Das WLAN ist schwach, aber ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab.

The Wi‑Fi is weak, but I send the email anyway.

Breakdown of Das WLAN ist schwach, aber ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab.

• sein: to be
• ich: I
• aber: but
• abschicken: to send off
• schwach: weak
• das WLAN: the Wi‑Fi
• die E‑Mail: the email
• trotzdem: nevertheless, still

Questions & Answers about Das WLAN ist schwach, aber ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab.

Why does German say Das WLAN—isn’t it sometimes der or die?

All three genders are heard in real life, but das WLAN is very common and widely accepted.

• Many speakers treat WLAN like an acronym/technical term and use das.
• You’ll also hear der WLAN (often by analogy with der Funk/der Empfang) and occasionally die WLAN (less common).
  In this sentence, das is completely normal.

What does schwach mean here? Is it about signal strength?

Yes. schwach literally means weak, and with WLAN it means the Wi‑Fi signal/connection is weak (poor reception, unstable, slow).

Why is there a comma before aber?

Because aber connects two main clauses (Hauptsätze) with their own finite verbs:

• Das WLAN ist schwach,
• aber ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab.
  German normally uses a comma before coordinating conjunctions like aber, sondern, doch, etc., when they link two full clauses.

What’s the difference between aber and sondern?

Both often translate as but, but they’re used differently:

• aber = contrast without necessarily negating the first part: It’s weak, but…
• sondern = correction after a negation: not X, but rather Y (e.g., nicht heute, sondern morgen).
  Here there’s no negation, so aber is the right choice.

Why does German say die E‑Mail? Is that always feminine?

Yes, E‑Mail is standardly feminine: die E‑Mail. (Plural: die E‑Mails.)
You might also see die Mail informally, also feminine.

What exactly does trotzdem mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

trotzdem means nevertheless / anyway / in spite of that. It refers back to the first clause (weak Wi‑Fi) and says the action will happen despite that.
Position-wise, it’s flexible:

• … aber ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab. (common)
• … aber trotzdem schicke ich die E‑Mail ab.
• … aber ich schicke trotzdem die E‑Mail ab.
  Different positions shift emphasis slightly, but all can be correct.

Why is it schicke … ab with ab at the end?

Because abschicken is a separable verb (ab- + schicken) meaning to send off (e.g., an email, application, letter).
In main clauses, the conjugated part (schicke) goes in position 2, and the separable prefix (ab) goes to the end:

• ich schicke … ab
  In subordinate clauses or infinitives, they stay together:
• …, weil ich die E‑Mail abschicke.
• die E‑Mail abschicken

Is abschicken the same as schicken or senden?

They overlap, but there are differences:

• schicken = to send (general)
• senden = to transmit/broadcast/send (often a bit more formal/technical)
• abschicken = to send off/dispatch, especially for messages, letters, parcels, applications—often emphasizing the act of sending (like hitting “send”).
  For emails, abschicken is very idiomatic.

Why is ich right after aber? Shouldn’t the verb come first?

In German main clauses, the finite verb is in position 2 (V2 rule). After aber, you start a new main clause. Here the first element is ich, so the verb schicke is second:

• aber | ich | schicke | …
  If you put trotzdem first, then trotzdem becomes element 1 and the verb still stays second:
• aber | trotzdem | schicke | ich | …

Is E‑Mail pronounced like in English? And what about WLAN?

Common pronunciations:

• E‑Mail: often close to English email, but with German sounds; many say something like [ˈiːmeːl].
• WLAN: usually said letter-by-letter in German: weh-eh-el-ah-en. Some people also say W-LAN with English letter names, but German letter names are more common.

Could I replace Das WLAN ist schwach with Der Empfang ist schlecht?

Yes, that’s a natural alternative:

• Der Empfang ist schlecht, aber ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab.
  Empfang is reception/signal and schlecht is bad. The meaning is similar, just less specifically about Wi‑Fi.

Does trotzdem refer to the Wi‑Fi being weak, or to something else?

It refers to the whole first clause: Although the Wi‑Fi is weak, I’ll send the email anyway.
So it links the contrast: weak connection → sending the email despite that.

Is the word order die E‑Mail before trotzdem fixed?

Not fixed. You can move elements around for emphasis as long as German word-order rules are respected:

• … ich schicke die E‑Mail trotzdem ab. (neutral)
• … ich schicke trotzdem die E‑Mail ab. (focus on “anyway”)
• … ich schicke sie trotzdem ab. (using sie = “it” for E‑Mail; common and smoother)

Why does German use a hyphen in E‑Mail?

It’s standard spelling in German for many letter+word compounds and borrowings. You’ll see E‑Mail written with a hyphen very often, though Email also appears, especially informally. In careful writing, E‑Mail is the common standard form.