Checking an Email's Tone Before Sending | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Könntest du den Ton dieser E-Mail prüfen, bevor ich sie abschicke?

   Could you check the tone of this email before I send it?

   Könntest du

   could you

   Ton

   tone

   dieser

   this

   E-Mail

   email

   prüfen

   check

   bevor

   before

   ich

   I

   abschicke

   send

   More detail

   Könntest du is a reusable polite request pattern: “Could you …?” Könntest is the second-person singular form of können in the Konjunktiv II. The form makes the request less direct than Kannst du …? (“Can you …?”). Example: Könntest du mir helfen? — “Could you help me?” Ton means “tone” here, especially the way a written message sounds to its reader. Its base form is the masculine noun der Ton; in den Ton, the article is accusative because prüfen takes the thing being checked as its direct object. The following dieser E-Mail specifies which tone: the tone of this email. dieser means “this” here. It is the demonstrative determiner agreeing with feminine singular E-Mail in the genitive: der Ton dieser E-Mail — “the tone of this email.” This genitive expresses the email’s association with the tone. The same surface form dieser E-Mail can also be dative feminine singular in a different construction, but it is genitive here, not dative. The form is not a statement about how many emails there are. In another case, the form changes, for example diese E-Mail (nominative or accusative) and dieser E-Mail (dative or genitive). E-Mail is the feminine noun “email”: die E-Mail. In dieser E-Mail, it is in the genitive singular, expressing possession or association: der Ton dieser E-Mail — “the tone of this email.” prüfen means “to check” or “to examine.” It is the infinitive after the modal verb könntest; German places this infinitive at the end of the main clause. Example: Kannst du den Text prüfen? — “Can you check the text?” bevor introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before.” In a German subordinate clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb goes to the end. The pattern is bevor + subject + other material + finite verb. ich is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” It is the person who will perform the action in the subordinate clause. abschicke means “send” here, specifically “send off” or “submit.” Its base verb is separable abschicken, not a form derived from schicken alone. In the subordinate clause, the prefix remains attached and the finite verb appears at the end: bevor ich sie abschicke. abschicke is first-person singular present tense, matching ich. The pronoun sie refers to the email identified in the sentence, so the clause means “before I send it.” Together, den Ton dieser E-Mail prüfen means “check the tone of this email.” Könntest du ...? turns that action into a polite request, and bevor ich sie abschicke adds the time condition “before I send it.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Could you check the tone of this email before I send it?”

2. Sie ist professionell, aber der Anfang wirkt ein wenig schroff.

   It is professional, but the opening feels a little sharp.

   Sie ist

   it is

   professionell

   professional

   aber

   but

   Anfang

   beginning; opening

   wirkt

   seems; feels

   ein wenig

   a little

   schroff

   sharp; curt

   More detail

   Sie ist combines the pronoun Sie with ist, the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Here Sie has the grammatical form of feminine singular “she/it”; the fixed translation establishes the intended meaning as “it,” while the sentence itself does not name the referent. Do not confuse this with polite Sie meaning “you”: that use takes a verb form for formal second-person address, whereas ist is third-person singular. The pronoun’s form is feminine singular, but the referent is not independently identified in the target sentence. professionell means “professional” here. It is a descriptive adjective used after sein; in this predicative position, it has no adjective ending: Sie ist professionell. The same adjective can also occur before a noun with an ending determined by the surrounding noun phrase, for example: eine professionelle Antwort — “a professional answer.” aber is the coordinating conjunction “but.” It links the positive assessment in the first clause with the contrasting assessment in the second clause. A reusable pattern is X ist ..., aber Y ... — “X is ..., but Y ...”. Anfang is the masculine noun “beginning” or, in this context, “opening.” Its base form is Anfang; the form shown is nominative singular, marked by der: der Anfang. The article and noun together make this noun phrase the subject of wirkt. wirkt is the third-person singular present form of wirken, “to seem,” “to come across,” or “to have an effect.” In this sentence it describes how the opening comes across, rather than asserting that it literally is sharp. The present-tense pattern etwas wirkt + adjective is reusable: Der Text wirkt klar. — “The text seems clear.” ein wenig is a fixed quantity expression meaning “a little” or “slightly.” It softens the adjective that follows: ein wenig schroff means “a little sharp/curt.” It is not the noun phrase subject; der Anfang remains the subject of the clause. schroff is a descriptive adjective meaning “sharp,” “brusque,” or “curt.” Here it describes the impression made by the opening, with wirkt and ein wenig giving the complete sense “feels a little sharp.” As a predicative adjective after wirken, it has no ending. A related contrast is freundlich — “friendly”: Die Antwort wirkt freundlich. — “The answer seems friendly.” Together, der Anfang wirkt says “the opening feels/seems,” and ein wenig schroff specifies that impression as slightly sharp or curt. The complete utterance therefore contrasts two evaluations: Sie ist professionell (“It is professional”) with aber der Anfang wirkt ein wenig schroff (“but the opening feels a little sharp”).

