Word
Wir schicken dem Lehrer den Brief.
Meaning
We send the teacher the letter.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Wir schicken dem Lehrer den Brief.
wir
we
der Lehrer
the teacher
schicken
to send
der Brief
the letter
Questions & Answers about Wir schicken dem Lehrer den Brief.
Why does dem Lehrer come before den Brief?
In German, when a sentence has two noun objects, the dative object (the receiver, dem Lehrer) comes before the accusative object (the thing being sent, den Brief). This is the standard word order when both objects are regular nouns.
Why is it dem Lehrer and not den Lehrer?
The verb schicken (to send) takes a dative object to show who is receiving the item. Because Lehrer is a masculine noun (der Lehrer), the article changes to dem in the dative case.
Why does the sentence use den Brief?
The letter is the direct object, meaning it is the actual thing being acted upon or sent. Direct objects take the accusative case. Since Brief is a masculine noun (der Brief), its article changes to den.
Do I need a preposition here, like the English word 'to'?
No, you do not need a word for 'to'. Putting the receiver in the dative case (dem Lehrer) automatically translates the idea of sending something 'to' the teacher.