Breakdown of Du schickst einem Lehrer die E-Mail.
ein
a, an (eine)
du
you (informal singular)
die E-Mail
the e-mail
der Lehrer
the teacher
schicken
to send
Questions & Answers about Du schickst einem Lehrer die E-Mail.
Why is it einem Lehrer instead of ein Lehrer?
In this sentence, the teacher is the receiver of the action (the indirect object). Because Lehrer (teacher) is a masculine noun, its indefinite article (ein) changes to einem in the dative case.
Why does einem Lehrer come before die E-Mail?
In German, when a sentence has both a dative receiver (the person getting something) and an accusative object (the thing being sent), the dative object usually comes first. So the 'who' (einem Lehrer) comes before the 'what' (die E-Mail).
How do I know to use the dative case with the verb schicken?
Verbs that involve giving, showing, or sending something to someone (like schicken) usually take two objects. The thing being sent (die E-Mail) is the direct object in the accusative case, and the person receiving it (einem Lehrer) is the indirect object in the dative case.
Why is it die E-Mail? Isn't it an English word?
Yes, it is an English loanword! However, all nouns in German need a gender. E-Mail is feminine, so it uses die. Because feminine nouns don't change their article in the accusative case, it stays die E-Mail in this sentence.
Learn Du schickst einem Lehrer die E-Mail and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free