Hij geeft Tom een boek.

He gives Tom a book.

Breakdown of Hij geeft Tom een boek.

• Tom: Tom
• hij: he
• het boek: the book
• een: a, an
• geven: to give

Questions & Answers about Hij geeft Tom een boek.

What does Hij geeft Tom een boek translate to in English?

It translates to "He gives Tom a book." Here, Hij means "he", geeft means "gives", Tom is the recipient’s name, and een boek means "a book."

Why is there no preposition (like aan, meaning "to") before Tom in this sentence?

In Dutch, when the indirect object is a person, it is common to place the name directly after the verb without a preposition. Although you could also say "Hij geeft een boek aan Tom", both constructions are correct. The placement without aan is simply a preferred, more streamlined format.

What are the grammatical roles of each part of the sentence?

In the sentence:
• Hij is the subject (the one performing the action).
• geeft is the verb (meaning "gives").
• Tom functions as the indirect object (the recipient of the item).
• een boek is the direct object (the item being given).

How does the word order of this Dutch sentence compare to similar English sentences?

The word order is quite similar. Both Dutch and English typically follow a subject–verb–object pattern. In this ditransitive sentence, the structure is: Subject – Verb – Indirect Object – Direct Object, which mirrors the English sentence "He gives Tom a book."

Why is the verb in the sentence conjugated as geeft instead of geven?

The verb geven (to give) is conjugated as geeft because the subject Hij is third person singular. In Dutch, verbs take a -t ending in the third person singular present tense, which is why geeft is used here.