Breakdown of Vandaag stuurt de manager het document aan de medewerker.
vandaag
today
sturen
to send
het document
the document
aan
to (recipient)
de manager
the manager
de medewerker
the employee
Questions & Answers about Vandaag stuurt de manager het document aan de medewerker.
How would this sentence change if we drop the word 'aan'?
If you remove the preposition aan, the indirect object (de medewerker) must come before the definite direct object (het document). Without the preposition, the sentence becomes: Vandaag stuurt de manager de medewerker het document.
Why is it 'stuurt de manager' instead of 'de manager stuurt'?
Because the sentence starts with the time word Vandaag, the verb and subject swap places. This is a refresher on the V2 rule: the main conjugated verb must always be the second block of information in a main clause.
Why do we use 'aan' here instead of 'voor'?
We use aan when an action is physically or logically directed toward a recipient, such as giving, sending, or telling something to someone. You would use voor if you were doing a favor or acting on behalf of someone else, like buying a coffee for the employee.
Could I put 'aan de medewerker' before 'het document'?
Yes, you can grammatically say Vandaag stuurt de manager aan de medewerker het document. However, when using a preposition like aan, putting the prepositional phrase at the end of the sentence is the standard word order and sounds much more natural.
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