“Please find attached the” and “please find the attached” are very similar phrases. They are used in emails when you have added an attachment for the recipient to look through. This article will explain whether there are differences between them.
Please Find The Attached or Please Find Attached The?
“Please find the attached” and “please find attached the” can be synonymous. They both refer to something that is attached to an email. “Please find attached the” tends to work best when the attachment is first mentioned. “Please find the attached” works for later mentions.
There are no direct rules that say one is correct while the other is not. You can say either of the following:
- Please find the attached file to assist you.
- Please find attached the file to assist you.
The only slight difference is that “please find attached” works best when you first introduce the attachment:
- Please find attached the document that you asked for.
While “please find the attached” is better for any subsequent mention:
- Please find the attached to help out.
You won’t always need to specify what is attached when saying “the attached,” as it usually would have been mentioned already.
Please Find The Attached
“Please find the attached” is a good way of sharing an attached document. It is best used when you have already spoken about the attachment you’ve included. It acts as a way to remind someone that there is an attachment.
It’s also possible to use “Please find the attached” as its own sentence without specifying what is attached.
While you might have to include “the document” or “the file” when “please find attached the” is used, this does not apply to “please find the attached.”
These examples should make it clearer how to use “please find the attached” in a sentence:
- Please find the attached invoice for this product. I hope it’s what you were expecting to see.
- Please find the attached information at the end of this email. I’d like you to go through it.
- Please find the attached file to help you understand more about what’s happening here.
- Please find the attached to remind yourself of what is to be expected when working with me.
- Please find the attached to assist you further. That should be all you need.
Please Find Attached The
“Please find attached the” is a good choice if you’re introducing the attachment for the first time. It allows you to refer to the attachment (usually because someone has asked for it or was expecting it).
You can use this phrase to refer to the attachment at any stage in the email. It’s a good one to remind someone that there is an attachment.
You do have to make sure you specify what the attachment is, though. You can’t just say “please find attached,” as this is not a complete sentence.
Instead, you can say “please find attached the file” or “the document” (or anything similar to that).
Here are some examples to show you how to use “please find attached the” in a sentence:
- Please find attached the updated file that you requested. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.
- Please find attached the information that pertains to your request. You should be able to solve it from this.
- Please find attached the statement made by the governor earlier today.
- Please find attached the photographs you asked for. They should be what you require for your application.
- Please find attached the files that she completed. They are ready to move to the next phase.
Which Is Used the Most?
According to Google Ngram Viewer, “please find attached the” is used the most. It’s a lot more popular because it works when you are referring to the first instance of the attachment in an email as well as any subsequent mentions.
“Please find the attached” is a little less common because “the attached” works better when you’ve talked about the attachment.
Final Thoughts
You can use “please find attached the” and “please find the attached” in the same way. Most people prefer “please find attached the,” as it helps to establish what you have attached to the email for someone to read through. There are no rules that value one over the other.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
