How to write business letters in Serbian
Hello, how are you my dear students. This time, I decided to write something about the business letters in Serbian. This is NOT for beginners. Feel free to read it if your level is B2+ and you already have a good knowledge of the Serbian language.
I hope after this article, you are going to write the business letters in Serbian much easier and your business partners from any Serbian speaking country would be impressed with your knowledge.
GREETING
The greeting is an important part of a letter. The choice of the right greeting depends on whether you know the person you are writing to and how formal your relationship is.
Very formal (for official business letters)
Uvažena gospodo - Reputable gentlemen: Use only when you do not know to whom you must address the letter, for example, when writing to an institution. Uvaženi gospodine - Reputable mr. / Uvažena gospođo - reputable Madam,Use when you are writing to the specific person and you already know his/her last name (for example: .uvaženi gospodine Petroviću ,Use when you have a named male contact. Uvažena gospođo Petrović ,Use when you have a named female contact)
Less formal but still professional (business letters)
(Drage - dear) kolege, the teachers will use it when they get on really well with their students and they want to show their affection. Otherwise they would simply say "Uvažene kolege - to the men only or to a group of people in general / uvažene koleginice - if the professor speaks to the girls only" when they want to be a bit polite, especially at the beginning when they do not know you. Otherwise they would use simply "koleginice / kolege"
Informal (personal letters)
These greetings should be used with people you are close to, as they might offend others.
Hello guys,Use when writing to a group of people you know very well.Hi - ćao,Use when writing to one or more people you know very well.
- There should be a comma after the salutation and a colon after “Uvaženi/uvažene”.
- Avoid the exclamation (!) in greetings.
- Avoid the caps , because if your letters are big all the time, then it will sound like you are yelling all the time.
STARTING YOUR LETTER
There two ways in which business letters usually start: they make reference to a previous contact, for example, phone conversation, meeting, previous mail correspondence; or they are the first contact with the recipient.
Making reference to previous contact
I am - Ja pišem (we are writing - Mi pišemo) regarding - u vezi sa ...
- your inquiry about … --- Vašim upitom o ...
- our phone conversation … --- našem telefonskim razgovorom
In reply to your request … --- kako bismo odgovorili na Vaš upit
Thank you for contacting us. --- hvala što ste nas kontaktirali.
Contacting the recipient for the first time
I am (we are) writing to --- Ja pišem (mi pišemo) da
- inform you that … --- Vas obavestim da ...
- confirm … --- potvrdim ...
- enquire about … --- se raspitam o....
- complain about … --- se požalim na ....
I am contacting you for the following reason. --- Kontaktiram Vas iz sledećeg razloga
I recently heard about … and would like to … --- Skoro sam čuo (says a man) / čula (says a woman) da ...
MAKING A REQUEST
We would appreciate it if you would … -- Bilo bi nam drago ako biste ....
I would be grateful if you could … --- Bio bih vam zahvalan (says a man) / Bila bih vam zahvalna (says a woman) ako biste ...
Could you please send me … -- Da li biste mi poslali .... molim Vas
Could you possibly tell us … --- Da li biste nam možda rekli ....
It would be helpful if you could send us … -- Bilo bi korisno ako biste nam mogli poslati ...
GIVING GOOD NEWS
We are pleased to announce that … --- Zadovoljstvo nam je da najavimo ...
I am delighted to inform you that … --- sa zadovoljstvom Vas obaveštavam da ....
GIVING BAD NEWS
We regret to inform you that … --- Žao nam je što vas moramo obavestiti da ...
I’m afraid it would not be possible to … --- Bojim se da to nije moguće
Unfortunately we are unable to … --- Na žalost, ne možemo ...
After careful consideration we have decided … -- Nakon detaljnog razmatranja, odlučili smo ...
ENDING YOUR LETTER
Enclosures
Please find enclosed (for letters) -- Molimo Vas, u prilogu Vam dostavljamo
Please find attached (for emails) ---Molimo Vas, u prilogu Vam dostavljamo
Offering future assistance
If you require more information, please let us know. --- Ako Vam je potrebno više informacija, javite nam.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance. --- Molimo Vas, ne oklevajte da nas kontaktirate ako Vam je potrebna neka dalja pomoć.
Referring to future contact
I am looking forward to talking to you soon. --- Radujem se našem skorašnjem razgovoru.
We are looking forward to meeting you on 21 January/in Belgrade. - Radujemo se sastanku s Vama, 21 januara / u Beogradu
We would appreciate your reply at your earliest convenience. - Bili bismo Vam zahvalni ako biste nam odgovorili što je pre moguće.
Closing
The closing salutation must match the opening salutation and the overall tone of the letter. Choose one of the following closing lines depending on the formality of the salutation.
Very formal
Srdačan pozdrav - Kind regards Bićemo u kontaktu - We will be in touch
Respectfully - s poštovanjem
Informal
Best - Sve najbolje
I'm kissing you - LJubim te
Homework, try to write your own business letter.
If you have any questions, ne oklevajte da me pitate (do not hesitate to ask me).
Good luck and have a nice day.
January 24, 2020
