We know what it's like to write emails in English when you're not a native-English speaker. It takes time. There are many aspects to take into account. It's not only about knowing different email phrases, greetings, and sign-offs. It's also about tone, spelling, and grammar. In this article, we will touch on an important grammar aspect: verb tenses. Our goal is not to cover them all, but to go over the main verb tenses you will need for your professional emails.
Use Present Simple to talk about general truths or actions that happen frequently. Also use it with the verbs have, agree, believe, guess, like, love, know, mean, think, and understand (also known as stative verbs).
Examples:
Use Present Continuous (also known as Present Progressive) to talk about actions happening right now. Also use it to talk about plans already arranged.
Examples:
Use Past Simple to say that a specific event happened in the past. This event started and finished at a specific time in the past (and that period is finished). It is often used with expressions like last month, yesterday, in 2015, or two weeks ago.
Examples:
*Past Simple may also make your sentences more polite. Other ways to show politeness are using would and could.
Examples:
Use Past Continuous (also known as Past Progressive) to describe an ongoing event in the past. We often use past continues when the action overlaps another past action (with expressions such as when or while). We often use Past Continuous to describe the background of the story and to emphasize that an action lasted for a while.
Examples:
Use Present Perfect to describe an action that is being repeated –the first time it happened in the past, but up until now, it keeps happening (e.g. I've been to New York 5 times). Likewise, use Present Perfect to describe an action that started in the past and it is true up to this day –this action is not finished (e.g. I have lived in Valencia since 2020; I haven't finished the draft yet). You will often see it with the words already, never, yet, and X times.
Examples:
Use the Future Simple (will) to describe an event in the future when there is no fixed plan or decision the moment we speak, as well as to talk about conditionals (if). We also use it to talk about promises, requests, offers, and refusals. It also works well with the words and expressions as soon as, and I think, I'm sure and when.
Examples:
We use imperative verbs when we want to ask people to do something. They indicate order or command. In professional emails, they are usually paired with please and thank you.
Examples:
Remember! There are many other verb tenses in English. These are just the most common ones in business emails. If you would like us to write other blog posts on this topics, tell us in the comment section!
Before you go, check your knowledge with the following email fragments. Complete the gaps with the correct tense of the verbs in brackets.
Activity 1:
Hi Anna,
I __ (1- hope) this email __ (2- find) you well.
I __ (3- write) to let you know that the invoice we __ (4- receive) from Exemply Inc. is incorrect. I __ (5 - attach) the file we received.
___ (6 - you / email) the account manager yesterday? I __ (7 - talk) to their customer support right now, but I __ (8 - not know) if they __ (9 - be) able to solve this problem.
Please __ (10 - let) me know when you hear back from them.
Thank you!
Alex
Activity 2:
🙌 Check the answers here.
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