Dear or Hi, and the three minutes in between

The email was finished. Then you went back to the top and changed “Hi” to “Dear”. Then back again.

What you’re weighing up in that moment is how you’ll come across. Too casual and you look unprofessional. Too formal and you look cold. So two words get rewritten four times while the rest of the email sits there, done.

Most business emails are less delicate than that. “Dear Mr Schmidt” is formal. “Dear Thomas” is polite and professional. “Hi Thomas” is friendly and completely normal at work. “Hello Thomas” sits quietly between the two.

Any of them is a reasonable choice. Your reader opens the email, sees a name they recognise, and carries on to the part that matters.

(I do the same in German. I know which greeting is safe, and I still sit there for a second.)

Quick win: When you’re unsure, use “Hello” and the first name. It works in most business emails, and nobody reading it will think twice.