Breakdown of Ich gebe Ihnen meine Adresse.
ich
I
geben
to give
mein
my
Ihnen
you / to you (formal, dative)
die Adresse
the address
Questions & Answers about Ich gebe Ihnen meine Adresse.
Why use Ihnen instead of Sie for "you"?
Ihnen is the dative form of the formal "you" (Sie). In German, the person receiving something (the indirect object) takes the dative case. Since you are the one receiving the address, we use Ihnen.
Why is Ihnen capitalized?
In German, the formal "you" (Sie) and all of its forms are always capitalized to show respect. If it were written with a lowercase i (ihnen), it would mean "to them".
Why is it meine Adresse and not mein Adresse?
Adresse is a feminine noun (die Adresse). Here, it is the direct object (the thing being given), which means it is in the accusative case. For feminine nouns in the accusative, the possessive word takes an -e ending, making it meine.
The translation says "I am giving", but the German is just Ich gebe. Is there an "am giving" form in German?
No, German does not have a continuous "-ing" tense. The simple present tense Ich gebe translates to both "I give" and "I am giving", depending on what makes the most sense in English.
Learn Ich gebe Ihnen meine Adresse 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