Learn Hardcore Dutch: Tom schenkt Anna water in haar glas. - Tom pours water into Anna’s glass.

In Dutch, verbs that take two objects (called “ditransitive verbs”) such as schenken often follow the order: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object. So Anna (to whom Tom pours) comes before water (what is being poured).

Why is there no article before water?

In Dutch (as in English), water is an uncountable (mass) noun when you speak of an indefinite quantity. You simply say water without an article. If you want to specify an amount you use a measure word: een glas water, een beetje water, etc.

Why is there no preposition aan (to) before Anna?

Because schenken is a ditransitive verb and can take an indirect object directly without a preposition when the indirect object comes first. If you reverse the objects, you must use aan:
– Tom schenkt water aan Anna.

Why do we use in for in haar glas and not op or naar?

When you pour a liquid into a container, you use in to express the location where it goes.
– in haar glas = into her glass.
Using op would mean “on” (on top of the glass), and naar + DP (‘to’) doesn’t work here because you’re describing spatial containment, not merely motion toward a goal.

Why is the possessive pronoun haar used before glas, and why is there no article?

Haar is a possessive pronoun meaning “her” (showing that the glass belongs to Anna). In Dutch you place the possessive pronoun directly before the noun without an article: haar glas = her glass. If you added an article (e.g. het haar glas), it would be incorrect or change the meaning entirely.

What is the difference between schenken and geven, and could we use geven instead?

– geven is the general verb “to give” and can be used in many contexts.
– schenken often implies pouring drinks or giving gifts/donations—it conveys the idea of serving or bestowing.
In the context of pouring water, schenken is more idiomatic. You could say Tom geeft Anna water in haar glas, but using geven for liquids sounds less natural and you’d also need aan if you keep the order DO–IO: Tom geeft water aan Anna.

Could we say Tom schenkt Anna een glas water instead of Tom schenkt Anna water in haar glas?

Yes! Tom schenkt Anna een glas water focuses on giving her a glass filled with water. It’s a perfectly natural alternative. The structure here is Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (een glas water). The meaning shifts slightly to emphasize the glass as a whole rather than the act of pouring into an existing glass.