Dear Dr Smith… (emailing staff)
Formal Polite
What it really means
Email etiquette: start with "Dear Dr/Professor + surname" the first time, keep it short, say which module you are on, and use your university email. If they sign off with their first name, you may use it in your reply. Do not expect answers at night or weekends.
Chinese explanation
给老师发邮件的礼仪：第一次用"Dear Dr/Professor + 姓"开头，内容简短，写明你上的是哪门课，用学校邮箱发。如果对方落款用名字，你回信也可以称呼名字。别指望晚上或周末收到回复。
Example conversation
A: How do I start an email to my tutor?
B: "Dear Dr Smith" the first time — if she replies as "Sarah", you can call her Sarah after that.
A：给导师写邮件怎么开头？
B：第一次写"Dear Dr Smith"——如果她回信落款是"Sarah"，之后你就可以称呼她 Sarah。
What you could say back
No spoken reply needed for this one.
Related phrases
Official sources
Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.
Go deeper
All University Words
Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team
· Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake