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Questions & Answers about Ik stuur een e-mail naar Anna.
Why is een used before e-mail?
e-mail is a countable noun in Dutch, so singular instances require an indefinite article. een corresponds to English “an.” Without it, the sentence would lack an article for the noun.
Why is stuur in the second position?
Dutch main clauses follow the Verb-Second (V2) rule: the finite verb (stuur) must occupy the second position. The subject (Ik) comes first, then the verb, followed by objects and phrases.
Why do we use naar Anna instead of aan Anna?
With sturen, both naar and aan can introduce the indirect object, but they carry slightly different nuances. naar emphasizes direction (“sending something toward someone”), while aan is closer to “giving” or “handing over.” naar Anna is more common when talking about sending messages or packages.
Can we omit the preposition and say Ik stuur Anna een e-mail?
Yes. Dutch allows indirect objects without a preposition in a ditransitive construction: Ik stuur Anna een e-mail. Here Anna directly follows the verb as the indirect object.
What determines the order of een e-mail and naar Anna?
After placing the finite verb in position two, Dutch typically follows Subject–Verb–Direct Object–Prepositional Phrase. So een e-mail (direct object) comes before naar Anna (prepositional object).
Is e-mail a masculine or neuter noun, and how do we know?
e-mail is a common-gender noun (de-woord), so you use de e-mail for the definite form. You recognize it by usage and dictionary entries; most loanwords referring to objects are common gender.
How do you form the past tense and past participle of sturen?
The simple past (preterite) is stuurde (e.g., Ik stuurde). You add -de because the stem ends in a voiced consonant. The past participle is gestuurd (used in perfect tenses: Ik heb een e-mail gestuurd).
How would you express “I am sending an email to Anna” if you want to emphasize the ongoing action?
Dutch lacks a true progressive form, so the simple present is often used (Ik stuur een e-mail naar Anna). To stress the ongoing nature you can say Ik ben een e-mail naar Anna aan het sturen, literally “I am at the sending of an email to Anna.”
Can you replace ik stuur een e-mail with ik mail Anna?
Yes. mailen is a verb in Dutch: Ik mail Anna means “I email Anna.” No article is needed when you use mail as a verb. This form is more colloquial.