We were going to get an e-mail regarding a trip from our school. The next day, our school told us that they've emailed us the list. But I didn't receive any email, so I asked my friend and she said that she'll check, thus I said:
Then tell me after checking.
Then inform me after checking.
What sounds more natural "tell me" or "inform me"?
Thank you 🙂
P.S. My question is a bit different because that thread is based on the use of "tell" and "inform" in various contexts, but my question is specifically about what sounds better with "checking"..
Best Answer
Inform is the more formal choice of the two, and is therefore unlikely to be used among friends / schoolmates, as your context specifies.
People generally talk about informing the authority / authorities of some kind, someone who "should know" in order to make a decision or know how to proceed: you inform the police, the teacher, the boss, the client.
There's also the oft-repeated We regret / are sorry to inform you..., which you'll often read or hear (well, hopefully not too often), so that's where you'll encounter that verb as well.