3. Ich möchte sie an die Anfrage erinnern, ohne ungeduldig zu klingen.

   I want to remind them about the request without sounding impatient.

   Ich möchte

   I want

   sie

   them

   an die Anfrage

   about the request

   erinnern

   remind

   ungeduldig

   impatient

   ohne … zu klingen

   without sounding

   More detail

   Ich möchte expresses the speaker’s wish or intention: “I want to” / “I would like to.” möchte is the first-person singular form used here; it is the polite, softer form associated with mögen, while the following verb stays in the infinitive. Example: Ich möchte helfen. — “I would like to help.” sie means “them” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. In this use it is the third-person plural accusative pronoun, serving as the people being reminded. German sie can have other functions in other contexts, but this sentence supports the plural object reading. an die Anfrage belongs to the reusable pattern jemanden an etwas erinnern: “to remind someone of/about something.” Anfrage means “request” here. After an in this pattern, the thing remembered is expressed with the accusative: die Anfrage has the same visible form in nominative and accusative because die is feminine singular. Example: Ich erinnere ihn an den Termin. — “I remind him about the appointment.” erinnern is the lexical verb “to remind.” Its base form is the infinitive shown here because möchte occupies the conjugated verb position and the infinitive moves to the end of the clause. The construction is therefore jemanden an etwas erinnern, not a construction in which an introduces a location. ohne ... zu klingen means “without sounding.” This is a discontinuous ohne + zu-infinitive construction. klingen means “to sound”; zu klingen is its infinitive with zu. The understood subject is the speaker: the speaker wants to remind them without the speaker sounding impatient. ungeduldig means “impatient.” It is a descriptive adjective; in ungeduldig zu klingen, it describes how the speaker may sound. Its form does not show an ending here because it follows the verb klingen as a predicate adjective. Example: Sie klingt ungeduldig. — “She sounds impatient.” Together, Ich möchte sie an die Anfrage erinnern means “I want to remind them about the request.” Adding ohne ungeduldig zu klingen gives the manner and intended limitation: the speaker wants to do this without sounding impatient. The complete utterance is therefore: “I want to remind them about the request without sounding impatient.”

4. Versuch es mit einem freundlicheren Anfang, in dem du sagst, dass du nachfasst.

   Try a softer opening that says you are following up.

