Breakdown of Sie erwartet einen Brief von der Firma.
von
from, of / by (agent in passive clauses)
der Brief
the letter
die Firma
the company
erwarten
to expect
Questions & Answers about Sie erwartet einen Brief von der Firma.
Since this lesson is about da-compounds, why isn't there one like darauf in this sentence?
The verb erwarten (to expect) takes a direct accusative object (einen Brief), not a preposition. Da- compounds are only used to replace a prepositional phrase. If you used warten (to wait), which needs the preposition auf, you would say Sie wartet auf einen Brief. If she were waiting for the company to do something, you'd use a da- compound pointing to a dass-clause: Sie wartet darauf, dass die Firma schreibt.
Why is it einen Brief instead of ein Brief?
Brief (letter) is a masculine noun (der Brief). In this sentence, it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb erwarten, so it must be in the accusative case. The masculine indefinite article ein becomes einen in the accusative.
Wait, isn't Firma a feminine noun? Why does it say der Firma?
Yes, it is die Firma. However, the preposition von (from) always forces the noun that follows it into the dative case. The feminine dative article is der, which looks identical to the masculine nominative article, but here it simply marks the feminine dative case.
Is the verb erwarten a separable verb?
No, the prefix er- is inseparable. Unlike separable prefixes (like ab- or an-), it stays firmly attached to the verb stem. That is why the sentence is Sie erwartet and not Sie wartet ... er.
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