Breakdown of Ik geef de kok het compliment.
ik
I
geven
to give
de kok
the cook
het compliment
the compliment
Questions & Answers about Ik geef de kok het compliment.
Why is there no word for 'to' in this sentence?
In this sentence, de kok is the indirect object (the receiver) and het compliment is the direct object (the thing being given). Because we put de kok directly before the definite direct object, we don't need to use the preposition aan (to). This works just like English: 'I give the chef the compliment.'
How would I write this using aan?
If you choose to use aan (to), the word order changes. The direct object must come first: Ik geef het compliment aan de kok.
Could I change the order and say 'Ik geef het compliment de kok'?
No, that word order is incorrect. When you leave out the preposition aan, the receiver (de kok) must always come before the thing being given (het compliment).
Is there a rule for why it is het compliment and not de compliment?
Yes! Compliment is a neuter word, so it takes het. A very reliable rule in Dutch is that almost all nouns ending in -ment are het-words (for example, het moment, het abonnement, het appartement).
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