Word
Wir schicken einem Freund ein Geschenk.
Meaning
We are sending a friend a gift.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Wir schicken einem Freund ein Geschenk.
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
der Freund
the friend
das Geschenk
the gift
Questions & Answers about Wir schicken einem Freund ein Geschenk.
Why does the sentence use einem Freund instead of ein Freund?
The verb schicken (to send) involves someone receiving the thing being sent. In German, the person receiving something is put in the dative case. Because Freund is a masculine noun, its indefinite article changes from ein to einem in the dative case.
Do I need a word for "to", like "sending TO a friend"?
No, you don't need a preposition like "to" here! The dative case already does that job. By changing the article to einem, you are automatically expressing that the friend is the receiver of the action.
Why doesn't ein Geschenk have a special case ending like einem?
ein Geschenk is the direct object (the thing being sent), so it is in the accusative case. However, because Geschenk is a neuter noun, its accusative article ein looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form. Only masculine nouns change their article to einen in the accusative.
Can I switch the order and say Wir schicken ein Geschenk einem Freund?
It is strongly preferred to put the dative object (einem Freund) before the accusative object (ein Geschenk) when both are regular nouns. The rule of thumb in German is: the receiver comes before the received thing!