1
She gave to me a present.
She gave me a present.
She gave a present to me.
Some verbs, such as give, can be followed by two objects. We can use two structures:
- verb + person + thing: She gave me a present.
- verb + thing + to + person: She gave a present to me.
Do not use to when the person comes before the thing.
Other common verbs that can use these structures include lend, offer, promise, read, sell, send, show, teach and tell.
2
She explained me the problem.
She explained the problem to me.
Not all verbs can use both structures. With explain, use explain something to someone, not explain someone something.
See EXPLAIN