   Versuch

   try

   es

   it

   mit

   with

   einem

   a/an

   freundlicheren

   friendlier; softer

   Anfang

   opening

   in dem

   in which

   sagst

   say

   dass

   that

   nachfasst

   follow up

   More detail

   Versuch is the informal singular imperative of versuchen (“to try”). The subject is understood as du: Versuch ... = “Try ...”. A formal or plural command would use a different form, such as Versuchen Sie .... es is the pronoun “it” in this construction. Together, Versuch es mit ... is a reusable pattern meaning “Try it with ...”; mit introduces the version or means being tried. Here, es does not identify a separate new participant; the fixed translation presents the suggestion as trying a different opening. einem is the dative masculine/neuter form of the indefinite article. Anfang is masculine (der Anfang), and mit requires the dative here, so the phrase has mit einem ... Anfang. An indefinite article does not by itself state a numeric count. freundlicheren is the comparative form of the adjective freundlich (“friendly”): freundlich → freundlicher → am freundlichsten. In this sentence it means “friendlier” or, as the translation conveys it, “softer.” Its ending -en is required by the masculine dative phrase after mit; it modifies Anfang, not the article. A useful contrast is ein freundlicher Anfang (“a friendly opening”) versus mit einem freundlicheren Anfang (“with a friendlier opening”). Anfang means “beginning” or “opening.” In this context it is the beginning of the message or wording, not necessarily the start of an event. Its plural is Anfänge. in dem means “in which” here. It is a relative construction referring to the masculine noun Anfang. The relative form dem is masculine dative because the preposition in governs the relative phrase here; ein Anfang, in dem ... means “an opening in which ...”. sagst is the second-person singular present form of sagen (“to say”): du sagst. It introduces what the opening says. For example, Du sagst, dass du kommst. means “You say that you are coming.” dass introduces a subordinate content clause, “that ...”. In a German dass-clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. nachfasst comes from the separable verb nachfassen, used here in a communication or business context for “to follow up.” It is the du present form. Although nachfassen normally separates in a main clause (Du fasst nach.), the prefix stays attached in the subordinate clause: dass du nachfasst (“that you follow up”). The structure is Versuch es mit [einem freundlicheren Anfang], [in dem du sagst, [dass du nachfasst]]: “Try it with a friendlier/softer opening in which you say that you are following up.” The opening is the item being made softer, and its content explicitly says that you are following up.

5. Das klingt besser. Ist meine Anfrage deutlich genug?

   That sounds better. Is my request clear enough?

   Das

   that

   klingt

   sounds

   besser

   better

   Ist

   is

   meine

   my

   Anfrage

   request

   deutlich

   clear

   genug

   enough

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to the wording or opening already under discussion; its grammatical form is neuter singular. German demonstratives can refer to an understood situation or piece of text, not only to a noun that is visibly repeated. klingt is the third-person singular present form of klingen, “to sound.” The pattern etwas klingt ... describes the impression something gives, as in Das klingt gut. — “That sounds good.” besser is the comparative form of gut: gut → besser → am besten (“good” → “better” → “best”). Here it compares the current wording with an earlier version. besser modifies the impression expressed by klingt; it does not mean that the wording is objectively better in every respect. Ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” In a yes-or-no question, German commonly places the finite verb first: Ist ...? Compare the statement Meine Anfrage ist deutlich genug. with the question Ist meine Anfrage deutlich genug? meine means “my” and is a possessive determiner. In this phrase, its form agrees with the feminine singular noun Anfrage; the possessor is the first-person speaker. The possessor being “I” does not determine the noun’s grammatical gender. For example, mein Text uses mein with masculine Text, while meine Nachricht uses meine with feminine Nachricht. Anfrage is a feminine noun meaning “request” or “inquiry.” Its plural is Anfragen. In this sentence it identifies the speaker’s request, without specifying more about its content. deutlich means “clear” here: easy to understand or expressed clearly. It can also mean “distinct” in other contexts, but the question uses the communication-related sense. The adjective follows sein as a predicative adjective and therefore appears as deutlich, without an ending. genug means “enough” and follows the adjective in deutlich genug, “clear enough.” This pattern evaluates whether a quality reaches a sufficient degree: Der Text ist kurz genug. — “The text is short enough.” Together, Das klingt besser says that the current wording gives a better impression than the earlier wording. Ist meine Anfrage deutlich genug? asks whether the speaker’s request is sufficiently clear. The complete utterance therefore means: “That sounds better. Is my request clear enough?” The first sentence is a statement; the second uses verb-first order to form a yes-or-no question.

