Questions & Answers about Zij stuurt hem de brief.
Why use zij instead of ze in this sentence?
Both zij and ze are correct here. However, zij is the emphasized form. You use zij when you want to specifically highlight who is doing the action, as if pointing out that she is sending him the letter, not someone else. If there is no special emphasis, you would normally use the unstressed word ze.
Why does the person (hem) come before the object (de brief)?
In Dutch, when a sentence has both an indirect object (the receiver, which is hem here) and a direct object (the thing being sent, which is de brief), the receiver usually comes first. This matches the English word order perfectly.
Can I use a preposition and say Zij stuurt de brief aan hem instead?
Yes, you can. Just like in English where you can say that she sends the letter to him, you can use the Dutch preposition aan. When you use aan, the receiver moves after the direct object: Zij stuurt de brief aan hem.
How do we know zij means she and not they in this sentence?
Because the word zij can mean either she or they, we must look at the verb to know which one it is. The verb stuurt ends in a t, making it the singular form for she. If the sentence meant they, the verb would be plural: Zij sturen hem de brief.