You want to send a polite email wishing the recipient a nice evening. But is the phrase have a nice evening appropriate for a work email?
In this article, we’ll answer this question. Moreover, we’ll show you 9 alternative phrases that you can use to wish others well.
9 Alternative Ways to Say “Have a Nice Evening”
Check out these 9 different ways to say have a nice evening at work or elsewhere:
- I hope you have a splendid evening
- Enjoy your evening
- Have a pleasant evening
- Have a wonderful evening
- I hope you have a lovely evening
- Have a good one
- Take care
- Wishing you a wonderful evening
- Have a delightful evening
1. I Hope You Have a Splendid Evening
The phrase I hope you have a splendid evening is very polite and effusive. However, it also comes across as suitably formal for an email to your employer or a fellow professional.
You can use this phrase if you want to be friendly and enthusiastic in your email while maintaining a professional register.
Furthermore, the inclusion of “I hope” makes this phrase a tad less instructive than have a nice evening, which is preferable if you’re speaking to a superior.
To see this phrase in action, have a look at the email sample below:
Dear Ms. Arnan,
I have arranged your transport for the meeting.
I hope you have a splendid evening.
Warm regards,
Claire Merkel
2. Enjoy Your Evening
Enjoy your evening is a friendly phrase that you can use with a colleague you are close to. Usually, you would use this phrase if you know they have some great evening plans after work.
However, you can also say enjoy your evening as a standard farewell to your coworkers, even if you don’t know them particularly well. It comes across as polite and tonally neutral in some circumstances.
In short, how this phrase is perceived depends greatly on the context and the surrounding email.
Have a look at the example below to see an email to a coworker you are friends with:
Hi Jonah,
Thanks for sending that over so quickly.
Enjoy your evening with the kids!
Best,
Tamzin
Now let’s see a less personal email to a colleague you aren’t close to:
Dear Sasha,
Thank you for your assistance with the presentation this morning.
Enjoy your evening.
Regards,
Arnold
3. Have a Pleasant Evening
The phrase have a pleasant evening uses polite and formal phrasing. Moreover, it comes off a tad more professional than have a nice evening.
Therefore, this is a good way to close off an email to a client.
Although courteous, this phrase is fairly tonally neutral. Therefore, you can use it to express kind sentiments to your client without coming across as overly familiar.
For example:
Dear Miss Dashmon,
I have received your request and will forward it to the relevant department.
Have a pleasant evening.
Regards,
Regina Hewton
4. Have a Wonderful Evening
You can say have a wonderful evening if you want to come across as more sincere and effusive in your email.
The adjective wonderful may be a bit too intense for a polite email to a superior or a colleague.
However, it is suitable to use this phrase if you work in a setting in which being highly personable is preferred.
For example, if you work at a hotel or any wedding venue, it makes sense to wish your guests a wonderful stay.
Let’s see this phrase in an email sample:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Gomez,
Your suite has been arranged according to your instructions, with the addition of a special surprise from all of us here at Ven Hotel.
Have a wonderful evening and enjoy your stay.
Kind regards,
Phillip Conaway (Hotel Manager)
5. I Hope You Have a Lovely Evening
I hope you have a lovely evening is another friendly and polite phrase that you can use when speaking to your boss or another superior.
The addition of I hope makes this phrase more tentative and less demanding. Therefore, it’s a safe choice when you’re speaking to someone higher up in your work hierarchy.
In addition, the inclusion of lovely makes this phrase sound very sincere, while nice tends to sound more routine.
Check out the following sample email:
Dear Branka,
Please see the file you requested attached below.
We can discuss its content tomorrow.
Until then, I hope you have a lovely evening.
Regards,
Tabitha
6. Have a Good One
You can say have a good one instead of have a nice evening in an informal and friendly email to a colleague you are close to.
In this context, “one” can refer to anything, including a good day, a good evening, or a good time in general.
Have a good one is a popular idiomatic farewell used between friends and is a short and sweet way to wish a coworker well for the night.
See the example below:
Hi Greg,
I know you’re heading out soon, so I’ll leave the file on your desk.
Have a good one,
Kate
7. Take Care
Take care is a slightly more formal and polite phrase, often used as a farewell between strangers.
Therefore, you can use this phrase in an email to a coworker you don’t know very well, perhaps because they work in a different department.
This phrase is very tentative, but it shows that you regard the other person positively.
Therefore, it’s a safe, professional option if you want to create a good rapport with a colleague that you only interact with every once in a while at work.
Have a look at how we’ve used this phrase in an email example:
Dear Charlotte,
Thank you for your assistance this morning. I’ll certainly reach out again if I experience any further issues.
Take care,
Gordon
8. Wishing You a Wonderful Evening
You can use the phrase wishing you a wonderful evening in a formal email to a client or guest, especially if your organization has arranged a large event of some kind.
The inclusion of “wishing you” adds some festivity to your message. After all, it is common to say this during holidays and other special occasions.
Therefore, if your email relates to some important event being hosted by your company, this is a great phrase to include.
For example:
Dear Mrs. Quartz,
We look forward to seeing you at our annual company shareholder gala.
Your entry pass is attached below.
Wishing you a wonderful evening,
Leander from [Company Name]
9. Have a Delightful Evening
Another way to say have a nice evening more uniquely is have a delightful evening.
This phrase is courteous and charming, especially since the word “delightful” is rather saccharine.
Therefore, this is a great phrase to use if you run your own small business and want to maintain a very positive tone in your emails to clients.
Have a delightful evening is especially appropriate if you provide sweets or baked goods of any kind, as “delight” has very sweet connotations, making this phrase perfectly on theme!
Let’s see this phrase in our final example:
Dear Cassidy,
Your cake order is on its way!
Thank you for choosing Kate’s Cakes and have a delightful evening.
Warm regards,
Kate Sheppard
Is It Correct to Say “Have a Nice Evening”?
It is perfectly correct and polite to close off an email with the phrase have a nice evening.
This phrase is a common courtesy and is suitable to use when speaking to a colleague, a client, or even a superior, regardless of the nature of your office or industry.
Have a nice evening is suitable in a professional setting, but it can be used casually as well. In highly formal settings, you can use a slightly more formal synonym for “nice.”
But, overall, have a nice evening is a kind and versatile phrase, perfect for any occasion.
Below, we’ve drafted two email examples illustrating how you can use this phrase in practice:
Dear Janine,
I have attached the file you requested below.
Have a nice evening.
Kind regards,
Molly
You can also replace “nice” with “good” or “great” to mix up your phrasing from time to time. Any one of these variations is suitable and you can use them interchangeably.
Let’s see an example using “good”:
Dear Mr. Clack,
Thank you for your assistance this morning.
I hope you have a good evening.
Regards,
Thomas Glade
Although it is perfectly correct to say have a nice evening in a professional email, this phrase is a tad standardized and may sound less sincere if you use it too frequently.
Therefore, you can avoid repetition and keep your emails diverse using one or more of the examples in our list.
