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A formele brief (formal letter) is a letter to someone you don’t know personally, or to someone in charge: a principal, a municipality, a company or a newspaper. You write it to complain, to ask for something or to apply for something. The format is fixed, so once you know it, those marks are easy to earn.
The format
This is the format most schools teach. Your teacher may want small differences (for example, where the subject line goes or whether the date sits on the left), so always follow what your teacher and your exam paper ask for.
Your address and the date (top right)
Write your own address in the top right corner, one line per part: street, suburb, town, postal code. In Afrikaans the street name comes before the number: Protealaan 18, not 18 Protealaan.
Write the date directly below your address, with the month in words: 26 Oktober 2026.
Leave out commas and full stops at the ends of the address lines.
The receiver’s title and address (left)
On the left, a little lower down, write the title of the person you’re writing to, then the name of the school or company, then their address.
| Afrikaans | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Die Hoof | The Principal |
| Die Munisipale Bestuurder | The Municipal Manager |
| Die Bestuurder | The Manager |
| Die Redakteur | The Editor (of a newspaper) |
The salutation (aanhef)
The aanhef (salutation) always starts with Geagte (Dear, but formal). Never use Liewe: that’s for friends and family.
| When to use it | Salutation |
|---|---|
| You don't know the person’s name | Geagte Heer/Dame |
| You know it’s a man, e.g. Mr Pillay | Geagte mnr. Pillay |
| You know it’s a woman, e.g. Mrs Botha | Geagte mev. Botha |
Note that mnr. (Mr) and mev. (Mrs) are written in small letters, with a full stop.
The subject line (Insake)
Under the salutation, write a short subject line that says what the letter is about. It usually starts with Insake: (Regarding). You may also see Betreft:, which means the same thing, but Insake is the one most schools use. Make it bold (or underline it if you write by hand).
Keep it to a few words, not a whole sentence: Insake: Stukkende straatligte in Protealaan.
The body: opening, middle and closing
Write the body in short paragraphs:
- Opening paragraph: say straight away why you are writing. Ek skryf aan u om te kla oor …
- Middle paragraph(s): give the facts: what happened, when, and how it affects you.
- Closing paragraph: say what you would like to happen, and thank the reader. Ek sal dit waardeer as u …
The closing (Die uwe)
End with Die uwe (Yours faithfully) on its own line. Under it comes your signature, and under that your initials and surname: T. Mokoena. Not your first name only, and never Groete or Liefde.
Useful formal phrases
| Afrikaans | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ek skryf aan u om te kla oor … | I am writing to you to complain about … |
| Ek skryf aan u in verband met … | I am writing to you about … |
| Na aanleiding van u advertensie in … | With reference to your advertisement in … |
| Hiermee doen ek aansoek om … | I hereby apply for … |
| Ek wil graag my ontevredenheid uitspreek oor … | I would like to express my dissatisfaction with … |
| Afrikaans | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ek sal dit waardeer as u … | I would appreciate it if you … |
| Ek sien uit na u antwoord. | I look forward to your reply. |
| Baie dankie vir u tyd en aandag. | Thank you for your time and attention. |
| Byvoorbaat dank. | Thank you in advance. |
Formal register
A formal letter must sound formal. Three rules:
- Use u, not jy or jou. U is the polite word for “you” and “your”, and it’s written with a small letter in the middle of a sentence: Ek sien uit na u antwoord.
- No slang or chatty words. Leave out words like cool, ou (guy), hey and man, and don’t use exclamation marks to sound angry.
- No contractions. Write dit is, not dit’s; hy is, not hy’s. (The article ’n is fine: that’s just how “a” is spelled.)
| Informal | Formal |
|---|---|
| Hey, kan jy my asseblief help? | Kan u my asseblief help? |
| Dit’s regtig nie cool nie! | Dit is onaanvaarbaar. |
| Ek wag vir jou antwoord. | Ek sien uit na u antwoord. |
Wenk!
When you’ve finished, read your letter once looking only for jy, jou and julle. Change every one to u. It takes 30 seconds and it’s the mistake markers spot first.
Example letter
Here is a complaint to a municipality. Notice how short it is: a formal letter gets to the point.
Protealaan 18
Sonnedal
0181
26 Oktober 2026
Die Munisipale Bestuurder
Sonnedal Munisipaliteit
Posbus 440
Sonnedal
0180
Geagte Heer/Dame
Insake: Stukkende straatligte in Protealaan
Ek skryf aan u om te kla oor die straatligte in Protealaan. Vier van die ligte werk al sedert begin September nie.
Die straat is saans baie donker. Leerders wat van sportoefening af huis toe stap, voel nie veilig nie, en verlede week is daar by twee huise ingebreek. Ek het die probleem op 15 September en weer op 3 Oktober by u kantoor aangemeld, maar die ligte is nog nie herstel nie. My verwysingsnommer is SL2241.
Ek sal dit waardeer as die ligte so gou moontlik herstel kan word. Baie dankie vir u tyd en aandag. Ek sien uit na u antwoord.
Die uwe
(handtekening)
T. Mokoena
Common mistakes
Wrong: Liewe Meneer Pillay
Right: Geagte mnr. Pillay
Liewe is for informal letters. A formal letter always starts with Geagte.
Wrong: Ek hoop jy kan my help.
Right: Ek hoop u kan my help.
In a formal letter, jy and jou become u.
Wrong: Dit’s onaanvaarbaar.
Right: Dit is onaanvaarbaar.
No contractions in formal writing.
Wrong: Groete, Thabo
Right: Die uwe / (handtekening) / T. Mokoena
Close with Die uwe, and give your initials and surname, not just your first name.
Wrong: Insake: Ek skryf om te kla oor die ligte in ons straat wat al weke lank nie werk nie
Right: Insake: Stukkende straatligte in Protealaan
The subject line is a short heading, not a sentence.
Practice
Answer each question, then check your answer.
- Which salutation do you use when you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to?
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Geagte Heer/Dame
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Write the salutation for a formal letter to Mrs Naidoo.
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Geagte mev. Naidoo
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- Where do you write your own address and the date?
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In the top right corner, with the date directly below the address.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- What does Insake mean?
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Regarding. It introduces the subject line.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Which two words do you write just above your signature?
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Die uwe
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- What do you write under your signature?
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Your initials and surname, e.g. T. Mokoena.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf formeel oor: Kan jy asseblief my vraag beantwoord?
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Kan u asseblief my vraag beantwoord?
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf formeel oor: Dit’s ’n groot probleem.
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Dit is ’n groot probleem.
Probeer weer! Check the rules above, cover the answer and have another go.
- Skryf formeel oor: Ek sien uit na jou antwoord.
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Ek sien uit na u antwoord.
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- Vul in (appreciate): Ek sal dit ___ as u my kan help.
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waardeer
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Klaar! Lekker gewerk.
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