Breakdown of Wir rufen bei einer neuen Hotline an.
ein
a, an (eine)
wir
we
neu
new
anrufen
to call (by phone)
Questions & Answers about Wir rufen bei einer neuen Hotline an.
I thought 'anrufen' takes a direct object in the accusative. Why are we using 'bei' here?
You are right! Normally, anrufen takes the accusative without a preposition (like Ich rufe dich an). However, when calling a business, organization, or service (like a hotline), German often uses the preposition bei followed by the dative case.
Why does the adjective 'neuen' end in '-en'?
This sentence uses the dative case because of the preposition bei. The noun Hotline is feminine, so the indefinite article becomes einer. Whenever you have an indefinite article in the dative case, the adjective following it must end in -en.
How do we know the gender of English loan words like 'Hotline'?
It is die Hotline (feminine). English loan words often take the gender of their closest German equivalent. Since the German word for 'line' is die Linie (feminine), Hotline is also feminine.
Why is there an 'an' sitting by itself at the very end of the sentence?
That is the prefix of the separable verb anrufen (to call). In present tense main clauses, the prefix (an) splits off from the main verb (rufen) and moves to the very end of the sentence.