I love writing letters to my friends but I've grown quite weary of using such endings as "Sincerely" and "Always." Anyone have any better suggestions? What are your favorite "parting shots" to close friends or family?

Later Gater

Shared language?

I always sign off ave or vale or something of that sort. Even when writing to people who don't know Latin.

For business communications, I close with "Regards"
For close friends "Later Bro" for men and "Later Boo" for women (I have odd friends who appreciate the lax nature of these"
For not so close friends "Peace be with you"(it tests the waters for later oddities)
For family "Dearly"
For my wife "With deepest love"

I like that. I may begin using "veritus et aequitus."

Useful Latin closings:

Cacoethes scribendi - An insatiable urge to write. (Juvenal)
Facta, non verba - Deeds, not words.
Lapsus calami - A slip of the pen
Obesa cantavit - The fat lady has sung
Oderint dum metuant - Let them hate provided that they fear. (Seneca)
Per angusta in augusta - Through difficulties to great things
Per ardua ad astra - Through difficulties to the stars
Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est - The check is in the mail
Qui scribit bis legit - He who writes reads twice
Res ipsa loquitur - The thing speaks for itself
Roma locuta est. Causa finita est - Rome has spoken. The cause is finished
Semper scriptum mandate - Always get it in writing!
Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) - The Senate and the Roman people
Scribere est agere-To write is to act.
Tu fui, ego eris - What you are, I was. What I am, you will be. (Inscription found on graves and burial sites)
Vir humanus et doctorus/litteratus - A gentleman and a scholar
Ut humiliter opinor - In my humble opinion
Verba volant, (littera) scripta manet - Words fly away, the written (letter) remains
De inimico non loquaris sed cogites - Don't wish ill for your enemy; plan it
Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit - Man proposes, but God disposes
Honor virutis preamium - Honour is the reward of virtue

love the latin closings. i usually close letters to friends with "cheers" or when i'm feeling silly "i beg to remain your most humble and obedient servant". "with love" is also a good one.

Another Latin closing (thanks to St. Francis for this one): Pax et bonum (Peace and good)

Sometimes, just to be obnoxious, I end writings with the Latin phrase "Quod Erat Demonstrandum." It translates literally to "that which was to be demonstrated", and is used at the end of formal mathematical proofs. It shows the math geek side of me.
I usually write "Best Regards" or "Sincerely."

A good friend of mine always starts his letters with "Greetings" and ends with "De-Greetings." He is also know to watch way too many sci-fi movies. /Craig

one of the FPN ers I write to ends with 'In friendship'..... which I really like and have started to use

I also had a friend who I emailed regularly at one time who always signed off 'your friend in Christ'....... which is great when writing to people Christian faith and I was certainly always appreciative or it.

Other than that I use the usual
'look forward to hearing from you'
'cheers'
'regards'
'blessings'
'until next time'
'namaste'
'peace be with you'
'warmest wishes'
'speak soon'
'right I'm off...'
or any other random thought that goes through my head really.......

And so saying, I remain thine with hops, in haze and foam, by the beard of Ashurbannipal and the buckler of Ninib the Smiter,

MCR>
Abstractor of the Quintessence
Order of the Digital Grail

I had a client who ended letters with such things as "Yours 'til Niagra Falls", with 'Falls' being a verb; this was not an offer or confirmation of an rendezvous. (Or at least I hope it wasn't... )

I really got a kick out of those closings.

And for non-Christian new-agers, could use "Blessed Be"

Hey, that's a good one. For anyone who knows HTML, you could begin with [LETTER] and end with [/LETTER].

I typically use the following:

Best regards,

As ever,

With a handshake, (Vincent van Gogh's favorite sign-off)

All the best,


And on occasion I'll use:

Au revoir,

Ciao!

