Fixed Prepositions with Clauses
Many verbs and adjectives in Dutch are paired with a fixed preposition, such as letten op (to pay attention to) or rekenen op (to count on). When the target of the preposition is a regular noun, the preposition is simply placed right before it.
| You must pay attention to the behavior of the child. | Je moet letten op het gedrag van het kind. |
However, you cannot place a preposition directly in front of a dat (that) clause. If you want to say you are paying attention to the fact that something happens, Dutch requires an anticipatory placeholder in the main clause.
You form this placeholder by combining er with the preposition (creating words like erop or ervoor). This signals that a descriptive clause is about to follow.
| I see to it that they play safely. | Ik let erop dat ze veilig spelen. |
| I count on you bringing the baby. | Ik reken erop dat je de baby meeneemt. |
Anticipating an "om ... te" Clause
This same rule applies when the following clause is an infinitive phrase using om ... te (to do something). If the main verb or adjective requires a fixed preposition, you must use your er + preposition placeholder before starting the om clause.
| The teacher chooses to punish the boy. | De docent kiest ervoor om de jongen te straffen. |
| The grandpa and grandma enjoy spoiling the baby. | De opa en oma genieten ervan om de baby te verwennen. |
Depending on the sentence structure, er and the preposition might be written together as one word, or they may be split by other elements in the sentence, such as an adjective.
| The parents are responsible for raising the child. | De ouders zijn er verantwoordelijk voor om het kind op te voeden. |
