When you need this

Email fails in a handful of predictable ways. A message bounces back, lands in a junk folder, sits in your outbox, or goes to the wrong person entirely. Sometimes the problem is you: you hit send before you finished the sentence.

The language here is calm and practical. Say what happened, say what you'll do, and move on. When you've made the mistake, one short apology is enough; three paragraphs of sorry make a small problem look big. And when email itself isn't working, switch channels. Pick up the phone or walk over, and say "I'm calling because my email's not getting through."

Phrases

checking that it arrived

the email came back because the address didn't work

the system may have filtered it out

you can't receive new mail until you delete some

nobody in the office can send or receive

the email hasn't left your computer yet

the email didn't arrive

one letter in the address is wrong

admitting a mistake in the recipient

asking people to disregard a message sent by mistake

you sent it before it was finished

the person's automatic message says they're away

asking them to send it again

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

Practice · 3 min

Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.