Breakdown of Ich schreibe eine Postkarte an meine Freundin.
ich
I
meine
my
die Freundin
the friend
schreiben
to write
an
to
die Postkarte
the postcard
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Questions & Answers about Ich schreibe eine Postkarte an meine Freundin.
Why is Postkarte capitalized?
In German all nouns are capitalized, no matter where they appear in the sentence. Postkarte (postcard) is a noun, so it always starts with a capital letter.
What’s the gender and case of eine Postkarte, and why is the article eine?
Postkarte is a feminine noun. It functions here as the direct object of schreibe, so it’s in the accusative case. The feminine indefinite article in the accusative singular is eine (the same form as the nominative).
Why is the verb schreibe used here instead of the infinitive schreiben?
Schreibe is the first-person singular present-tense form of schreiben (“to write”). In a main clause German uses the finite (conjugated) verb—here ich + schreibe means “I write” or “I am writing.”
Why is the preposition an used before meine Freundin?
You can express “writing to someone” in two ways in German:
- With a direct dative object: Ich schreibe meiner Freundin eine Postkarte.
- With a prepositional object using an
- accusative: Ich schreibe eine Postkarte an meine Freundin.
Both are correct; using an highlights the “to” direction.
- accusative: Ich schreibe eine Postkarte an meine Freundin.
Which case does an require here, and how do we know?
An is a two-way (Wechsel-) preposition. When it indicates direction or movement toward a target—as in “to someone”—it takes the accusative. Hence an governs meine Freundin (feminine accusative singular).
Why is it meine Freundin and not mein Freundin or meiner Freundin?
- Freundin is feminine.
- In the accusative singular, the feminine possessive “my” is meine.
- Mein would be masculine or neuter nominative; meiner is the feminine dative form (used without an).
Does meine Freundin always mean “my girlfriend”?
No. Freundin can mean “female friend” or “girlfriend.” Context usually tells you which. If you want to specify a romantic partner, you might say meine feste Freundin (“my steady girlfriend”) or meine Lebensgefährtin.
Why is the word order Ich schreibe eine Postkarte an meine Freundin instead of matching English word order exactly?
German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the conjugated verb (schreibe) must be in the second position. After Ich (subject) comes schreibe, then you can place the direct object (eine Postkarte) and the prepositional object (an meine Freundin) in various orders—this one (DO before PP) is very natural.
Could you put an meine Freundin before eine Postkarte, and would that change the meaning?
Yes—Ich schreibe an meine Freundin eine Postkarte is grammatically correct and means the same thing. German allows some flexibility as long as the verb stays in second position and the cases remain clear; putting the PP first just shifts the emphasis slightly onto an meine Freundin.