saludos cordiales
/saludos koɾdjales/from spelling rules
In Spanish, kind regards is translated as saludos cordiales.
Saludos cordiales is a standard, professional way to close business emails and formal letters in Spanish.
Meaning: polite closing of a letter (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'cordial greetings'.
Which one should you use?
While saludos cordiales is a professional standard, atentamente is often considered slightly more formal or traditional in written correspondence.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, it is common to use Atentamente.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the phrase is un saludo cordial, which means 'a cordial greeting'.
How do you pronounce it?
/saludos koɾdjales/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American business cultures, using saludos cordiales can feel too cold if you have met the person in person, leading many to prefer un fuerte abrazo meaning 'a strong hug'.
- The word cordiales comes from the Latin 'cor', meaning 'heart', implying that the greetings are literally from the heart.
- In modern digital communication, Spanish speakers often shorten saludos cordiales to just saludos or even salu2, using the number two to represent the 'dos' sound.
Examples in context
- Al final de la carta, él escribió "Saludos cordiales" y firmó con su nombre.At the bottom of the letter he wrote "Kind regards," then signed his name.This example shows the placement of saludos cordiales at the end of a letter.Tatoeba #1372247 by marcelostockle, translation #430892 by saeb
- Debes terminar el correo con saludos cordiales.You should finish the email with kind regards.
- Ella siempre usa saludos cordiales en sus mensajes.She always uses kind regards in her messages.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a professional email at work.
- Javier¿Cómo debería cerrar este mensaje formal?How should I close this formal message?
- LucíaPuedes usar saludos cordiales, Javier.You can use kind regards, Javier.
- JavierEstá bien, parece muy profesional.Okay, it looks very professional.
- LucíaSí, es una despedida muy adecuada.Yes, it is a very appropriate closing.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
