Did you know December 7 is Letter Writing Day? It’s a month full of snow flurries, hot tea, sitting by the fireplace and the chance to remind someone how much you care. Writing and receiving handwritten letters is a great way to reconnect and write to an old friend, perhaps someone practicing the same language.
Here are some tips from a few of our eTutors for greeting your friends in the language you’re learning:
Japanese
Opening remarks:
久しぶり！元気？Hisashiburi! Genki?
“It’s been a while! How are you?”
Closing remark:
体に気をつけてね。Karada ni kiotsukete ne.
“Please take care!”
Italian
Opening remarks:
Caro Antonio (“Dear Antonio” — masculine)
Cara Anna (“Dear Anna” — feminine)
Closing remarks:
Un saluto (a greeting — informal)
Cordialmente Suo (Cordially Yours very formal)
German:
Opening remarks:
Lieber (male name)
Liebe (female name)
Hallo!
Closing remark:
Liebe Grüße,
French
Opening remarks:
Salut (first name)!
Bonjour (first name)!
Comment vas-tu? (how are you?) or Comment ça va? (How is it going?)
Closing remarks:
A bientôt (j’espère) (See you soon (I hope))
A plus (tard) (Until later), sometimes abbreviated A+
Spanish
Opening remarks:
Querido (when writing to a male friend)
Querida (when writing to a female friend)
Closing remarks:
Un abrazo de . . . (a hug from)
Un beso de . . . (a kiss from)
Espero que nos veamos pronto . . . (I hope to see each other soon)
Chinese
Opening remark:
你好。Ní hăo
Closing remark:
亲爱的 Qīn‘ài de.
Before the rush of traditional holiday cards, stand out with unique stationary to your friends and family all around the world.
Atlas Stationary DIY Tip: Find a couple old atlas maps to use for your stationary! Simply cut one of the maps into rectangles (the size you’d like your letters to be) and voila! The white side is perfect for your letter and the map on the other side will look authentic and fun.
For your envelopes, take another map and cut into squares, white side facing up. Mark the center of the square. Fold two opposing sides toward the center of the square. Fold the bottom point upward to the center, so that the tip is about half an inch above the center point. Now, fold the top point downward toward the center, so that it also overlaps by about half an inch. Use either glue or (preferably) double sided tape to hold the bottom flap in place.
