Writing a Formal Letter of Complaint
You are studying in Skopje and your landlord has not returned your 15,000 denar deposit three months after you moved out. You sent two informal text messages, both unanswered. Your Macedonian tutor advises you to write a formal letter (барање/жалба) to the landlord, with a copy to the building's management. You must write 200-250 words in Macedonian. You know the landlord personally and have always addressed him with «ти». Your tutor says the letter must be formal but not hostile, and must state facts, the legal basis, and a deadline.
1. Plan the letter: identify its required components and explain the register decisions you must make, especially regarding address forms.
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A formal Macedonian letter of complaint needs: (1) a heading with sender and recipient details; (2) a formal salutation; (3) a clear statement of the facts (deposit of 15,000 denar, move-out date, three months elapsed, two unanswered messages); (4) the basis of the claim (the rental agreement and the legal obligation to return the deposit); (5) a specific request with a deadline (for example, return within 15 days); (6) a statement of what happens if the deadline passes (escalation to the management or a relevant body); (7) a formal closing and signature. The central register decision is the switch from «ти» to «Вие». Because you know him personally, this switch is itself a message: it signals that the matter has become formal and that the relationship has changed. You should not use «ти» even though it feels natural, because the letter may be read by the building management and could later serve as evidence. The tone should be factual and restrained - no insults, no emotional appeals - because a hostile letter weakens your position. Use standard formulas: «Ве известувам», «Ве молам», «Со почит».
2. Write the opening paragraph and the paragraph stating your request and deadline, then justify your lexical choices.
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Opening: «Почитуван господине [Презиме], Ве известувам дека по иселувањето од станот на 15 март, депозитот од 15.000 денари сè уште не ми е вратен, иако поминаа три месеци.» Request paragraph: «Ве молам во рок од 15 дена од приемот на ова писмо да го вратите депозитот на мојата сметка. Доколку не добијам одговор во наведениот рок, ќе бидам принуден/а да го известам управувањето на зградата и да побарам правна помош.» Justification: «Почитуван господине» plus surname is the standard formal salutation; using the surname rather than the first name signals the shift to formality. «Ве известувам» is a neutral, official verb of notification. «Сè уште не ми е вратен» is a passive construction that states the fact without accusing him of theft. «Во рок од 15 дена» gives a precise, reasonable deadline. The conditional «Доколку не добијам одговор» introduces the consequence calmly. «Ќе бидам принуден/а» uses a conditional-future form that presents escalation as forced by circumstance, not as a threat - this preserves the 'formal but not hostile' requirement.