der Posteingang
inbox
The area where incoming emails are collected and displayed.
EXAMPLE
Die neue Nachricht liegt bereits im Posteingang.
The new message is already in the inbox.
der Posteingang
inbox
der Posteingang, die Posteingänge
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Meanings
der Posteingang
incoming mail
The arrival of mail for a person or department; also the incoming or received mail items.
EXAMPLE
Der Posteingang wird jeden Morgen von der Sekretärin bearbeitet.
The incoming mail is processed by the secretary every morning.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Posteingang, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Posteingänge |
| genitive | des Posteinganges |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Posteingang | die Posteingänge |
| accusative | den Posteingang | die Posteingänge |
| dative | dem Posteingang | den Posteingängen |
| genitive | des Posteinganges des Posteingangs | der Posteingänge |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Posteingang' (inbox) is made up of 'Post' (mail) and 'Eingang' (entrance / arrival). So it refers to the area or process in which mail comes in.
EXAMPLE
Bitte prüfen Sie den Posteingang vor dem Mittagessen.
Please check the inbox before lunch.
Context clue
For emails and messages, 'Posteingang' (inbox) usually refers to a digital folder. For letters, packages, or other shipments, it refers to the mail that has arrived and its processing.
EXAMPLE
Im Posteingang liegen noch drei ungelesene Nachrichten.
There are still three unread messages in the inbox.
Der Posteingang der Firma wird am Nachmittag verteilt.
The company's incoming mail is distributed in the afternoon.
Typical collocations
In its digital sense, 'Posteingang' (inbox) often occurs with verbs such as 'öffnen' (to open), 'prüfen' (to check), 'leeren' (to empty), or 'aufrufen' (to access). 'Im Posteingang liegen' (to be in the inbox) describes messages being located in this folder.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss heute noch den Posteingang öffnen und die neuen Nachrichten beantworten.
I still have to open the inbox today and reply to the new messages.
Office collocations
For incoming letters and shipments, 'Posteingang' (incoming mail) is used especially in office and administrative contexts. Common collocations include 'den Posteingang bearbeiten' (to process the incoming mail), 'den Posteingang prüfen' (to check the incoming mail), and 'den Posteingang verteilen' (to distribute the incoming mail).
EXAMPLE
Die Poststelle prüft den Posteingang und verteilt die Briefe an die Abteilungen.
The mailroom checks the incoming mail and distributes the letters to the departments.
In real life
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