Breakdown of Ich lese mir die E‑Mail noch einmal gründlich durch.
Questions & Answers about Ich lese mir die E‑Mail noch einmal gründlich durch.
Because the verb is used in the pattern sich etwas durchlesen (“to read something through for oneself”). In this pattern:
- the thing you read is in the accusative
- the reflexive pronoun is in the dative
So you get:
- ich (nominative)
- mir (dative)
- mich (accusative)
Since die E‑Mail is already taking the accusative slot as the direct object, the reflexive pronoun must be in the dative: mir, not mich.
Compare similar patterns:
- Ich wasche mir die Hände. – I wash my hands.
- Ich kämme mir die Haare. – I comb my hair.
In all of these, the body part / thing is accusative, and the reflexive pronoun is dative.
You can leave mir out:
- Ich lese die E‑Mail noch einmal gründlich durch. – fully correct.
The difference is nuance:
mit mir:
- sounds very natural in everyday speech
- suggests “I’m (carefully) going through this for myself / for my benefit”
- can add a slight feeling of personal involvement or thoroughness
ohne mir:
- a bit more neutral and “objective”
- just states the action “I read the email through again carefully”
In many day‑to‑day contexts, Germans spontaneously say it with mir, but omitting it is not wrong.