Order of Two Objects

Level 3

Two nouns: person, then thing: Ech ginn dem Kand d'Buch. A pronoun comes before a noun: Ech ginn et dem Kand.

How It Works

1. Two nouns: person first
The dative person comes before the accusative thing:

  • Ech ginn dem Kand d'Buch. (I give the child the book.)
  • De Chauffer huet dem Douanier d'Dokumenter gewisen. (The driver showed the customs officer the documents.)

2. A pronoun and a noun: pronoun first
A pronoun normally comes before a noun, whatever its case:

  • Ech ginn him d'Buch. (I give him the book.)
  • Ech ginn et dem Kand. (I give it to the child.)

This is because short pronouns stand early in the clause; see pronouns early in the clause.

3. Two pronouns: dative first
With two pronouns, the dative person usually comes first and et second:

  • Ech ginn him et. (I give it to him.)
  • Weis mer et! (Show it to me!)
  • Ech hunn der et jo gesot. (I told you so.)

This order is much more common in Luxembourgish than in German, where Ich gebe es ihm is the rule. You will also hear et first, mainly with hir and eis: Ech ginn et hir. It is not wrong, but the dative-first order is the safe choice.

4. The dative forms
The person takes a dative pronoun (mir/mer, dir/der, him, hir, eis, iech, hinnen) or a dative article (dem, der, de). See dative pronouns and dative articles. Do not use a preposition like English to.

5. In a subordinate clause
The same order holds; only the verb moves to the end: ..., datt ech iech et gesot hunn. See the verb at the end.

Examples (6)

  1. Ech ginn dem Kand d'Buch.

    I give the child the book.

    Two nouns: the dative person comes before the thing.

  2. De Chauffer huet dem Douanier d'Dokumenter gewisen.

    The driver showed the customs officer the documents.

  3. Ech ginn et dem Kand.

    I give it to the child.

    The pronoun et comes before the noun.

  4. Ech weisen der de Plang vum Haus.

    I'll show you the plan of the house.

    The dative pronoun der comes before the noun.

  5. Ech ginn him et muer.

    I'll give it to him tomorrow.

    Two pronouns: the dative him usually comes first.

  6. Weis mer et!

    Show it to me!

    The short dative mer comes before et.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the objects after the participle, as in English.

    De Chauffer huet gewisen dem Douanier d'Dokumenter.
    De Chauffer huet dem Douanier d'Dokumenter gewisen.

    Both objects stand in the middle of the clause. The participle goes to the very end.

  • Using the accusative for the person who receives something.

    Ech ginn dech d'Buch.
    Ech ginn dir d'Buch.

    The person who receives is in the dative: dir, not dech.

  • Adding a word for to, as in English.

    Ech ginn d'Buch zu him.
    Ech ginn him d'Buch.

    The dative itself shows the receiver. Do not add zu or another preposition.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Order of Two ObjectsLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Order of Two Objects, learn Short Unstressed Pronouns.