Learn Hardcore Chinese: Gāngcái lǎoshī gěi wǒ fā le yóujiàn, nǐ kàn le ma? - Just now the teacher sent me an email; did you see it?

刚才 means “a moment ago/just now” and refers to a specific point in the immediate past. 刚/刚刚 also mean “just,” with 刚刚 sounding more colloquial and 刚 slightly more concise. In most everyday contexts, 刚才/刚刚 are interchangeable, but 刚才 behaves like a time word (“time of event”), while 刚/刚刚 behave like adverbs.

Where can I put 刚才 in the sentence?

Put it at the start or after the subject: 刚才老师给我发了邮件 or 老师刚才给我发了邮件. Both are natural; placing it after the verb is not.

What is 给 doing in “老师给我发了邮件”?

Here 给 functions like a preposition/coverb meaning “to/for,” marking the recipient. The pattern is 给 + recipient + V + O (e.g., 给我发了邮件). You can also say 发给我一封邮件 where 发给 means “send to.”

Is “老师发了邮件给我” correct?

Yes, it’s common in speech, especially with a measure word: 老师发了封邮件给我. Without a measure word in this pattern it can sound a bit bare.

Do I need a measure word with 邮件?

If you’re speaking generally, no: 发邮件 is fine. If you mean “one email,” use 一封邮件 (not 一个邮件). Example: 发了一封邮件 or 发了封邮件.

Why use 发 instead of 寄?

发 is used for electronic messages (emails, texts, messages): 发邮件/发短信. 寄 is for physical mail: 寄信/寄包裹.

What does 了 after 发 mean here? Is it past tense?

The 了 after 发 marks completed aspect (the action is done), not past tense per se. With 刚才 it indicates the sending happened a moment ago. Without 了 (e.g., 刚才老师给我发邮件) you may hear it in speech, but 了 is more natural to show completion.

Why is there 了 in “你看了吗”? Could I say “你看吗” instead?

你看了吗？ asks whether the action is completed (“Have you read it?”). 你看吗？ is odd here; it sounds like “Do you read (it)?” as a habit. For this specific email, use 看了吗.

What’s the difference between 看了吗 and 看过吗?

看了吗 asks about this specific occasion (“Have you read it (now)?”). 看过吗 asks about life experience (“Have you ever read it before?”), which doesn’t fit a just-sent email.

How do I negate the question naturally?

Use 没(有) with completed actions: 你看了没有？/ 你还没看吗？. You can also use the A‑not‑A form: 你看没看？ Don’t use 不 to negate a completed action here.

Would 看到了吗 or 看见了吗 be better?

看到/看见 emphasize “catch sight of/notice.” For reading an email, 你看了吗？/你看完了吗？ is clearer. If you mean “Did you notice the email arrived?” use 你看到邮件了吗？

Can I use 把 here? (e.g., 你把邮件看了吗？)

Without a result, 把 is uncommon. It’s better with a clear resultative: 你把邮件看完了吗？/ 你把邮件看懂了吗？

Why is the object after 看 omitted in “你看了吗”?

Chinese often drops known objects (“zero pronouns”). The 它/邮件 is understood from context (the first clause).

Is it more polite to say 您?

Yes. To a teacher or elder: 刚才老师给我发了邮件，您看了吗？ To a peer: 你看了吗？

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Tone sandhi: 给我 is 3rd + 3rd, so pronounce it géi wǒ (2nd + 3rd). 了 le and 吗 ma are neutral tone. 刚才 is gāngcái (1st + 2nd).

Why is there a comma before “你看了吗”? Could it be two sentences?

Yes: 刚才老师给我发了邮件。你看了吗？ Both punctuation choices are fine. Also, standard Chinese writing doesn’t put spaces between words.

Is 老师 here “the teacher” or “my/our teacher”? Why no article?

Chinese has no articles; 老师 usually means “the teacher we both know from context.” If needed, specify: 我的老师/我们的老师.

Can I use sentence‑final 了 instead? (刚才老师给我发邮件了)

You can hear it; sentence‑final 了 marks a new situation (“now it’s the case that…”). With 刚才, most prefer verb‑了: 刚才老师给我发了邮件. Avoid double 了 like 发了邮件了 in careful writing.

How would I ask “Did you receive it?” instead of “Did you read it?”

Use 你收到了吗？ Or more explicit: 你收到老师发的邮件了吗？ That asks about receipt, not reading.

Is 发给 a thing I can use here?

Yes. 老师刚才发给我一封邮件 means “The teacher just sent me an email (to me).” Here 发给 = “send to.”