Indefinite Pronominal Adverbs
In English, we naturally combine prepositions with indefinite pronouns to say things like "about something," "for nothing," or "against everything."
In Dutch, you cannot combine prepositions (like over, voor, tegen, or op) directly with the words iets (something), niets (nothing), or alles (everything). Instead, the pronoun transforms and jumps in front of the preposition to create a "pronominal adverb":
- iets
- preposition becomes ergens
- preposition
- preposition becomes ergens
- niets
- preposition becomes nergens
- preposition
- preposition becomes nergens
- alles
- preposition becomes overal
- preposition
- preposition becomes overal
| English | Dutch combination |
|---|---|
| about something | ergens over |
| for nothing | nergens voor |
| against everything | overal tegen |
Ergens and Nergens
When using these combinations in a sentence, the two words are often written with a space between them, frequently landing right before a verb at the end of the clause.
| We wanted to talk about something, maybe about politics? | Wij wilden ergens over praten, misschien over de politiek? |
| The new candidate of the party had to fight for something. | De nieuwe kandidaat van de partij moest ergens voor vechten. |
When debating politics or elections, you will often need to express the negative using nergens.
| I don't want to vote for anything during this election. | Ik wil nergens op stemmen tijdens deze verkiezing. |
| Are they not talking about anything during the debate? | Praten zij nergens over tijdens het debat? |
Overal
To apply a preposition to "everything," use overal. This is especially useful for making broad, sweeping statements during a political campaign.
| This candidate talks about politics, but he is against everything. | Deze kandidaat praat over de politiek, maar hij is overal tegen. |
| The minister complains about everything during the campaign. | De minister klaagt overal over tijdens de campagne. |
