Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail.

Breakdown of Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail.

wir
we
heute
today
das Dokument
the document
per
by
die E‑Mail
the e‑mail
verschicken
to send
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Questions & Answers about Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail.

What does the verb verschicken mean, and how is it different from schicken?

Both mean “to send.” In everyday German they’re largely interchangeable:

  • schicken = to send (neutral, very common)
  • verschicken/versenden = to send out, dispatch (slightly more formal or “business-like”)
  • senden = to send (formal/technical or for signals/media)
  • abschicken = to dispatch/send off (focus on the act of sending)

In this sentence, Wir verschicken das Dokument … could also be Wir schicken/senden/versenden das Dokument … with no change in meaning.

Is verschicken a separable verb?

No. The prefix ver- is inseparable. That means:

  • Present: Wir verschicken …
  • Perfect: Wir haben … verschickt (no extra ge-)
  • Subordinate clause: …, weil wir das Dokument heute per E‑Mail verschicken.
Why is the verb in second position?

German main clauses are Verb‑second (V2). The first “slot” is taken by one element (here: Wir) and the finite verb (verschicken) must come next:

  • Wir (1st position) verschicken (2nd) das Dokument … If you put another element first, the verb still stays second:
  • Heute verschicken wir das Dokument per E‑Mail.
Where can I put heute in this sentence?

Natural options include:

  • Heute verschicken wir das Dokument per E‑Mail. (time up front = emphasis on “today”)
  • Wir verschicken heute das Dokument per E‑Mail.
  • Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail. Avoid putting heute all the way at the end in neutral statements; it’s less natural.
Do I need the future tense (werden) for “We’ll send it today”?

No. German often uses the present tense with a time expression for near future:

  • Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail. You can use future for emphasis or formality:
  • Wir werden das Dokument heute per E‑Mail verschicken.
Why das Dokument? Which case is it?

It’s the direct object, so it’s in the accusative. Dokument is neuter; nominative and accusative are both das:

  • Nominative: das Dokument
  • Accusative: das Dokument With an indefinite article: ein Dokument (nominative and accusative are the same for neuter).
Could I say die Datei instead of das Dokument?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:

  • das Dokument = a document (letter, PDF, contract—content-focused)
  • die Datei = a computer file (file-focused) Both can be correct depending on what you want to emphasize.
Why per E‑Mail instead of mit einer E‑Mail or über E‑Mail?

per expresses “by means of” a communication or delivery channel and is the idiomatic choice:

  • per E‑Mail, per Post, per Telefon, per Kurier, per WhatsApp mit einer E‑Mail sounds like “with an email” (not idiomatic here), and über E‑Mail is generally avoided in this sense. via E‑Mail is also common and fine.
What case does per take?
per governs the accusative. In practice it’s usually used without an article: per E‑Mail, per Post, per Einschreiben. If an article appears, it’s accusative (e.g., less common but possible: per den Kurier).
How do I spell E‑Mail correctly?
Standard German spelling is E‑Mail (capital E, hyphen). The plural is E‑Mails. Writing Email (one word) usually means “enamel” in German, so avoid that in this context.
Can I drop per E‑Mail and use a different verb like mailen?

Yes, colloquially:

  • Wir mailen dir das Dokument heute. But in neutral/formal style, Germans often say per E‑Mail schicken/verschicken/versenden rather than using mailen.
How do I add the recipient naturally?

Two common ways:

  • With a dative person: Wir verschicken dir/Ihnen das Dokument heute per E‑Mail.
  • With an + accusative: Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail an dich/an Sie/an Herrn Müller. Note: versenden typically prefers an + Akk.; (ver)schicken/senden can take a dative person directly.
Where do pronoun objects go relative to adverbs like heute?

Pronoun objects tend to come earlier in the middle field:

  • Wir verschicken es heute per E‑Mail. If you have two pronouns, the common neutral order is accusative before dative (with es almost always first):
  • Wir verschicken es dir heute per E‑Mail. (more natural than: Wir verschicken dir es …)
How do I make a yes/no question from this sentence?

Put the finite verb first:

  • Verschicken wir das Dokument heute per E‑Mail?
What’s the perfect (past) form of verschicken?

Because ver- is inseparable, the participle has no extra ge-:

  • Perfect: Wir haben das Dokument heute per E‑Mail verschickt.
  • Preterite (less common in speech): Wir verschickten das Dokument …
How do I negate this sentence, and where do I put nicht?

Place nicht before what you’re negating:

  • General negation: Wir verschicken das Dokument heute nicht.
  • Negating the channel: Wir verschicken das Dokument heute nicht per E‑Mail, sondern per Post.
Does this sentence follow the typical time–manner–place order?

Yes. heute (time) comes before per E‑Mail (manner). A neutral pattern is time → manner → place:

  • Wir verschicken das Dokument heute per E‑Mail. You could also front the time: Heute verschicken wir …