Getting away from the Latin for a moment:

Gruß und Kuss (love and kisses)
Schönen Gruß zu Hause (give my regards to the folks)
Auf Wiedersehen! (Bye! Cheerio! See ya! TTFN!)
Tschüss

Hoo Roo! or Ooroo!

Do svidanja

Au revoir! (Bye!)
À bientôt

Vaya con Dios! (Go with God!)
Salud!

Salaam

Vaarwel
Doei

Ciao!

Sayonara

Y'all come and see us some time, hear? (not necessarily to be taken literally!)

These are all great suggestions - I especially like all of the Latin phrases. My friends are just the type of people to appreciate them!

In high school German class we began using "Auf Wieder-bye-bye"

A former boss liked "In the Peace of St. Francis and St. John Baptist de la Salle," (it was a Catholic Educational institute) and yet another who simply used "Pax," (which I would copy, but I couldn't stand the man!)

This has been an interesting thread--I had actually consciously been considering finding a unique closing sentiment because "Sincerely" and "Regards" have become a bit dull for my tastes. I wanted to find something unique enough to use for personal and informal correspondence, yet professional enough to use in formal situations... I would consider "Obediently," but nobody that knows me could get past it without laughing...

I'm still debating options... haven't found anything that quite strikes my fancy.

Mit Schlagsahne,

SE

With Metta...

Metta in Pali means loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord. Commonly used in the Buddhist context.

Mike

Are you politely sending the addressee to not a very nice place? (Something like "get out of here. NOW" Or have they sneezed, in the second case? Or toasting to their health?
Is the the second world's most spoken language so we better know it.....

The correct closing in Spanish will vary greatly depending on to whom the letter is addressed to.

Formal: "Atentamente, " "Sin otro particular se despide de usted"...
Informal : " Hasta pronto", "Espero recibir noticias tuyas pronto."
Personal: "Un beso" "Un abrazo", etc.

I'm an editor. You should see some of the stuff I get. This is a distinct possibility.


Probably not that they sneezed. But there's nothing wrong with wishing someone good health. The Romans used to close with "Vale" which is the same thing.



Where I live (Texas) Spanish is pretty much tied with English. I do my best. Your "formal" closings are scrupulously correct. However, the original poster asked for alternative endings to the more formal ones, so I didn't list "Atentamente" etc. I did think about "Hasta pronto" -- don't know why I didn't list it, it's the kind of closing I'd use. "Espero recibir noticias tuyas pronto" might have been something I'd have written as a kid on a letter to a pen pal, but it seems, I don't know, kind of inappropriate for an old man to write.

"Un beso" y "Un abrazo" could only go to my wife, daughters, or grandchildren (all my old aunts are long dead, and I would be too if the wife caught me signing off a letter that way to anyone outside the family).

The other thing about Spanish is that from region to region and country to country, the same phrase can have different meanings. One has to be careful not to insult someone with a word or phrase that has a totally different connotation somewhere else.

Someone once wrote to me with the closing, 'warm regards' and I liked that, but it has a feel for someone who is not close yet more than an acquaintance.

Bruce

I've used "Your Loyal Minion," before in jest.....

The Chief Yeoman on my last ship used to sign his memos "Y.ob.s." for "Your obedient servant" -- I think he was being sarcastic.

I usually don't write letters, but in school they made me. I once used "forever."

What about "Yours always," or "As ever,". I use both.

My nerdy Anglo-Saxonist friends normally use

wes thu hal

(the 'th' is normally the anglo-saxon character 'thorn' which I can't figure out how to get this thingie to get me to insert).

It means 'be strong!' which is, I believe, the same literal thing as the Roman 'Uale'.

A goofy friend of mine uses 'chow' (deliberate misspell of 'ciao') and inserts odd animals, like

'Rhinocerous chow!'

HK

LOVED the latin closings! Those I must remember. I've actually bookmarked the page!

I often use:

Ciao
Cheers
Be well
Walk in balance
From my pen to yours
Best
Warmly
A bientot

I often use
"Best wishes" or "warm regards" but alos like in principle those endings like "until then, I remain yours" but am too chicken to use it.

