How to write a formal letter and e-mail in Polish

A formal and an informal letter – the differences

You write a formal letter to an office, a company, a school or a person you do not know personally; an informal one to friends and family. They differ in their phrases, the form of address to the recipient and the vocabulary.

Distinguishing between official and unofficial style is among the B1 writing requirements. Among the forms of written expression at this level, the regulation on examinations lists the private letter, formal and informal, while the cover letter and the official letter appear in the requirements from level B2. You can check what the written part of the exam looks like in our description of writing in the B1 exam.

The layout of a formal letter: what goes where

Every element of a formal letter has its place on the page. Stick to this order – the recipient sees straight away who is writing, to whom and about what.

1. Place and date – top right corner: Lublin, 14 listopada 2026 r. The month in the genitive: 14 listopada, not “14 listopad”.
2. Sender – top left corner: first name and surname, address.
3. Addressee – lower down, on the right: the name of the institution or a first name and surname with a title.
4. Dotyczy (optional; “Re:”) – one sentence about the matter: Dotyczy: awarii ogrzewania w mieszkaniu nr 15.
5. Opening phrase – in the middle or from the left: Szanowni Państwo,
6. Introduction – why you are writing, in 1–2 sentences.
7. Body – facts, dates, details; one paragraph = one idea.
8. Closing – a request, an expectation, thanks.
9. Closing formula and signature – Z poważaniem, and your first name and surname underneath.

Polite phrases for each part of the letter

Ready-made phrases save time and straight away give the letter the right tone. Choose one for each part.

The vocative in the opening phrase: a man – Szanowny Panie Dyrektorze (the vocative form), a woman – Szanowna Pani Dyrektor (the title does not change). In the opening phrase you usually do not give the surname: instead of “Szanowny Panie Kowalski” write Szanowny Panie or use the title.

Capital letters and commas

A formal letter follows a few rules of punctuation and spelling that differ from many other languages. Breaking them is immediately visible.

• After the opening phrase Szanowni Państwo, you put a comma, and you start the text on the new line with a small letter. After an exclamation mark (Szanowni Państwo!) – a capital.
• Pan, Pani, Państwo and their forms (Panu, Pana, Państwa) are written with a capital letter – it is a sign of respect for the addressee.
• After Z poważaniem and Pozdrawiam there is no comma.
• You write the date with the name of the month in the genitive (14 listopada 2026 r.) or in digits (14.11.2026 r.).

An example: a formal letter to a building management

Note: the introduction says straight away what the request is about; the body gives facts with dates; the closing contains a specific request with a deadline. You will find vocabulary for agreements and faults in our guide to renting a flat.

A formal e-mail – how it differs from a letter

A formal e-mail has the same parts as a letter, but without the addresses and the place at the top – in return, it has a good subject line. The most important differences:

• Subject – short and specific: Reklamacja zamówienia nr 4512 (a complaint about an order), not “Pytanie” (A question) or “Ważne” (Important).
• Opening phrase – Szanowni Państwo, or, increasingly in business correspondence, Dzień dobry,. Many recipients consider the word Witam inappropriate in a first message.
• Attachments – announce them in the text: W załączniku przesyłam… (I am sending in the attachment…)
• Signature – first name and surname, and if needed the position and company.

You can read how to prepare for an interview to which an employer invites you in our guide to a job interview in Polish.

Mistakes the reader will notice straight away

Most mistakes in formal letters are a mixing of styles and small spelling details that the reader notices at once.

How to practise writing letters

You cannot learn writing from models alone – you need your own texts and correction. Every week write one short letter: a complaint, a request for information, a report of a fault. Compare it with the example on this page, and then give it to a teacher to check. See a sample B1 letter with an assessment against the exam criteria; we carry out systematic correction of texts in the writing course. A teacher can assess one of your letters at the trial lesson.