6. Erkläre den nächsten Schritt im selben Absatz.

   Explain the next step in the same paragraph.

   Erkläre

   explain

   nächsten

   next

   Schritt

   step

   im

   in the

   selben

   same

   Absatz

   paragraph

   More detail

   Erkläre is the informal singular imperative of erklären, “to explain.” It addresses one person using du; the formal command would use Erklären Sie. Example: Erkläre das bitte. — “Please explain that.” nächsten means “next” here. The adjective is based on nächst- and takes the ending -en because it stands before the masculine accusative noun Schritt with the article den: der nächste Schritt (nominative) → den nächsten Schritt (accusative). Example: Wir besprechen den nächsten Punkt. — “We are discussing the next point.” Schritt means “step.” It is a masculine noun: der Schritt; after erklären, the thing being explained is the accusative object, hence den nächsten Schritt. Example: Dieser Schritt ist wichtig. — “This step is important.” im is the contraction of in dem, meaning “in the” here. It introduces a location, and in takes the dative for a stationary location. The contraction is commonly used with masculine and neuter nouns: im Absatz = in dem Absatz. selben means “same” and modifies Absatz. In in dem selben Absatz, the dative masculine form is used after in dem; in natural standard German, im selben Absatz is the usual contracted form. derselbe identifies an identical or previously established item, whereas ein gleicher Absatz would mean a paragraph that is merely similar. Absatz means “paragraph” in this sentence. It is masculine: der Absatz; with the stationary preposition phrase, it appears in the dative: in dem Absatz or, contracted, im Absatz. Example: Der Satz steht im Absatz. — “The sentence is in the paragraph.” Together, Erkläre gives the command, den nächsten Schritt is the thing to be explained, and im selben Absatz specifies where that explanation should be given. The complete meaning is: “Explain the next step in the same paragraph.” The imperative is directed informally to one person.

7. Ich habe gegen Ende auch zusätzlichen Kontext hinzugefügt.

   I also added extra context near the end.

   Ich habe

   I have

   gegen Ende

   near the end

   auch

   also

   zusätzlichen

   additional

   Kontext

   context

   hinzugefügt

   added

   More detail

   Ich habe combines the subject Ich (“I”) with habe, the first-person singular present form of haben (“to have”). Here haben is an auxiliary: together with the participle hinzugefügt at the end, it forms the German perfect tense for a completed action. The subject form is ich; compare du hast (“you have”) and er/sie hat (“he/she has”). gegen Ende means “near the end” or “toward the end.” gegen can mark an approximate point in time here, rather than an exact endpoint. The noun is Ende, a neuter noun: das Ende, “the end.” Example: Gegen Ende wurde die Erklärung kürzer. — “Toward the end, the explanation became shorter.” auch means “also” or “too.” It adds this action to something already relevant in the context. Its position can affect emphasis, but in this sentence it connects the adding of context with another action or fact. zusätzlichen is the inflected form of the adjective zusätzlich, “additional” or “extra.” It describes Kontext here. The adjective has the ending -en because Kontext is masculine and is the accusative object of hinzufügen; the definite article would show this clearly in den zusätzlichen Kontext. The ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. Example: Ich brauche zusätzlichen Platz. — “I need extra space.” Kontext means “context.” It is a masculine noun: der Kontext. In this sentence it is the thing that was added. German nouns are capitalized, so the spelling begins with a capital letter. Example: Der Kontext ist hilfreich. — “The context is helpful.” hinzugefügt is the past participle of hinzufügen, “to add.” The verb is separable in finite forms: Ich füge zusätzlichen Kontext hinzu. — “I add extra context.” In the perfect, the auxiliary haben carries the person and tense, while hinzugefügt stays at the end: Ich habe zusätzlichen Kontext hinzugefügt. — “I added extra context.” Together, Ich habe ... hinzugefügt gives the completed-action frame “I added ...”; gegen Ende places that action near the end; auch means it was also done; and zusätzlichen Kontext identifies what was added. The complete utterance therefore means: “I also added extra context near the end.”

