Breakdown of Wir schicken dir eine E-Mail, sobald sich der Status aktualisiert.
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
die E-Mail
the e-mail
schicken
to send
dir
you / to you [informal singular, dative]
sich
oneself / himself / herself / themselves (reflexive pronoun)
sobald
as soon as
der Status
the status
aktualisieren
to update
Questions & Answers about Wir schicken dir eine E-Mail, sobald sich der Status aktualisiert.
Why does aktualisiert go at the very end of the sentence?
The word sobald (as soon as) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it starts a dependent clause, which always pushes the conjugated verb (aktualisiert) to the very end of its clause.
Why is there a sich in the second half of the sentence?
In English, you can simply say the status "updates," but in German, the verb aktualisieren usually needs an object. If a person isn't actively updating the status, it has to update itself. That is why it is used reflexively here as sich aktualisiert.
The English translation says "We send", but wouldn't "We will send" make more sense for a future event?
Yes, in English we would typically use the future tense here. However, German frequently uses the present tense to talk about the future as long as the context makes the timing clear. You could use the future tense (Wir werden dir eine E-Mail schicken), but sticking to the present tense is much more natural in everyday German.
Why do we use dir instead of dich here?
The verb schicken (to send) usually takes two objects: the thing being sent, and the person receiving it. The person receiving it is the indirect object, which requires the dative case. Therefore, "to you" becomes dir. The email is the direct object being sent, so it takes the accusative case.
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