Breakdown of Ich danke ihm, weil er mir sagt, wofür er den Artikel schreibt.
ich
I
er
he
sagen
to say
schreiben
to write
danken
to thank
mir
me / to me (dative)
ihm
him / it / to him / to it (dative)
weil
because (subordinating)
wofür
what for (with verbs taking für)
der Artikel
the article
Questions & Answers about Ich danke ihm, weil er mir sagt, wofür er den Artikel schreibt.
Why does schreibt go at the very end of the sentence?
The last part of this sentence is an indirect question (what he is writing the article for). Indirect questions act like subordinate clauses in German. This means the question word wofür pushes the conjugated verb (schreibt) to the very end of its clause.
What exactly does wofür mean here, and why isn't it für was?
wofür translates to what for or for what. In German, when you combine a preposition like für with what to ask about a thing or concept, you use a wo-compound by attaching wo- to the preposition. While you might hear für was in casual speech, wofür is the correct standard form.
Why is the verb sagt at the end of the middle part (weil er mir sagt)?
The word weil (because) is a subordinating conjunction, which kicks the conjugated verb (sagt) to the end of its own clause. Notice that this sentence is made of three parts separated by commas, and both the weil clause and the wofür clause push their verbs to the end!
Why do we use the dative words ihm and mir instead of the accusative ihn and mich?
Both danken (to thank) and sagen (to say or tell) are verbs that require the dative case for the person receiving the action. Think of it as giving your thanks to him (ihm) and him telling the information to me (mir).
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