infer 和 imply 是不同的，相反的

本人在用词典查 infer 时看到了词典上还有它与 imply 的辨析，但是觉得词典上的内容没有让我足够明白。后来在互联网上查到 grammarly blog：Imply vs. Infer—What’s the Difference? ，这篇文章让我明白了。故本人以本文记录。

• Imply means to suggest or to say something in an indirect way.
• Infer means to suppose or come to a conclusion, especially based on an indirect suggestion.

我觉得这么理解比较清晰。使用 “imply” 和 “infer” 的 “我” 恰好是站在两个不同的角度，可以理解为前者站在信息发送的角度，后者站在信息接收的角度。 “我”对你 “imply” 是为了让你能够 “infer” 出传达的信息。

imply: When we imply something, we’re hinting at what we mean but not saying it directly:

• ex1： I didn’t mean to imply that your English grammar is bad.
• ex2: She didn’t make any promises, but she did imply that she’d be back for the holidays.

infer: When you come to a conclusion based on something you think someone implied, you’re inferring:

• ex1：Am I right to infer that you think my grammar is bad?
• ex2: We inferred that she’d be back before the holidays because she didn’t leave with enough luggage for a long trip.