We’ve all been there: you need to reach out to a company or some sort of organization, but you’ve absolutely no idea who to address the email to!
The natural course of action would be to write ‘to whom it may concern’, but how (on earth!) do you say that in Spanish?
There are actually a few options for you to try, so stick around and let’s get into the juicy deets.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
‘To whom it may concern’ is usually expressed in the following ways –
1. A quien corresponda, = To whom it may concern,
2. A quien pueda resultar de interésm, = To whom it may concern,
3. Estimados, = Dear (recipients),
1 A quien corresponda – To whom it may concern
‘A quien corresponda’ is probably the most common formal salutation when writing an email / letter to a company, organization, or institution at which you don’t have a specific contact.
Una carta
A quien corresponda,
Este es un aviso a todos los condóminos e inquilinos de la colonia San Pedro. A partir del próximo martes, habrán cortes de luz debido a labores de mantenimiento al cableado eléctrico.
A letter
To whom it may concern,
This is a notice to all owners and tenants in the San Pedro neighborhood. Starting next Tuesday, there will be power cuts due to maintenance work on the electrical wiring.
Un correo para aplicar a una vacante de trabajo
A quien corresponda,
Me encuentro interesada en la posición de supervisor de logística dentro de su empresa. Adjunto mi* currículo esperando que sea de su interés.
Applying for a job vacancy (email)
To whom it may concern,
I am interested in the position of logistics supervisor within your company. I have attached my resume in the hope that it will be of interest to you.
Erika’s note – ‘mi’ is the Spanish word for ‘my’, NOT to be confused with the pronoun ‘me’!
2 A quien pueda resultar de interés – To whom it may concern
Equally formal, we have ‘a quien pueda resultar de interés’, which literally means ‘to whom it may be of interest’ (i.e., ‘to whom it may concern’).
Un aviso en el periódico mural de una escuela
A quien pueda resultar de interés,
A partir de marzo contaremos con clases gratuitas de regularización a todos los alumnos que requieran apoyo para mejorar su rendimiento escolar.
An ad in the bulletin board of a school
To whom it may concern,
Starting in March we will offer free regularization classes for all students who require support to improve their school performance.
3 A quien pueda interesar / A quien le interese – To those who may be interested
These are shorter variations of ‘a quien pueda resultar de interés’ – which, let’s be honest, can be quite a mouthful – and although they’re more concise, they’re considered equally as formal.
Mario – Imprimí unos volantes dirigidos a quienes les interese formar un grupo de teatro amateur.
Regina – ¡Excelente idea! Te ayudo a repartirlos.
Mario – I printed flyers addressed to anyone interested in forming an amateur theatre group.
Regina – Excellent idea! I’ll help you distribute them.
Un tweet
Comparto aquí un vínculo a un artículo fascinante sobre el espacio profundo a quien pueda interesar el tema.
A tweet
Here’s a link to a fascinating article on deep space for anyone who may be interested in the subject.
4 Estimados – Dear (recipients)
Don’t be surprised if you receive an email addressed to an ‘estimado’ (masculine), ‘estimada’ (feminine) or simply ‘estimados’ (plural), which are all synonyms of ‘dear’ in English (‘esteemed’ would be its literal translation).
Even though ‘estimado’ would normally be followed by the name or surname of the recipient (as is the case with ‘dear’ in English), it’s not uncommon for Spanish-speakers to use it on its own.
The plural ‘estimados’ is especially useful if you’re unsure of the recipient’s gender or if you wanna address a group of people.
Un mensaje en un grupo de Whatsapp
Estimados, les recuerdo que mañana tendremos junta vecinal a las 10 AM. Favor de llegar puntuales.
A message in a Whatsapp group
Dear friends, just a reminder that our neighborhood meeting is tomorrow at 10 AM. Please arrive on time.
Of course, if you do know the title or other relevant information about the recipient, this comes AFTER ‘estimado’ –
Un correo electrónico
Estimado consejo estudiantil,
Escribo para hacer de su conocimiento mi interés en postularme como jefe de clase.
An email
Dear student council,
I’m writing to let you know of my interest in running for Head of Class.
5 Distinguida / Distinguido – Distinguished (recipients)
‘Distinguida’ (feminine) and ‘distinguido’ (masculine) mean ‘distinguished’ in English, and they’re used as a salutation in Spanish, much in the same way as ‘estimado’ – although ‘distinguido’ might come across as a bit more old-fashioned.
Un mensaje navideño dirigido a donadores de una ONG
Distinguidos miembros de la fundación,
Les deseamos felices fiestas para ustedes y sus familias.
A Christmas message addressed to donors to an NGO
Distinguished members of the foundation,
We wish you and your family a very happy holiday.
Una empresa hace una publicación en su perfil social
Distinguida clientela, hacemos de su conocimiento que mañana cerraremos para dar mantenimiento a nuestras instalaciones. Gracias por su comprensión.
A company posts on its social profile
Distinguished clientele, just to inform you that tomorrow we’ll be closed due to maintenance work. Thanks for your understanding.
6 Buenos días – Good day
It’s also common to use ‘buenos días’ – or ‘buenas tardes’ (‘good evening’) / ‘buenas noches’ (‘good night’) according to the time of the day – as a salutation when you don’t know the recipient’s name or when addressing more than one person.
Un mensaje en el grupo de Whatsapp de una startup
Buenos días* tengan todos. Los invito a partir el pastel de cumpleaños de nuestro compañero Gilberto al medio día en la cafetería.
A message in the Whatsapp group of a startup
Good morning, everyone. You’re all invited for a piece of Gilberto’s birthday cake in the cafeteria at noon.
Erika’s top tip – definitely check out our article on all the different ways to respond ‘buenos días’ if you’d like to level-up your everyday Spanish vocab.
Final thoughts
Hopefully this list has provided you with some useful salutations!
‘A quien corresponda’ is your definite go-to, but it’s always good to customize your messages and mix things up a bit!
Oh, and if you wanna learn more super useful Spanish expressions, then head on over to our article on all the ways to say ‘do you need help’ in Spanish.
¡Hasta la próxima!
