Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DUTCH Er
DUTCH Er
Language Dutch
Level B1
Eraan refers to toekomst. ermee refers to een pen, erop refers to de bril, and ervoor refers
to trui. The sentences above show the unseparated pronominal adverb of position, but when
“Er” 1
there are other elements in the sentence, such as time indicators, negation, indirect and direct
object, or an adjective with a link verbs, er is separated from the preposition.
Examples
Er in a passive sentence
Er begins a sentence that doesn’t have a subject. This occurs in sentences where human
activities are described, when the action is more important than the subject. This is also used
in crime reports, when the subject of a crime could be disputed.
Er wordt in Nederland veel gefietst.
People cycle a lot in the Netherlands.
Er wordt in deze fabriek kaas gemaakt.
They make cheese in this factory
“Er” 2
When used in a main sentence to refer to a place, a number or an object with a preposition, er
usually follows the finite verb.
Is Erik in Amsterdam geweest? Hij is er vaak geweest.
Has Erik been to Amsterdam? He has been there many times.
Heeft Erik kinderen? Hij heeft er twee.
Does Erik have children? He has two.
Houdt Erik van voetbal? Ja, hij houdt ervan.
Does Erik like soccer? He does.
If the subject is not at the beginning of the sentence, er follows the subject.
When the finite verb is a reflexive verb, er follows the reflexive pronoun, in both main and
subordinated sentences.
Erik: Peter en Karin, gaan jullie graag naar opa en oma Beumer?
Erik: Peter and Karin, do you like going to your grandpa and grandma Beumer?
“Er” 3
Erik: Nee, je kan me er niet gezien hebben, want ik was in Utrecht.
Erik: No, you can’t have seen me there, because I was in Utrecht.
Felix: O, nou ik dacht echt dat ik je er zag lopen. Je hebt zeker een dubbelganger.
Felix: Oh, well, I really thought I saw you walking there. You must have a double.
Sanne: Ach, onzin. Er werd gisteren gezegd dat ze nieuwe personeel nodig hebben.
Sanne: Rubbish. Yesterday they said they need new staff.
“Er” 4