Breakdown of Wir schenken den Eltern ein Auto.
ein
a, an (eine)
das Auto
the car
wir
we
die Eltern
the parents
Questions & Answers about Wir schenken den Eltern ein Auto.
Why is it den Eltern instead of die Eltern?
Eltern (parents) is the indirect object in this sentence because they are the ones receiving the car. In German, the receiver of an action takes the dative case. The definite article for plural nouns in the dative case changes from die to den.
I learned that plural nouns get an extra -n in the dative case. Why doesn't Eltern get one?
That is a great rule to remember! Plural nouns in the dative case usually get an extra -n added to the end. However, because the word Eltern already ends in an -n, we don't add a second one.
Why is the word order den Eltern ein Auto instead of ein Auto den Eltern?
In German, when a sentence has both a dative object (the receiver, den Eltern) and an accusative object (the thing being acted upon, ein Auto), the dative object usually comes first as long as they are both regular nouns.
Can I use geben (to give) instead of schenken here?
You could, but it changes the meaning slightly. geben just means to hand something to someone. schenken specifically means to give something as a present or a gift. Since they are receiving a car, schenken is the most natural word to use!