Breakdown of Wir haben der Agentur den Auftrag erteilt.
haben
to have
wir
we
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Agentur
the agency
Questions & Answers about Wir haben der Agentur den Auftrag erteilt.
Why use the phrase den Auftrag erteilt instead of a single verb like beauftragt?
This is a Noun-Verb Support Construction (Nomen-Verb-Verbindung). In business, news, and formal German, speakers often use a noun plus a specific verb (like einen Auftrag erteilen) instead of a single verb (like beauftragen) to sound more professional or precise. Both mean to commission or to place an order, but the noun-verb combination elevates the tone.
What does the verb erteilen actually mean on its own?
Erteilen means to grant, to issue, or to impart. It is rarely used completely on its own; you will almost always see it in fixed formal phrases like einen Auftrag erteilen (to place an order), eine Erlaubnis erteilen (to grant permission), or einen Rat erteilen (to give advice).
Why is it der Agentur instead of die Agentur?
The word Agentur is feminine, but here it is the indirect object receiving the order, so it must be in the dative case (der). The verb erteilen requires a dative receiver (der Agentur) and an accusative object for the thing being granted (den Auftrag).
Could I change the word order and put den Auftrag before der Agentur?