Did you see /read my email?

[ashely_1010]

Hi members!

If I sent an email to Peter on Saturday, and he hasn't replied. I spot him on the street so I come up and ask him,
a) Did you see my email?
b) Did you read my email?
- I think if I'm sure he received my email, I'd ask 2. Becaues we cannot 'see' an email in English? Right? He could have received my email but haven't opened it to read it.

But I think if I'm not sure whether he received, then asking "Did you get my email?" would be the best.

What do you think?

Thanks!

 

[Barb_D]

Any of the following could have happened:
1. Your system didn't send it or his didn't receive it. He may have read through all the e-mail he's received over the past few days, but he literally didn't get yours.
2. He may get so much spam that even though your e-mail was delivered, he didn't see it amist the other unopened messages. He didn't see it.
3. He may have seen that he had an e-mail from you, but he hasn't opened it yet to read it. He hasn't read it.

Yes, we "see" e-mail in English. We see the icon in our inbox it before we read it.

I'd try this:
Hi Peter. Have you had a chance to read my e-mail?

Then he could reply
1. No, I haven't gotten anything from you. (This could apply to 1 or 2 above, because if he didn't see it amidst the other messages, he may think he didn't get it.)
2. No, have you sent me one? My inbox is so full I have no idea who has sent me what.
3. No, sorry - I saw it in my inbox but my phone died and I forgot to [or I haven't had a chance to] go back and read it.
4. Yes, sorry - I haven't had a chance to reply.
5. Yes, of course, and I replied. Didn't you get my response?

 

[ashely_1010]

Thanks! I think I understand better now.

Just one more question regarding this, if someone wrote an email to me asking me questions, and I'm replying, I think I cannot say "I saw your email. Here are my answers to your questions." because it doesn't make sense, we must have read it to know what to answer, not just seen the icon.
Would you agree?
I think we have to say either "I got your email." or "I've read your email.". -Which one is better?

 

[SoothingDave]

"Saw" works in that situation. You are replying to the message, so you obviously have read it.

It is pretty much redundant to say that you read or saw the email in the text of a reply to an email. If you hadn't seen it or read it, you would not be responding to its message.

This will probably add to the confusion, but for your original question, it is also possible that Peter might say "I saw your email, but I didn't look at it." That is, that he saw that he had an email from you, but had not looked at it/read it yet.

 

[Gillnetter]

Thanks! I think I understand better now.

Just one more question regarding this, if someone wrote an email to me asking me questions, and I'm replying, I think I cannot say "I saw your email. Here are my answers to your questions." because it doesn't make sense, we must have read it to know what to answer, not just seen the icon.
Would you agree? No. To see could mean to read. There are two cases here to consider:
#1. Yes, I saw your e-mail and will read it later.
#2. Yes, I saw your e-mail and the answer is no.
I think we have to say either "I got your email." or "I've read your email.". -Which one is better? I got your e-mail doesn't have to mean that you read it. It could mean that you received it.

Gil

 

[emsr2d2]

I would use only "Did you get my email?" if I wanted to start with "Did you". If I wanted to change the start, I might say "Have you had a chance to read my email yet? I sent it on Saturday".

 

[Winwin2011]

I would use only "Did you get my email?" if I wanted to start with "Did you". If I wanted to change the start, I might say "Have you had a chance to read my email yet? I sent it on Saturday".

is it possible to say 'Have you got my email?'

 

[emsr2d2]

That is a commonly used expression in BrE but it means "Have you [already] got my email address?"

 

[Winwin2011]

That is a commonly used expression in BrE but it means "Have you [already] got my email address?"

Is it possible to say ''Have you received my email?"

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes.