Is 'per my last email' passive aggressive?

What it means: Literally, it means "as I said in my previous email." But in practice, everyone knows it means "I already told you this, why are you asking again?" It's a polite surface with obvious irritation underneath.

Why natives say this: Professional settings require a certain level of civility, which means you can't always say what you actually mean. "Per my last email" became famous precisely because it sounds formal and neutral while being obviously pointed. It's a way of holding someone accountable ("you missed this") while maintaining plausible deniability ("I was just referencing my email").

Native speakers are fully aware of the subtext. If someone sends you "per my last email," they're annoyed. It has become such a recognised signal that it's now a workplace meme.

Register: Formally passive-aggressive. It lives in professional email, nowhere else. You'd never say it out loud in conversation without it being a joke.

A native would say: If you want to be genuinely neutral when referencing a previous email:

• "As mentioned in my previous email..." - neutral, professional
• "Just following up on what I sent on Monday..." - friendly
• "To recap what I shared earlier..." - collaborative tone

If you actually want to signal (politely) that someone missed something, the native approach is usually to just re-state the information clearly without calling it out. Saves face for everyone.

Tags: workplace English, passive-aggressive, email, professional register