Learn Hardcore German: Ihre Anfrage per E‑Mail ist höflich, also antworte ich sofort. - Her inquiry by email is polite, so I reply immediately.

Here Ihre is the polite possessive determiner meaning your (addressing someone with Sie). The polite forms Sie/Ihr/Ihnen/Ihre are always capitalized. Don’t confuse it with lowercase ihre, which means her or their.

What case and gender are used in “Ihre Anfrage”?

It’s nominative feminine singular. Anfrage is feminine (die Anfrage), and it’s the subject of the sentence, so Ihre is the nominative feminine form of the possessive determiner. Example contrasts:

Nominative (subject): Ihre Anfrage ist höflich.
Accusative (after “auf”): Ich antworte auf Ihre Anfrage.
Dative (with a preposition like “an”): an Ihrer Anfrage (less typical here)

Why is it “ist höflich” and not “ist höfliche”?

Because höflich is a predicative adjective after the verb sein, and predicative adjectives don’t take endings in German. With an attributive use before a noun, you’d add an ending: Ihre höfliche Anfrage.

Does “also” here mean the same as English “also”?

No. German also is a false friend: here it means therefore/so/thus (it draws a conclusion). English “also” (= “in addition”) is usually auch in German. So also antworte ich = “therefore I answer.”

Why is the word order “also antworte ich” (verb before subject)?

German main clauses are verb-second. When you put a connector like also in first position, the finite verb (antworte) must come second, and the subject (ich) follows: Also antworte ich … The same inversion happens with deshalb, daher, darum, folglich, etc.

Why is there a comma before “also”?

You’re joining two independent main clauses. German uses a comma between them. Also here is a conjunctional adverb (not a coordinating conjunction), but the comma is still required: …, also antworte ich …

Can I replace “also” with other words?

Yes. Common near-synonyms are deshalb, daher, darum, folglich. They all trigger the same inversion:

Deshalb antworte ich sofort.
Daher antworte ich sofort.

What’s the difference between “antworten” and “beantworten”?

antworten is intransitive: you answer someone (dative) or answer to something with auf (+ accusative).
- Ich antworte Ihnen sofort.
- Ich antworte sofort auf Ihre E‑Mail.
beantworten is transitive: you answer something (accusative).
- Ich beantworte Ihre E‑Mail sofort. You can’t say jemanden beantworten.

Is “Ich antworte sofort” present or future? Why not “Ich werde sofort antworten”?

It’s present tense, which German often uses for near-future actions. Ich werde sofort antworten is also correct, but you usually only need the future for emphasis, intention, or to avoid ambiguity.

Is “per E‑Mail” idiomatic? Are there alternatives?

Yes, per E‑Mail is standard and idiomatic. Other natural options:

per Mail (informal/business)
via E‑Mail (a bit more international/technical) Less idiomatic or wrong here: mit E‑Mail (avoid), durch E‑Mail (avoid).

What case does “per” take?

Traditionally per governs the accusative, but it’s almost always used without an article, so the case isn’t visible: per E‑Mail, per Post, per Telefon. With an article it sounds odd, so prefer the bare noun: say per Post, not per die Post.

Why is “E‑Mail” capitalized and hyphenated?

All German nouns are capitalized, so die E‑Mail. Standard spelling is with a hyphen: E‑Mail (plural: E‑Mails). Writing Email without the hyphen is either nonstandard for electronic mail or refers to a different word (Email/Emaille = enamel).

What’s the difference between “Anfrage,” “Frage,” and “Bitte”?

Anfrage: an inquiry/request for information, common in business contexts.
Frage: a question (any context).
Bitte: a request/plea (“please”), asking someone to do something. Examples:
eine Anfrage stellen, eine Frage stellen, um Hilfe bitten.

Is “Ihre Anfrage per E‑Mail ist höflich” idiomatic?

It’s grammatical, but you’d more often phrase it as:

Ihre höfliche E‑Mail/Anfrage …, or
Ihre E‑Mail ist sehr höflich, daher … Calling an inquiry “polite” is fine, but German tends to prefer describing the email or tone as polite.

Where does “sofort” go? Can I move it?

Sofort is an adverb of time and is most naturally near the end: Ich antworte sofort. With other elements:

Ich antworte Ihnen sofort.
Ich antworte sofort auf Ihre E‑Mail. You can also front it for emphasis: Sofort antworte ich … (less neutral).

Could I use “weil” instead of “also”?

Yes, but the structure changes to a subordinate clause:

Weil Ihre Anfrage per E‑Mail höflich ist, antworte ich sofort. With weil, the verb in the subordinate clause goes to the end (ist), and the main clause keeps verb-second (antworte ich).

What are the genders and plurals of “E‑Mail” and “Anfrage”?

die E‑Mail, plural die E‑Mails
die Anfrage, plural die Anfragen

Can I make a compound like “E‑Mail‑Anfrage”?

Yes. Ihre E‑Mail‑Anfrage ist höflich, daher antworte ich sofort. Compounds are common and concise in German, especially in formal or business contexts.