31- parte 2. What would you write in Spanish?

Maybe you have native- speaker friends and want to show them the courtesy of a note of sympathy or congratulations in Spanish. Maybe you have a foreign pen pal. I correspond a couple of times a year with a 60-year-old woman in Guatemala. “Estimada Señora,” I begin, and then I labor with a verb book to write a good letter.

Maybe you’d like having a pen pal. Many listings for pen pals are online. I looked into one called mylanguageexchage.com. Whatever your reason, if you write to another person, you should be aware that Spanish writing is formal and flowery. The opening paragraph does not go immediately to the business of the letter. Both at the beginning and the end, it’s customary to inquire about the family, express pleasure in your acquaintance with the person you’re writing, declare yourself eager to be of service, mention good wishes for holidays that are near, and similar leisurely pleasantries. We haven’t written like this in English in a long time and it’s all quite elegant. I guarantee that your Spanish will become more correct if you try it . . . and, of course, that you’ll be having fun with your ( improved ) Spanish.