Breakdown of Er träumt oft von einem Urlaub mit Meerblick.
ein
a, an (eine)
er
he
oft
often
der Urlaub
the vacation / the holiday
Questions & Answers about Er träumt oft von einem Urlaub mit Meerblick.
How would I use was für ein- to ask "What kind of vacation does he dream of?"
You would ask Von was für einem Urlaub träumt er? Because the verb träumen (to dream) goes with the preposition von, the phrase was für ein- must be in the dative case. Since der Urlaub is masculine, it becomes was für einem.
Why is it einem Urlaub and not einen Urlaub or ein Urlaub?
The preposition von is a "dative preposition," meaning it always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. Since Urlaub is a masculine noun (der Urlaub), the article changes to einem.
Is von the only preposition you can use with träumen?
Yes, when you want to say you dream "of" or "about" something, German always uses the fixed combination träumen von. Prepositions rarely translate word-for-word between languages, so it is best to learn them together with their verbs!
How is the word Meerblick formed?
It is a compound noun made from das Meer (the sea) and der Blick (the view). In German compound nouns, the last word determines the gender, so it is der Meerblick.