I also like the Dutch "grietjes" (sic) (informal "greetings", but said at the end)

I never mind someone writing "Be well."

Hasta lasagna,
Mars

To a fountain pen nut, Quot Erat Demonstrator might be a good closing.

Dear Nolagraph;

My personal favorite, to which I cannot use much; is the American Civil War written closing to their letters;
--Your obedient servant.....Then their is another closure; Your obedient servant &c.

With some of the friends I have, they will think I am volunteering for extra house work--theirs

But, the 'romantic' in me, I think in these documents of the Civil War, in which can be read online; under Official Records of the Rebellion; I just marvel at the civility of these letters, correspondences and such.
To them it would be as common as 'Sincerely.'

But, I am struck by the facts that Generals, like General Lee, General Grant and other Generals; would address a Colonel or such; as respectfully as would be expected by a more inferior rank to a General; as well as in closing, they are as respectful and use 'Your obedient servant' when writing to a Colonel or such.

Respectfully,
Maria

For what it's worth, the correct spelling in Dutch is "groetjes."

At my previous job, I started ending letters and emails with

Here to serve,

Donnie Winn

I have continue to do so at my present employment, and on the rare occasions when I have opportunity to write an actual paper letter, I will use it also. Knowing I will put it at the end keeps my mind in proper perspective, and inspires me to carefully choose my words to not prevaricate with the ending.

Donnie

At work, I close emails to authors, reviewers, and journal editors with "Cordially yours," and to clients with "Best regards". To colleagues I'm apt to use "Onward and upward," especially if I'm congratulating a teammate on an accepted manuscript or announcing one of my own. "Cordially" was perennially used by a faculty member at my graduate school, and I picked it up as being simultaneously very professional and very personable. As a student I used "Respectfully yours" on formal occasions. The last time I used it professionally was in a job resignation letter in 2000. In my current job I'm at a medium-senior level such that I'd only be expected to write "Respectfully yours" to my boss's boss and only under unusually formal circumstances.

To family I'm apt to write "Love" and to my husband either "Love" or "Purrs". (We are a cat-owned and Felinophone [on the model of Anglophone or Francophone] household.) To members of my prayer group I write "Your sister in Christ" or "In Companionship" and to pen people "Scriptophilically yours."

To friends with whom I had handwritten correspondence in my student years, I got more adventurous with "Under the Mercy" (after C.S. Lewis and Sheldon Vanauken) or "Under the Simultaneity" (a recombination of the prior usage with Ursula K. Le Guin). Unfortunately, I've never yet encountered an occasion for which "Tan-Haruchail" was an appropriate closing.

What a terrific thread!

I'm a bit confused about the use of "vale" though. As described on this thread, meaning something like "good health" or "go with strength", I think it's a fantastic closing - simple, interesting and just what I would want to convey to my friends.

However, the only context in which I've ever seen it used is in obituaries, which might commonly be titled something like "Vale John Smith". Very odd, if it can mean good health! Google tells me that "aeturnum vale" (farewell forever) is commonly used on tombstones, though this makes more sense to me because the meaning is obviously qualified by the "forever".

I wouldn't want my friends to think I'm wishing them something else altogether ...

I've never learnt Latin so I'm probably just confused. Or maybe it means something else in another language altogether (Italian? Another language I don't speak).

Is this use of the phrase common in other parts of the world? Or can anyone clarify?

I love that idea! I'll have to use that with some of my more . . . "special" friends.

The closing of "pax" or "pax et bonum" seems very nice.

I have used:

Ever your grateful servant,

Living in the Grin,

Esse Quam Videri,

Nili Nisi Cruce.


