A1-51 · Write to someone
Messages and emails
Use dative pronouns for the person receiving a message and choose suitable greetings and closings.
About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions
01
Write to me or to you
With schreiben, the person receiving the message takes the dative: Ich schreibe dir. The forms are ich → mir and du → dir. The message itself can be an accusative object.
Ich schreibe dir.
I am writing to you, my friend.
Du schreibst mir.
You are writing to me.
Schreibst du mir eine E-Mail?
Are you writing me an email?
Ich schicke dir eine Nachricht.
I am sending you a message, my friend.
Die E-Mail means email and die Nachricht message. Compare Du schreibst mir with Ich schreibe dir.
02
Write to another person
Er becomes ihm and sie becomes ihr in the dative. Polite Sie becomes Ihnen. Capitalize Ihnen in a formal message.
Ben wartet. Ich schreibe ihm.
Ben is waiting. I am writing to him.
Mara wartet. Ich schreibe ihr.
Mara is waiting. I am writing to her.
Ich antworte Ihnen morgen.
I will reply to you tomorrow, politely.
Mara schickt uns eine E-Mail.
Mara sends us an email.
Wir becomes uns, ihr becomes euch and plural sie becomes ihnen. Context distinguishes her, ihr, from informal plural you as a subject, ihr.
03
Choose an opening and closing
An informal email can begin Liebe Mara or Lieber Ben and end Liebe Grüße. A formal email can begin Sehr geehrte Frau Klein and end Mit freundlichen Grüßen.
Liebe Mara,
Dear Mara,
Lieber Ben,
Dear Ben,
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Kind regards
Danke für Ihre Nachricht.
Thank you for your message, politely.
Keep the greeting and the pronouns consistent. Use dir for a friend and Ihnen for a formal contact. Danke für Ihre Nachricht is a polite thank-you.
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