Quantitative er with adjectives
When stating a quantity of something already mentioned, Dutch uses the quantitative pronoun er ("of them").
To add an adjective to this group, English uses the word "ones" (e.g., "three red ones"). Dutch has no word for "ones". Instead, combine er, the number, and an adjective ending in -e.
| The florist has many flowers, and I want to buy three red ones. | De bloemist heeft veel bloemen en ik wil er drie rode kopen. |
| I need tulips, so I take three pink ones. | Ik heb tulpen nodig, dus ik neem er drie roze. |
| Are you looking for roses? I have ten red ones. | Zoek je rozen? Ik heb er tien rode. |
Word order
In these sentences, er typically appears early, right after the conjugated verb or subject. The number and adjective stay together where the noun would normally be.
| He wants a large bouquet, but can only make two small ones. | Hij wil een groot boeket, maar kan er alleen twee kleine maken. |
| We have beautiful vases, and you must choose three blue ones. | Wij hebben mooie vazen en jij moet er drie blauwe kiezen. |
Double er
Because er has multiple functions, you will sometimes see it twice in one sentence. This happens when existential er ("there are") combines with quantitative er ("of them").
| Are there sunflowers in the garden? Yes, there are three large ones. | Staan er zonnebloemen in de tuin? Ja, er staan er drie grote. |
Selecting and arranging
You can use this structure to talk about selecting, picking (plukken), and arranging (schikken) flowers for a bouquet.
| We need colorful bouquets, so we arrange six beautiful ones. | Wij hebben kleurrijke boeketten nodig, dus we schikken er zes mooie. |
| He refuses to buy flowers, so I pick three beautiful ones. | Hij weigert bloemen te kopen, dus ik pluk er drie mooie. |
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