diff --git a/nlp-service/extractor.py b/nlp-service/extractor.py
index ca9c197e..7ca84f82 100644
--- a/nlp-service/extractor.py
+++ b/nlp-service/extractor.py
@@ -38,3 +38,51 @@ def load_all_models() -> None:
 def extract_person_names(doc) -> list[str]:
     """Return PER entity texts in left-to-right span order."""
     return [ent.text for ent in doc.ents if ent.label_ == "PER"]
+
+
+# ── Step 2: Role detection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+_SENDER_PREPS: dict[str, frozenset[str]] = {
+    "de": frozenset({"von", "vom"}),
+    "en": frozenset({"from", "by"}),
+    "es": frozenset({"de", "por"}),
+}
+
+_RECEIVER_PREPS: dict[str, frozenset[str]] = {
+    "de": frozenset({"an", "nach", "für"}),
+    "en": frozenset({"to", "for"}),
+    "es": frozenset({"para", "a"}),
+}
+
+
+def detect_person_role(doc, per_spans: list, lang: str) -> str:
+    """Return 'sender', 'receiver', or 'any'.
+
+    Only meaningful for single-PER queries — two-person queries always return
+    'any' because Java derives direction from list position.
+    """
+    if len(per_spans) != 1:
+        return "any"
+
+    span = per_spans[0]
+    root = span.root
+    sender = _SENDER_PREPS[lang]
+    receiver = _RECEIVER_PREPS[lang]
+
+    # Primary: dependency-tree children of the PER root
+    for child in root.children:
+        if child.dep_ in ("case", "prep", "mo"):
+            if child.lower_ in sender:
+                return "sender"
+            if child.lower_ in receiver:
+                return "receiver"
+
+    # Fallback: token immediately before the span start
+    if span.start > 0:
+        prev = doc[span.start - 1]
+        if prev.lower_ in sender:
+            return "sender"
+        if prev.lower_ in receiver:
+            return "receiver"
+
+    return "any"
diff --git a/nlp-service/test_extractor.py b/nlp-service/test_extractor.py
index 60890936..fe14d4b1 100644
--- a/nlp-service/test_extractor.py
+++ b/nlp-service/test_extractor.py
@@ -117,3 +117,68 @@ def test_extract_person_names_ignores_non_per(nlp_de):
     # DATE entity should not appear in personNames
     doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_de, "Briefe 1920", [(7, 11, "DATE")])
     assert extract_person_names(doc) == []
+
+
+# ── Role detection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def test_role_sender_von(nlp_de):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    # "Briefe von Marie" — "von" immediately before "Marie"
+    # "Marie" = chars 11..16
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_de, "Briefe von Marie", [(11, 16, "PER")])
+    per_spans = list(doc.ents)
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, per_spans, "de") == "sender"
+
+
+def test_role_receiver_an(nlp_de):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    # "Briefe an Marie" — "an" immediately before "Marie"
+    # "Marie" = chars 10..15
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_de, "Briefe an Marie", [(10, 15, "PER")])
+    per_spans = list(doc.ents)
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, per_spans, "de") == "receiver"
+
+
+def test_role_two_persons_returns_any(nlp_de):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    # "von Opa an Marie" — two PER spans → always "any"
+    # "Opa" = chars 4..7, "Marie" = chars 11..16
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_de, "von Opa an Marie", [
+        (4, 7, "PER"),
+        (11, 16, "PER"),
+    ])
+    per_spans = list(doc.ents)
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, per_spans, "de") == "any"
+
+
+def test_role_no_prep_returns_any(nlp_de):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    # "Briefe Marie" — no preposition
+    # "Marie" = chars 7..12
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_de, "Briefe Marie", [(7, 12, "PER")])
+    per_spans = list(doc.ents)
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, per_spans, "de") == "any"
+
+
+def test_role_empty_returns_any(nlp_de):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_de, "Briefe 1920", [])
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, [], "de") == "any"
+
+
+def test_role_sender_from_english(nlp_en):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    # "letters from Marie" — "from" before "Marie"
+    # "Marie" = chars 13..18
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_en, "letters from Marie", [(13, 18, "PER")])
+    per_spans = list(doc.ents)
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, per_spans, "en") == "sender"
+
+
+def test_role_receiver_to_english(nlp_en):
+    from extractor import detect_person_role
+    # "letters to Marie" — "to" before "Marie"
+    # "letters" = 0..7, " " = 7, "to" = 8..10, " " = 10, "Marie" = 11..16
+    doc = _make_doc_with_ents(nlp_en, "letters to Marie", [(11, 16, "PER")])
+    per_spans = list(doc.ents)
+    assert detect_person_role(doc, per_spans, "en") == "receiver"