Direct > polite > Indirect or super polite
I want > I would like > [Would it be / is it] possible to have
Thanks / Cheers > Thank you (very much) > That’s very kind / I’m (so) grateful for…
I can’t make it > I’m afraid I can’t be there / present > Unfortunately it’s not possible to attend
I promise > I assure you > I can assure you
Could you > I was wondering if you could
Please could you > I would be grateful if you could > Is it possible to ..
You haven’t > According to our records, (it seems that) we haven’t received … > the ___ has not been received
Don’t forget > please remember that xxx is due this Friday > we would like to remind you that …
What do you want? > Please (do) let us know your requirements
Think about using the passive
I need > we require > It is necessary that
I’m sorry for the mistake > Please accept our apologies for
Re: meeting > regarding / in regards to / in reference to/ the meeting
I’m sorry to tell you > We regret to advise you that
But > However
Also > In addition
So > Thus / therefore
Shall I > Would you like us to
See you soon > We look forward to seeing you soon
Remember that the longer the sentence, the more polite it is
Btw > Incidentally > Just to let you know > Just to inform you
As we agreed/ said in our email / on the telephone > Further to our email / conversation on the 29th > Following on from ….
Any problems, call me > Do not hesitate to call with any questions (I’m happy to help)
Feel free to ask > please do not hesitate to ask any questions
I’d like to ask about > I’d like to inquire
If you need help just call me > If I can be of any further assistance, please ask / call / contact
Thanks > Thanks in advance > Thank you in advance
Consider your audience and the effect of being too polite
See you soon > Hope to hear from you soon > Looking forward to your (prompt) reply
Please find inside > Please find enclosed / attached > Please complete the attached forms and return by 12th Feb
Please see below > If you look at the table below, we can see
Please ignore last email > please disregard previous email, it was sent in error
Sorry if this is late > I hope this has reached you in time
How are you > Hope you had a good weekend? > I hope this reaches you well > I hope you are doing well
Sorry I can’t > I’m afraid it’s not possible that day / my agenda is fully booked /
I need to cancel > Unfortunately, we have to postpone, something urgent has come up
We don’t like these conditions > Our main concerns at this stage are :
No > I hear what you are saying, however, that would be difficult
We realised that this sucks > It has been brought to our attention that there is an issue