Word
Rufen Sie mich an, sobald der Postbote Ihnen die Sendung gibt!
Meaning
Call me as soon as the postman gives you the shipment!
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Rufen Sie mich an, sobald der Postbote Ihnen die Sendung gibt!
Sie
you (formal)
mich
me
geben
to give
anrufen
to call (by phone)
Questions & Answers about Rufen Sie mich an, sobald der Postbote Ihnen die Sendung gibt!
Why is the verb gibt at the very end of the sentence?
The word sobald (as soon as) is a subordinating conjunction. This means it introduces a dependent clause and forces the conjugated verb (gibt) to the very end of that clause.
Why do we use Ihnen instead of Sie in the second part of the sentence?
The verb geben (to give) requires a dative object for the person receiving the item. Ihnen is the formal dative form of Sie, meaning "to you".
Could I change the order and say sobald der Postbote die Sendung Ihnen gibt?
It would sound unnatural. In German word order, a pronoun object (like Ihnen) almost always comes before a noun object (like die Sendung), regardless of which one is in the dative or accusative case.
Why is an separated from rufen in the first clause?
The verb is anrufen (to call), which is a separable verb. In a formal imperative (command) sentence like Rufen Sie mich an, the conjugated part of the verb comes first, and the separable prefix (an) gets pushed to the end of its clause, right before the comma.