8. Der Kontext ist hilfreich. Überprüfe die Empfängerliste, bevor du sie abschickst.

   The context is helpful. Check the recipient list before you send it.

   Kontext

   context

   hilfreich

   helpful

   Überprüfe

   check

   Empfängerliste

   recipient list

   bevor du

   before you

   sie

   it

   abschickst

   send off

   More detail

   Kontext means “context” here. Its base form is der Kontext, a masculine noun; the form Kontext is used after the definite article der in this subject position. Example: Der Kontext fehlt. — “The context is missing.” hilfreich means “helpful” or “useful.” It is an adjective and does not change here because it follows the linking verb ist: Der Hinweis ist hilfreich. — “The note is helpful.” Überprüfe means “check” or “review.” It is the informal singular imperative of überprüfen, used to address one person directly. Compare the base form überprüfen with the imperative Überprüfe! Example: Überprüfe die Adresse. — “Check the address.” Empfängerliste is a compound noun meaning “recipient list”: Empfänger means “recipient” and Liste means “list.” The whole noun is feminine, so it appears with die when definite: die Empfängerliste. Example: Die Empfängerliste ist lang. — “The recipient list is long.” bevor du introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before you.” du is the informal singular subject pronoun, and bevor places the following event before the event in the main clause. In a clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb normally comes at the end. abschickst is the second-person singular present form of the separable verb abschicken, “to send off.” In the subordinate clause, the verb stays together at the end as abschickst; in a main clause, the separable prefix is split: Du schickst die Liste ab. — “You send the list off.” sie means “it” here and refers to the recipient list. Its form is the feminine singular accusative pronoun, matching the grammatical gender of die Empfängerliste; it is the object of abschicken. The pronoun’s grammatical form identifies the role and gender, while the fixed translation identifies the intended referent here. Together, Der Kontext ist hilfreich says “The context is helpful.” Überprüfe die Empfängerliste is an informal singular command: “Check the recipient list.” bevor du sie abschickst adds the time condition “before you send it,” with sie standing for the list and abschickst at the end because this is a bevor subordinate clause. The complete utterance therefore means: “The context is helpful. Check the recipient list before you send it.”

9. Das konnte man leicht übersehen. Die falsche Person wurde versehentlich aufgenommen.

   That was easy to miss. The wrong person was included by mistake.

   Das

   That

   konnte man

   one could

   leicht

   easily

   übersehen

   miss; overlook

   falsche

   wrong

   Person

   person

   wurde

   was

   versehentlich

   by mistake

   aufgenommen

   included

   More detail

   Das means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun, and the supplied translation supports a nonspecific reference to something already understood; the fixed material does not uniquely identify what Das refers to. As a pronoun, it is neuter and is the subject of the first clause. konnte man combines konnte, the simple-past form of können (“can; be able to”), with man, the impersonal pronoun meaning “one” or “people in general.” The combination expresses that something was possible for people to do. In the present, the corresponding form is man kann; in the past, man konnte. Example: Das kann man sehen. — “You can see that.” leicht means “easily” in this sentence. It is an adverb modifying the action, so it does not change form. The adjective leicht can also mean “easy” when it describes a noun: eine leichte Aufgabe — “an easy task.” übersehen is the infinitive of the verb übersehen, meaning “to overlook” or “to miss” here. With the modal verb konnte, the infinitive remains at the end: Man konnte den Fehler leicht übersehen. — “One could easily overlook the mistake.” The same spelling can have other context-dependent uses, but this sentence has the “fail to notice” meaning. falsche is the inflected form of the adjective falsch, “wrong” or “incorrect.” It describes Person; because Person is feminine singular and appears with the definite article die in the nominative, the adjective takes the ending -e: die falsche Person. This means “the wrong person,” not merely “a person who is false.” Person means “person.” It is a feminine noun in German: die Person, plural die Personen. In this sentence it is the grammatical subject of the passive clause, the person who was included. wurde is the simple-past form of werden used as the passive auxiliary: wurde ... aufgenommen means “was ... included.” The passive presents the person as the affected subject, without saying who performed the inclusion. This is different from wird ... aufgenommen, “is being included” or “will be included,” depending on context. versehentlich is an adverb meaning “by mistake” or “accidentally.” It describes how the inclusion happened and does not imply that the person was included intentionally. aufgenommen is the past participle of aufnehmen, “to include” in this context. In the passive it follows the auxiliary: wurde aufgenommen. Aufnehmen has several context-dependent meanings, including “record,” “take in,” and “admit,” but the fixed translation establishes “included” here. Together, Das konnte man leicht übersehen means “That was easy to miss”: Das is what could be missed, konnte man expresses general possibility in the past, leicht says the action was easy, and übersehen names the missed action. Die falsche Person wurde versehentlich aufgenommen means “The wrong person was included by mistake”: the wrong person is the passive subject, wurde aufgenommen forms the past passive, and versehentlich states that the inclusion happened accidentally. The two sentences therefore describe something that was easy to overlook and identify the accidental inclusion of the wrong person.

