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German Phrase

Ich schicke dir eine Nachricht.

/ɪç ˈʃɪkə diːɐ̯ ˈaɪ̯nə ˈnaːχʁɪçt/
Meaning"I am sending you a message."
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Meaning

The sentence means ‘I’m sending you a message.’ It uses the present tense to describe an action that is about to happen or is happening right now. The focus is on the act of sending rather than the content of the message.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you want to let someone know that you are about to send, have just sent, or are in the process of sending a text, email, or any short written communication. It works in both informal and semi‑formal contexts, especially in digital conversations.

✦Grammar Breakdown

IchschickedireineNachricht.

1

Subject Pronoun (Ich)

Ich means 'I' and is the first‑person singular subject pronoun, always placed before the verb.

2

Verb Conjugation (schicken)

schicken is a regular weak verb; in the present tense, the ich‑form adds -e: ich schicke.

3

Dative Object (dir)

dir is the dative form of du, used here because the verb ‘schicken’ takes a dative object for the recipient.

4

Accusative Direct Object (eine Nachricht)

eine Nachricht is a feminine noun in the accusative case, marked by the indefinite article ‘eine’.

5

Word Order

In a simple main clause, German follows the V2 rule: the finite verb (schicke) is in second position, and the dative object (dir) can appear before or after the accusative object.

🗨In Conversation

A

Hey, hast du meine E‑Mail bekommen?

Hey, did you get my email?

Noch nicht. Ich schicke dir eine Nachricht, sobald ich sie gelesen habe.

Not yet. I’ll send you a message as soon as I’ve read it.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Ich schicke mich eine Nachricht.

    ‘mich’ is accusative; the verb ‘schicken’ requires a dative recipient, so you must use ‘dir’ (or ‘ihm/ihr’).

  • Ich schicke dir ein Nachricht.

    ‘Nachricht’ is feminine, so the indefinite article must be ‘eine’, not ‘ein’.

  • Ich schickt dir eine Nachricht.

    ‘schickt’ is the third‑person singular form; with ‘ich’ you need ‘schicke’.

↔Alternatives

  • Ich sende dir eine Nachricht.

    I send you a message.

  • Ich schicke dir gleich eine Nachricht.

    I’ll send you a message right away.

  • Ich habe dir eine Nachricht geschickt.

    I have sent you a message.

de

Cultural Tip

In German digital etiquette, it’s common to give a quick heads‑up like ‘Ich schicke dir eine Nachricht’ before sending a longer email or a file, especially in professional settings. Using the dative ‘dir’ signals a personal, direct address, so it feels friendly but still polite. In Austria and parts of Southern Germany you might also hear ‘Ich schicke dir mal …’ as a softer, more casual variant.