[General] Word usage

[stitusandrews]

:up:Hello All,

Can we use the word "infer" in the email when we have to say to the other person that we have understood what was said by them.

From your email, I infer that...

Thanks for your help in advance:up::up:

 

[Raymott]

:up:Hello All,

Can we use the word "infer" in the email when we have to say to the other person that we have understood what was said by them.

From your email, I infer that...

Thanks for your help in advance:up::up:

Yes, that's the right usage.
But you're not actually saying you understood it. You are restating something that you believe to be implied in the email so that your correspondent can confirm the correctness of your inference.
That is, you're implicitly asking whether you did understand it correctly.

 

[stitusandrews]

Thank you for your help.

Adding to the previous question...

Is there any difference between these two sentences?

From your email, I infer that...

From your email, I understand that...

 

[Raymott]

Thank you for your help.

Adding to the previous question...

Is there any difference between these two sentences?

From your email, I infer that...

From your email, I understand that...

Yes, there is.
Your understanding may have come about by your inference. Or the email may have been clear enough to understand without any inference at all.

 

[bertietheblue]

Yes, there is.
Your understanding may have come about by your inference. Or the email may have been clear enough to understand without any inference at all. I think 'I understand' has a much wider sense - it's a generic term covering all kinds of conclusions, whether reached by evidence or deduction, and so can be used to mean 'I infer', whereas 'I infer' only means to conclude by deduction. Consider 'I understand from your recent conduct that you are no longer happy at this company' = 'I infer from your recent conduct ...'

Bertie