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Breakdown of Bitte senden Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
bitte
please
Sie
you
den
the; (masculine, accusative)
senden
to send
per
by
die E‑Mail
the e‑mail
der Nachweis
the proof
Questions & Answers about Bitte senden Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
What does the capitalized Sie mean here? Is it singular or plural?
It’s the formal second-person pronoun “you,” used for one or more people. It always takes the same verb form as “sie (they),” and it’s always capitalized to avoid confusion with “sie” (she/they).
- One person informal: Bitte sende den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
- Several people informal: Bitte sendet den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
- Formal (one or more people): Bitte senden Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
Why is the verb before Sie? How does the formal imperative work?
German forms the formal imperative with the infinitive + Sie: Senden Sie …. German main clauses are verb‑second; since Bitte stands in first position, the verb senden is second, followed by Sie: Bitte senden Sie …. Without “Bitte,” you can also write Senden Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
Why is it den Nachweis and not der/dem Nachweis?
Because Nachweis is masculine (der Nachweis) and here it’s the direct object (accusative): den Nachweis. Quick overview:
- Nominative: der Nachweis (subject)
- Accusative: den Nachweis (direct object)
- Dative: dem Nachweis (indirect object), e.g., Ich schicke dem Amt den Nachweis.
What exactly does Nachweis mean, and are there better synonyms?
Nachweis is an administrative catch‑all for “proof/documentation,” often a document that demonstrates you meet a requirement. Common collocations: einen Nachweis erbringen/vorlegen/einreichen.
- Beleg: a receipt/slip backing up a transaction
- Bescheinigung: a certificate/attestation issued by an authority
- Beweis: “proof” in the logical/legal sense You might also specify the type: Zahlungsnachweis, Identitätsnachweis, Impfnachweis, etc.
Can I omit the article and say “Bitte senden Sie Nachweis …”?
No. Singular countable nouns in German need an article. Use:
- den Nachweis (a specific one already known)
- einen Nachweis (any acceptable proof)
- Or name it: Bitte senden Sie den Zahlungsnachweis per E‑Mail.
Why per E‑Mail? Could I say via/mit/über?
- per E‑Mail = “by (means of) email” and is standard in business/administration.
- via E‑Mail is also common and fine.
- mit der E‑Mail usually means “together with the email,” not the channel; it’s odd here.
- über E‑Mail is uncommon for the medium.
- per Mail is a shorter, accepted variant. Avoid per Email as “Email” (without hyphen) is a different word in German.
Is E‑Mail the correct spelling? What about Email/eMail?
Yes: the standard spelling is E‑Mail (capitalized noun, with hyphen). Writing Email (no hyphen) is avoided because Email means “enamel.” “Mail” alone is informal but widely used (e.g., per Mail). Gender notes:
- In Germany: die E‑Mail (feminine)
- In Austria/parts of Switzerland: das E‑Mail (neuter)
Where should I put bitte? Do “Bitte senden Sie …” and “Senden Sie bitte …” differ?
Both are correct and equally polite. Placement options:
- Bitte senden Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
- Senden Sie den Nachweis bitte per E‑Mail.
- Senden Sie bitte den Nachweis per E‑Mail. The difference is only a tiny shift in emphasis; in practice they’re interchangeable.
Do I need a comma after Bitte?
Normally no: Bitte senden Sie … (no comma). A comma appears only if bitte is used as a parenthetical interjection (rare here): Bitte, senden Sie …—which sounds more like an emotional appeal.
How do I include the recipient or an email address?
- Add a dative pronoun for the recipient: Bitte senden Sie uns den Nachweis per E‑Mail.
- Use an
- address when you name the email: Bitte senden Sie den Nachweis an info@firma.de. You typically use either “per E‑Mail” (channel) or “an …” (address), or both if you want to be very explicit.
Is “Bitte schicken Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail zu” correct?
Yes, if you treat zuschicken as a separable verb: in main clauses the zu goes to the end: … schicken … zu. Stylistically, (zu)schicken or (zu)senden/übersenden are all fine; with “per E‑Mail” many writers simply use schicken/senden and skip the “zu.”
Can I say “Senden Sie per E‑Mail den Nachweis,” or must per E‑Mail be last?
Both orders are grammatical:
- Bitte senden Sie den Nachweis per E‑Mail. (most common)
- Bitte senden Sie per E‑Mail den Nachweis. A common tendency is: objects before adverbials; among adverbials, the Te‑Ka‑Mo‑Lo order (time–cause–manner–place) often helps. per E‑Mail is “manner.”
Can I drop Sie and write a short instruction like “Bitte den Nachweis per E‑Mail senden.”?
Yes. That “infinitive clause” style is typical in instructions/forms and is impersonal. In a direct email to someone, the full Sie‑imperative is more personable: Bitte senden Sie …
How polite is this sentence? Are there “softer” options?
Bitte senden Sie … is standard, polite business German. More indirect (softer) options:
- Würden Sie uns den Nachweis bitte per E‑Mail zusenden?
- Könnten Sie uns bitte den Nachweis per E‑Mail senden?
- Ich bitte Sie, den Nachweis per E‑Mail zu senden.
What if I need the plural (“proofs/documents”)?
- Plural of Nachweis: die Nachweise → Bitte senden Sie die Nachweise per E‑Mail.
- For “documents/papers,” Germans often say Unterlagen: Bitte senden Sie die Unterlagen per E‑Mail.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- Bitte: “BIT‑teh”
- senden: initial “s” like English “z”: “ZEN‑den”
- Nachweis: “NAHKH‑vice” (ch = German ach‑sound; ai like English “ice”)
- per: “pair” with a German r
- E‑Mail: “EE‑mail” These approximations will be understood even without perfect German sounds.
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