With a heightened sense of expectation,
Marvin

Some great suggestions there ... should start the gray cells sparking. I often use Aloha - works to open or close a letter - or Aloha nui loa (hello/goodbye with love). If I'm feeling grateful or it's a thank you note, Mahalo means thanks. Others I've used: Love and Light, Peace and Light, Joyfully Yours, Blissfully Yours (or whatever mood you might be in). If I'm really silly, it's May the bluebird of happiness nest in your hair. I use Have a nice day way too much, so will enjoy trying on some new ones ... and maybe thinking up some more silly ones.

Metaphysically Yours, Gini

"Vale" gets used in a variety of contexts, as you've noted. All of them are variations on the same thing. "Vale" simply means "Be well." It's an imperative -- in other words, an instruction or a command, not an option. And "farewell" = "fare well" -- same thing. Sometimes the old folks said "fare thee well." Sometimes "Vale" is translated as "Godspeed" but that's obviously only appropriate if the recipient is going somewhere.

I've always thought that "Vale" is where Mr. Spock's writers came up with "Live long and prosper." The sentiment is the same.

The word is Latin, so it shows up worldwide. I wouldn't say it's common.

Dear ginigin,

Your post reminded me of my Uncle Ray in Florida. He is a minister. He closes his letters "Yours in Christ."

I still love the Civil War "Official Records of the Rebellion" officer's closing lines; regardless to whom it is addressed to in rank -- Your Obedient Servant.

My friend closes her letters a lot of times and I like it enough to adopt it -- Respectfully submitted for consideration; if it is something with a flavor of a report, an idea, etc.

For railroad/trolley buffs -- Look both ways before crossing the railroad tracks of life.

I can see, Respectfully, Sincerely, Your friend, etc., as well.

Perhaps -- I'm finished for now, etc.

Really is interesting how many ways a letter can end.

Respectfully,
Maria

Thank you, Bill, that's both useful and interesting. For some reason I hadn't considered the (with hindsight, rather obvious) farewell/fare well link.

For what it's worth, I typically use the closings "Cheers" (with friends and some family, or in a casual email to colleagues), "Regards/Kind regards" (more formal work correspondence by email) and the standard "Yours faithfully" on any letter sent from work. Very typical and dull! By and large that's necessary at work (for me) but I will have to give some thought to more creative possibilities for personal correspondence.

I've been using "Cheers" of late, but I remain less than perfectly satisfied with that closing. "Sincerely" seems too form-letterish for friends. I've considered using a typical Egyptian closing, but that's even worse than the Latin for comprehensibility -- even worse considering that my hieroglyphic hand isn't the best.



Transliterated nfr snb.k, it means, "It is good that you are well."

Hmmm ... you could either use "His Supreme Intergalactic Excellency" or "Dude" .... :-)

"Caue Lector" could either be kindly or menacing, depending on the recipient's mood at the time.

My uncle always used to close with:
Illegitimi non carborundum

...and I use it now with good friends.

Dear zquilts,

I certainly wish I knew Latin well enough. Is there meaning to the closing your uncle used?

My uncle always used to close with:
Illegitimi non carborundum

...and I use it now with good friends.

Respectfully,
Maria

This is not necessarily safe for family. Turn away if you are easily offended.




"Illegitimi non carborundum" means "Don't let the b*stards grind you down." Sometimes people translate "carborundum as "wear" instead of "grind". It doesn't really matter, since "carborundum" is a trade name, not an actual Latin word and "illegitimi" is not actually a Latin word, either -- the sentence is what you might call pseudo-Latin.

Dear BillTheEditor,

OOoooooooooooo-- Thank you for your translation!

Do you by chance know of a decent translation program to translate English to Latin?

I want to write a Latin phrases correctly.

Respectfully,
Maria

Actually, I don't think I've ever seen a program that does English-to-Latin translations. At least not a reliable program.

There is http://www.stars21.com/translator/english_to_latin.html but it really doesn't do a very good job.

Because Latin is a highly inflected language, doing machine translation is a very difficult challenge.