Breakdown of Später schickt die Chefin eine neue Anfrage, und ich sage diesmal zu.
und
and
neu
new
ich
I
später
later
schicken
to send
die Chefin
the boss (female)
die Anfrage
the inquiry
diesmal
this time
zusagen
to accept
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Questions & Answers about Später schickt die Chefin eine neue Anfrage, und ich sage diesmal zu.
Why does the verb come right after Später?
German main clauses follow the verb‑second (V2) rule. If you front something like the time adverb Später to the first position, the finite verb (schickt) must be in second position, and the subject (die Chefin) moves after it: Später | schickt | die Chefin .... Without fronting, you could also say Die Chefin schickt später ....
Can I say Die Chefin schickt später eine neue Anfrage instead? Is there a difference?
Yes. Both are correct. Fronting Später emphasizes the time frame (“later, this will happen”), while leaving it after the subject is more neutral. Meaning-wise, there’s no real change.
Is the comma before und required?
No. With coordinating conjunctions like und, a comma between two main clauses is usually optional. It’s fine to write it with or without the comma here. Many writers omit it unless the clauses are long or a pause helps readability.
Why is zu at the end in ich sage diesmal zu?
Because zusagen is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix zu goes to the end, creating a sentence “bracket”: ich sage ... zu. In a subordinate clause, it stays attached: ..., dass ich diesmal zusage.
What exactly does zusagen mean here, and how is it different from zustimmen?
- zusagen means “to accept/agree to” an invitation, request, appointment, offer, etc. It’s a commitment: you say yes to doing it. Example: Ich sage zu. / Ich habe zugesagt.
- zustimmen means “to agree with” an idea, proposal, or opinion and takes the dative: Ich stimme dem Vorschlag zu. It expresses agreement of opinion, not necessarily a commitment to do something.
What’s the opposite of zusagen?
- The direct opposite for accepting/confirming is absagen (to cancel/decline): Ich sage ab. / Ich habe abgesagt.
- For not accepting an offer, you can also use ablehnen (to reject).
How do I use zusagen in other tenses or structures?
- Simple past: Ich sagte zu.
- Present perfect: Ich habe zugesagt.
- Future: Ich werde zusagen.
- Subordinate clause: ..., dass ich zusage.
- With negation/adverbs: Ich sage diesmal nicht zu. / Ich habe bereits zugesagt.
Is zu here the preposition “to”?
No. In zusagen, zu is a separable prefix, not a preposition. Don’t treat it like zu + dative. Contrast this with the unrelated pattern zu etwas sagen (“to have something to say about something”): Kannst du dazu etwas sagen?
Why is diesmal one word? Can I write dieses Mal?
Both diesmal (adverb) and dieses Mal (determiner + noun) are correct and common. diesmal is slightly more compact and frequent; dieses Mal can feel a touch more emphatic or formal. Don’t write dies Mal.
Where can I put diesmal in the clause?
Typical spots:
- Diesmal sage ich zu.
- Ich sage diesmal zu.
- Ich habe diesmal zugesagt. Avoid placing it after the separable prefix: not Ich sage zu diesmal. The prefix zu must stay clause-final in main clauses.
Why is it eine neue Anfrage and not something like einen neuen Anfrage?
Because Anfrage is feminine. In the accusative singular with an indefinite article, you use eine and the adjective takes the weak ending -e: eine neue Anfrage. (Nominative feminine is the same: eine neue Anfrage.)
What case is each noun here?
- die Chefin is nominative (subject).
- eine neue Anfrage is accusative (direct object). If you add a recipient, it’s dative: Die Chefin schickt mir eine neue Anfrage.
Should I say mir or an mich for “to me”?
With schicken, the idiomatic pattern for a recipient is dative: jemand schickt mir etwas. You can also use a prepositional phrase (an mich) with schicken—common in addresses or when highlighting destination—e.g., Schick die Unterlagen an mich—but for a typical three‑argument sentence, mir feels more natural: Die Chefin schickt mir eine neue Anfrage.
Is the present tense schickt talking about the future?
Yes. German often uses the present for future events when a time expression like Später makes the timing clear. You could use the future tense (Später wird die Chefin ... schicken), but the present is more common and natural here.
Can I use senden instead of schicken?
Yes. senden is a bit more formal/technical; schicken is the everyday choice. Both fit here: Später sendet die Chefin ... / Später schickt die Chefin ...
Are there other natural word orders to emphasize different parts?
Yes, as long as you keep the V2 rule:
- Emphasize the object: Eine neue Anfrage schickt die Chefin später.
- Emphasize the subject/time: Die Chefin schickt später eine neue Anfrage.
- Emphasize the time: Später schickt die Chefin eine neue Anfrage.
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
- Später: initial Sp- sounds like English “shp” ([ʃp]); long ä ([ɛː]).
- schickt: sch = [ʃ] (like “sh”); the ck is a hard [k].
- Chefin: Ch = [ʃ] (like “sh”), short e ([ɛ]): [ˈʃɛfɪn].
- Anfrage: stress on the first syllable: [ˈanˌfraːɡə].
- zusagen: [ˈtsuːˌzaːɡn̩]; in sage ... zu, the zu is its own stressed little word at the end.
Why are Chefin and Anfrage capitalized, but später isn’t?
All nouns in German are capitalized: die Chefin, die Anfrage. später is an adverb; it’s capitalized here only because it starts the sentence. Within a sentence it’s lowercase: Ich antworte später.
Is there any nuance between später, nachher, and dann?
- später = later (general, neutral).
- nachher = later afterwards (often more informal/soon-ish).
- dann = then (sequence marker). In your sentence, später is the most natural choice.