you. Do you fancy coming along? We're meeting at the park around noon, and everyone's bringing something to share.

Let me know if you can make it. No worries if you're busy.

Cheers, Ana

Notice how relaxed it is: contractions throughout, a warm opener, a casual question and a friendly sign-off, all while staying perfectly clear.

Getting the tone right

The heart of informal email writing is matching your tone to your reader, which is a genuine writing skill. For the formal end of writing, see our C1 writing prompts, and to sharpen the underlying accuracy, our guide to improving your English grammar. Our Eng4Skills assessment grades your written English against the CEFR, so you can see whether your writing controls tone and register the way a strong writer's does.