Breakdown of Der Vermieter schickt mir eine E-Mail, um die höhere Miete schriftlich zu bestätigen.
die E-Mail
the email
mir
me
um
in order to
schicken
to send
Questions & Answers about Der Vermieter schickt mir eine E-Mail, um die höhere Miete schriftlich zu bestätigen.
Why is mir in the dative case and eine E-Mail in the accusative?
The verb schicken in German takes two objects:
- A dative object for the recipient (mir = “to me”).
- An accusative object for the thing being sent (eine E-Mail = “an email”).
What role does the um … zu construction play here?
um … zu introduces a purpose clause (“in order to…”). In German, you start with um, then after all other elements end the clause with zu + infinitive (here zu bestätigen).
Why does um die höhere Miete schriftlich zu bestätigen come at the end of the sentence?
German places subordinate clauses—including zu-infinitive clauses of purpose—at the end. The main clause (“Der Vermieter schickt mir eine E-Mail”) stays up front.
Why is schriftlich placed directly before zu bestätigen?
In a zu-infinitive clause, adverbs usually precede the infinitive verb. schriftlich modifies zu bestätigen, so it sits immediately in front of it.
Why do we say instead of ?