Wondering whether to write ‘please find attached file’ or ‘please find the attached file’? We’ll clear that up in this article and teach you how to use the phrase appropriately in a sentence.
The short answer is that ‘please find the attached file’ is correct. It’s not grammatical to say, ‘please find attached file.’
As you learned above, the correct way to say the phrase is ‘please find the attached file.’ It’s ungrammatical to say, ‘please find attached file.’
Just like phrases like ‘play by ear,’ ‘sorry to bother you,’ and ‘drive safely,’ this phrase often has incorrect variations being spread around.
The definition of ‘attached’, according to Merriam-Webster, is “connected or joined to something,” “emotionally connected: having strong feelings of affection or concern,” and “permanently fixed when adult.”
The definition of ‘file’ is “a tool usually of hardened steel with cutting ridges for forming or smoothing surfaces, especially of metal,” “to rub, smooth, or cut away with as if with a file,” “to arrange in order for preservation and reference,” “to place among official records as prescribed by law,” “to send (copy) to a newspaper,” to return to the office of the clerk of a court without action on the merits,” and “to initiate (something, such as a legal action) through the proper formal procedure.”
It also means “to register as a candidate, especially in a primary election,” “to place items in a file,” “to submit documents necessary to initiate a legal proceeding,” “a device (such as a folder, case, or cabinet) by means of which papers are kept in order,” “a collection of papers or publications usually arranged or classified,” “any of the rows of squares that extend across a chessboard from one player’s side to the other player’s side,” and “to march or proceed in a single file.”
But files can also be electronic.
So, what does the whole phrase mean?
Typically, it’s used in a corporate setting, meaning someone has attached a file to an email for your review.
This phrase has been so overused in the corporate world that it’s become pretty stale throughout the years.
That means we need to come up with new ways of expressing the same sentiment.
Take a look at a few different ways you could say, ‘please find the attached file.’
Now that you know the definition and some synonyms let’s take a look at how to use the original phrase in a sentence.
Here’s how you’d use ‘please find the attached file’ in a sentence:
To recap, the correct way to say the phrase is ‘please find the attached file.’ Without the ‘the’ in the phrase, it’s ungrammatical.
If you need alternative ways to say it, scroll back to the ‘Less Annoying Synonyms’ section.
That’s understandable if you’d rather use a different phrase because some English phrases, like ‘good to hear’ and ‘at the office,’ can be pretty tricky to remember how to use, especially if you’re learning English for the first time.
But don’t worry; we’ve created an entire library of articles dedicated to explaining complex rules of the English language and going over confusing words.
