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    Yours faithfully vs. Yours sincerely

    17­ Replies
    Topic

    Yours faithfully vs. Yours sincerely

    Comment
    Hello everyone,
    to my surprise, I have recently heard about there being a difference between the uses of "Yours faithfully" and "Yours sincerely". It seems to depend on what sort of person is to receive the letter. For all I know right now, you say "Yours sincerely", addressing a single male person (Dear Mr. Johnson) and "Yours faithfully", writing to a female person or respectively to a group of persons featuring women (Dear Mrs. Smith/Dear Sir or Madam).
    Nevertheless, I am not a hundred percent sure this assumption is correct. And even after consulting this forum's older threads, I am not that much smarter.
    I would therefore appreciate it if you folks could enlighten me on this matter.
    Have a nice day everyone and enjoy the summer!!!

    See also: related discussion: Anrede und Schluss in einem Letter to the edi...
    AuthorAlex20 Aug 09, 16:43
    Comment
    Wo hast du denn gehört, das das vom Geschlecht abhängt? Aus dem verlinkten Faden geht das nicht hervor.
    #1AuthorZora [de] (593998) 20 Aug 09, 16:56
    Comment
    This is what I was taught:

    Dear Sirs,... Yours faithfully, (referring to the company as a whole, rather than a specific person, and more formal)
    or
    Dear Mr.(or Ms. / Mrs.)Smith... Yours sincerely, (when you know exactly who is being addressed).
    #2AuthorMackie20 Aug 09, 17:40
    Comment
    schreibe

    Best Regards,

    oder

    Sincerely,

    dann liegt man immer gut. Kommt aber wieder immer auf den Kontext an und an den Empfaenger. (Queen?)
    #3AuthorRichtisch20 Aug 09, 17:49
    Comment
    For BE, Mackie's answer in #2 is the standard solution.
    #4Author Spike BE (535528) 20 Aug 09, 18:47
    Comment
    "Yours faithfully" is not in general use in the USA. Usually just "Sincerely" in business letters.
    #5AuthorRobNYNY20 Aug 09, 19:10
    Comment
    Dear Sir/Madam -> Yours faithfully
    Dear Mr/Mrs Green -> Yours sincerely

    Lernen wir gerade so in der Schule
    #6Authorwegmuka03 Sep 09, 14:11
    Comment
    So hab ich's dereinst auch gelernt ...
    #7Author Woody 1 (455616) 03 Sep 09, 14:25
    Comment
    If you name them (i.e. Mr. Brown, Steve, etc.): "sincerely"

    If you don't (i.e. Sir/Madam, Sirs, Customer, etc.): "faithfully"
    #8AuthorLegal Alien (479525) 03 Sep 09, 14:38
    Comment
    Wie schon angeführt habe ich's auch gelernt, dereinst sowie auch unlängst wieder für ein Cambridge Exam.
    #9Authortigger03 Sep 09, 14:40
    Comment
    No. 2s answer (Mackie) is the correct one. If in doubt, write "Kind regards", that's how most English business people do it. (As they are sometimes unsure of the rule themselves...) :)
    #10AuthorNika22 Oct 09, 16:18
    Comment
    Vieleicht ist das ja hilfreich, ich habe das nämlich auch gerade in der Schule.
    Für Emails sieht das ganze dann aber schon wieder anders aus.

    When the recipient's name is unknown to you:
    Dear Sir ... Yours faithfully
    Dear Madam ... Yours faithfully
    Dear Sir or Madam ... Yours faithfully

    When you know the recipient's name:
    Dear Mr Hanson ... Yours sincerely
    Dear Mrs Hanson ... Yours sincerely
    Dear Miss Hanson ... Yours sincerely
    Dear Ms Hanson ... Yours sincerely

    When addressing a good friend or colleague:
    Dear Jack ... Best wishes/Best regards

    Addressing whole departments: 
    Dear Sirs ... Yours faithfully



    http://www.speakspeak.com/html/d2h_resources_...
    #11AuthorIdefix22 Oct 09, 19:41
    Comment
    as far as i know "yours faithfully" is too old-fashioned and way too formal.

    (yours) sincerely ( depending on recipient: AE/BE) is fine
    #12Authorplonk23 Oct 09, 13:50
    Comment
    #11 is correct concerning UK usage. But not for the USA (see #5).
    #13AuthorSteve UK23 Oct 09, 13:53
    Comment
    Ich hoffe, es ist OK, dass ich den alten Thread wieder ausgrabe, aber ich dachte, es ist besser, als einen neuen zu starten, da es ja schon einiges zu dem Thema gibt.

    Ich kenne auch die Unterscheidung
    Dear Sir/Madam -> Yours faithfully
    Dear Mr/Ms XXX -> Yours sincerely

    Jetzt habe ich aber einen Fall, in dem der Adressat des Briefes bekannt ist (er steht in der Adresszeile, es ist ein formeller Brief auf Ämterebene), die Anrede lautet aber "Sehr geehrter Herr Kollege", also ohne Namensnennung.
    Ist die Schlussformel dann "yours faithfully"? Oder doch "yours sincerely", weil es ja an eine konkrete Person geht?
    #14Authorgrisetta (240112) 04 Nov 16, 09:36
    Comment
    If it's for BE, someone else will need to answer.

    If it's for AE, just say "Sincerely"--as has already been indicated in earlier posts.
    #15AuthorHappyWarrior (964133) 04 Nov 16, 10:56
    Comment
    grisetta, "Herr Kollege" ist ja eine persönliche Anrede, weil ein ganz bestimmter Kollege angesprochen wird. Insofern ist "yours sincerely" sicher angebracht.
    #16Author tigger (236106) 04 Nov 16, 11:02
    Comment
    ---
    #17Author no me bré (700807) 04 Nov 16, 11:45
     
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