10. Entferne diese Person aus der Liste.

    Remove that person from the list.

    Entferne

    remove

    diese

    that

    Person

    person

    aus

    from

    Liste

    list

    More detail

    Entferne is the singular informal imperative of entfernen (“to remove”). It addresses one person directly and gives a command: Entferne das Bild. — “Remove the picture.” The imperative form is different from the infinitive; compare entfernen (infinitive) and Entferne! (command to one person). diese is the demonstrative determiner meaning “this/that” in the intended context. It agrees with the feminine singular noun Person; the form used here is nominative/accusative feminine singular. German demonstratives can be translated as either “this” or “that” depending on the context, so the fixed translation selects “that” here. Person means “person.” It is a feminine noun: die Person; its plural is Personen. In this sentence, the noun is the object of entferne, so the feminine singular accusative form is identical in spelling to the nominative form. aus means “from” when describing removal from a place, group, or collection. With this meaning, aus takes the dative case. Here, aus der Liste means “from the list”; der is the dative feminine singular form of the definite article for die Liste. Compare aus dem Ordner — “from the folder.” Liste means “list.” It is a feminine noun: die Liste; after aus, the phrase uses the dative form of its article: aus der Liste. Together, Entferne diese Person forms the command “Remove that person,” and aus der Liste specifies the source or collection from which the person is to be removed. The complete utterance therefore means: “Remove that person from the list.”

11. Dann ist die E-Mail bereit zum Abschicken.

    Then the email is ready to send.

    Dann

    then

    ist

    is

    E-Mail

    email

    bereit

    ready

    zum Abschicken

    to send

    More detail

    Dann means “then” here, linking this statement to an earlier point in time or sequence. It can also introduce a consequence in other contexts, but this sentence uses the time/sequence meaning. ist is the present-tense form of sein (“to be”) for a third-person singular subject. The subject here is die E-Mail, so German uses ist, not plural sind. Example: Die Datei ist fertig. — “The file is ready.” E-Mail is the noun “email.” Its plural is E-Mails. In this sentence, die E-Mail is the singular subject; the feminine article die is part of the noun phrase and does not itself mean “one.” bereit is the adjective “ready.” In bereit sein, it describes a state of readiness. German adjectives used after sein normally do not take an ending: Die E-Mail ist bereit, but eine bereite E-Mail would be a different, attributive position and is not the form used here. zum Abschicken expresses the purpose or intended action “to send.” zum is the contraction of zu dem. Abschicken is a capitalized nominalized infinitive based on the verb abschicken (“to send off”); as a noun, it is neuter: das Abschicken. Thus zum Abschicken literally has the structure “for/to the sending,” while its natural translation here is “to send.” Together, Dann ist gives “Then is,” die E-Mail supplies the subject, bereit says that it is ready, and zum Abschicken specifies the action for which it is ready. The whole utterance means: “Then the email is ready to send.”