The Dummy Subject "Er"
When introducing an indefinite subject (like a dog, two scooters, or some noise), Dutch uses er as a "dummy" subject, similar to "there is" or "there are" in English.
Unlike the English continuous form ("There is a dog barking"), Dutch pairs er directly with the active verb, followed by the indefinite subject.
| There is a dog barking in the garden. | Er blaft een hond in de tuin. |
| There are two dogs barking on the sidewalk. | Er blaffen twee honden op de stoep. |
Position and Motion Verbs
You will frequently see er paired with verbs of motion (rijden, komen) and position (staan, zitten, liggen) to describe what is happening in a location.
| There is a scooter driving through the street. | Er rijdt een scooter door de straat. |
| There is a bird sitting on the fence. | Er zit een vogel op het hek. |
Expressing Existence and Absence
To state that something simply exists or happens, use er with zijn (to be). To say that something is not there, use the negation geen.
| There was no noise at night. | Er was 's nachts geen lawaai. |
| There is no scooter on the sidewalk. | Er staat geen scooter op de stoep. |
Questions with "Er"
In questions, standard word order applies: the verb comes first, followed by er, and then the indefinite subject.
| Is there a lot of noise coming from the garage? | Klinkt er veel lawaai uit de garage? |
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