Breakdown of Bitte schicke mir die Informationen rechtzeitig per E-Mail.
mir
me
bitte
please
schicken
to send
die E-Mail
the e-mail
die Information
the information
per
by
rechtzeitig
in time
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Questions & Answers about Bitte schicke mir die Informationen rechtzeitig per E-Mail.
Why is Bitte placed at the very beginning of the sentence instead of right before the verb?
In German you can use Bitte at the start as a polite introductory particle. Even though it’s not the subject, it occupies the first position in the clause. The finite verb schicke then still follows in second position, fulfilling the V2 (verb‐second) rule of main clauses.
Why is schicke in the du‐form and not schicken Sie?
Schicke is the 2nd person singular (du‐form) of schicken, so this sentence addresses someone informally. If you wanted to be formal, you’d say Bitte schicken Sie mir …. English doesn’t distinguish formal/informal “you,” but German does.
Why is mir used here instead of mich?
Mir is the dative form of the first‐person pronoun. Since you are sending something to someone, that person is the indirect object and takes the dative case. The direct object (die Informationen) is in the accusative case.
Why is it die Informationen in plural? Couldn’t I say die Information?
German often treats “information” as a plural concept—die Informationen—especially when you mean “various pieces of info.” You can use die Information in singular if you refer to one specific piece of information, but in practice plural is more common.
What exactly does rechtzeitig mean, and how is it different from pünktlich?
Rechtzeitig means “early enough” or “in time to meet a deadline,” emphasizing that you don’t miss the required timeframe. Pünktlich means “punctual” or “exactly on time,” focusing on precision. If you say rechtzeitig, you signal “before or by the deadline”; pünktlich means “not late, right at the scheduled moment.”
Why is the phrase per E-Mail used? How does per work here?
Per is a preposition in German used to indicate the medium or method, just like “by” in English (by email). When you use per, you never combine it with an article; it directly takes the noun in its default case (here neuter nominative E-Mail as a means).
Why is E-Mail spelled with a hyphen and capital letters?
German capitalizes all nouns, so E-Mail is capitalized. The hyphen reflects the standard German spelling of this English loanword. You may also see Email without the hyphen in informal contexts, but the Duden prefers E-Mail.
Could I move rechtzeitig to a different position in the sentence?
Yes. German adverbs have flexible positions. You could say:
- Bitte schicke mir rechtzeitig die Informationen per E-Mail.
- Bitte schicke mir die Informationen per E-Mail rechtzeitig.
The original order places rechtzeitig before the manner phrase (per E-Mail) for a natural flow, but meaning stays the same.
Why is there no comma in this sentence?
Commas in German separate main clauses linked by conjunctions, subordinate clauses, or lists. Here it’s one simple main clause without any subordinate clause or enumeration, so no comma is needed.