{"id":9879,"date":"2022-08-18T22:00:03","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T19:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starlanguageblog.com\/?p=9879"},"modified":"2022-08-18T22:00:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T19:00:03","slug":"if-you-have-any-questions-please-feel-free-to-contact-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.starlanguageblog.com\/if-you-have-any-questions-please-feel-free-to-contact-me\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Have Any Questions Please Feel Free To Contact Me"},"content":{"rendered":"
The phrase if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me is one of the most commonly used phrases in the English language. Yet, we don’t often consider its grammatical correctness or historical significance.<\/span><\/p>\n The first use of this phrase was likely as an attempt to be polite and inviting, but as time passed. It was frequently reused; it became less of a statement and more of an established phrase that people use without thinking about it.<\/span><\/p>\n The phrase if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me is a common way of offering assistance or inviting someone to get in touch.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s polite and welcoming, letting the other person know you’re available if they need help.<\/span><\/p>\n It can also be seen as an attempt to preemptively answer questions<\/a> by laying out your willingness to provide information.<\/span><\/p>\n We’ll explore these questions below. Feel means to experience, and it also means to sense. Free usually refers to liberty or freedom from restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n Together, the phrase could be translated as feel free (emotionally) because there are no restrictions on contacting me. Still, it could also be translated literally as feeling at liberty (to act freely) because there are no restrictions on contacting me.<\/span><\/p>\n However, because many think of this phrase rather than figuratively, some grammarians advocate changing its meaning to reflect the literal interpretation: if you have any questions about anything, I am happy to answer them.<\/span><\/p>\n For example<\/b>, how old am I? When will my event start? What type of food should I bring to the potluck? Can I bring wine? These questions don’t require an answer but clarification before they can be responded to.<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to clarify that you’re happy to answer all questions, change the phrase from feeling free to feeling at liberty.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, sometimes, people want emotional freedom when communicating with others. That’s why traditionalists still prefer to feel free over feeling at liberty.<\/span><\/p>\n Either version is acceptable when phrased politely and without sarcasm. Some people might like one better, while others might not care either way.<\/span><\/p>\n I’d say go with whatever feels right to you and whoever cares enough to read it!<\/span><\/p>\n Always proofread your work and check for spelling<\/a> errors before publishing it online.<\/span><\/p>\n When you receive an email from someone, exceptionally a professional or someone you don’t know well, and they sign off with if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me; what they’re saying is that they’re open to answering any questions you might have.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s not as though they’re asking for feedback on their work; they are just inviting you to ask anything that comes up in your mind.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s also worth noting how this phrase evolved over time: it used to be spelled feel free, but because this phrasing was often confused with free feeling, the grammar was corrected in the 1960s.<\/span><\/p>\n If you have any questions about the meaning of this phrase, feel free to ask me!<\/span><\/p>\n The word feel doesn’t come into play here at all; it doesn’t mean I feel like I want to answer your questions.<\/span><\/p>\n That sense would make more sense if you wrote something like if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch. Still, when you put the words together into one sentence, it becomes clear that there’s no real connection between these two terms.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, feel initially meant something along the lines of assume. In other words, people could assume (that is, feel) freedom from restriction when replying.<\/span><\/p>\n But now, the definition of feel means to perceive through bodily sensations. So nowadays, people spell it. Feel free to avoid confusion.<\/span><\/p>\n There’s also a related idiom, feel accessible to, which is less formal than, please. For example, feel free to let us know means we’d appreciate hearing from you.<\/span><\/p>\n The phrase if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me is a polite way of saying that you are available to answer any questions that someone may have.<\/span><\/p>\n This phrase is often used in business settings, such as websites or email signatures.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s a formal yet inviting phrase that lets people get in touch with you for more information about your product or service.<\/span><\/p>\n The word feel in this phrase is an interesting word choice because it has two different meanings depending on its use.<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes before the verb to feel, it means to experience an emotion or have sensations; however, when it comes after a verb like to feel free, it means to take liberties without feeling guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n In this context, the meaning changes slightly. When someone feels free to contact you with their question(s), they take liberties without feeling guilty about asking something they don’t know (which might be common since everyone has their communication style).<\/span><\/p>\n That doesn’t mean you can brush off their question<\/a>, but it does mean that there’s no need to put up an emotional barrier.<\/span><\/p>\n Asking a friend for help or advice isn’t always easy, but being direct about what we want makes it easier on both parties. And remember: ask early and politely!<\/span><\/p>\n When someone uses the phrase if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me; they usually indicate that they are open to answering any questions the listener may have.<\/span><\/p>\n This phrase is polite, professional, and an excellent way to let someone know you are available to help them if they need it.<\/span><\/p>\n Although it is essential to point out that despite popular belief, this expression does not mean “if you want my opinion.” It means if you have any questions<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For this phrase to be used correctly, there needs to be an action verb or expression with the word questions. Otherwise, it would not make sense.<\/span><\/p>\n If you say if you have any questions without an action verb or expression with the word questions in it, it doesn’t make sense.<\/span><\/p>\n For example<\/b>, I love coffee but it doesn’t work as well because people might not understand what coffee has to do with anything.<\/span><\/p>\n And using if you want my opinion instead of if you have any questions doesn’t work either because it’s less likely that someone will ask your opinion<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n So while these phrases can sometimes sound similar (because both include the words have, you, and any), one is far more common than the other, so we should try to use them appropriately!<\/span><\/p>\n The phrase if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me is a polite way of saying that you are available to answer any questions that someone may have. This phrase is often used in business settings, such as email signatures or websites.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat does it mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n
But what does feel free mean? Why do we use the word free? And how should we punctuate this sentence?<\/span><\/h2>\n
What does it mean in an email?<\/span><\/h2>\n
How do I properly use this phrase?<\/span><\/h2>\n
How should I respond when someone uses this phrase?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Final Remarks<\/span><\/h2>\n