Breakdown of De manager stuurt de medewerker het document.
sturen
to send
het document
the document
de manager
the manager
de medewerker
the employee
Questions & Answers about De manager stuurt de medewerker het document.
Why is there no translation for "to" in this sentence, like "aan de medewerker"?
Just like in English ("sends the employee the document"), you can omit the preposition aan (to) in Dutch if you put the indirect object (de medewerker) right before the direct object (het document). This is a common way to phrase sentences with verbs of giving or sending.
How would I rewrite this sentence to include the word aan?
If you want to use aan, you have to change the word order. The indirect object moves after the direct object: De manager stuurt het document aan de medewerker. Both versions are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing.
What if the manager sends "it" to the employee? Does the word order change?
Yes! If the direct object is a pronoun like het (it), it is so "light" that it wants to come earlier in the sentence. You would say: De manager stuurt het aan de medewerker. When using a pronoun for the direct object, you generally switch to the structure with aan.
Does medewerker literally mean "co-worker"?
Yes, literally it translates to "co-worker" (from mee meaning "with" and werker meaning "worker"). However, in modern Dutch business language, companies use it as the standard, polite word for "employee" or "staff member".