Emphasizing the Topic
In Dutch, you can emphasize a noun by moving it to the very front of the sentence. You can even split a noun phrase apart to do this: the bare noun goes to the front, while its quantity and any adjectives stay behind.
When you split a countable plural noun from its number, you must insert the word er (meaning "of them") before the leftover number and adjectives. As always, starting the sentence with the object forces the verb into the second position, followed immediately by the subject.
| Lipsticks, I have three red ones. | Lippenstiften heb ik er drie rode. |
| Cotton pads, we still have fifty of them. | Watjes hebben we er nog vijftig. |
Uncountable Nouns
When dealing with uncountable items—like makeup, creams, and liquids—you do not use er. Simply place the noun at the front and leave a general quantifier like veel (much/a lot) or een beetje (a little bit) behind.
| Mascara, she didn't buy much. | Mascara heeft ze niet veel gekocht. |
| Shampoo, he doesn't use much. | Shampoo gebruikt hij niet veel. |
| Foundation, you use only a little bit. | Foundation gebruik je slechts een beetje. |
Expanding the Split Phrase
You can easily mix in adverbs of preference, like liever (prefer to) and het liefst (prefer most), or leave extra descriptive adjectives behind. The structure remains exactly the same.
| Serums, I tested three new ones. | Serums heb ik er drie nieuwe getest. |
| Face masks, she prefers to try two of them. | Gezichtsmaskers probeert ze er het liefst twee. |
| Lotions, he prefers to use three different ones. | Lotions gebruikt hij er liever drie verschillende. |