Stating Existence (There is / There are)
To say that something exists in a location, Dutch uses the word er (there) combined with the verb zijn (to be).
Use er is for singular nouns and er zijn for plurals.
| There is a park in the city. | Er is een park in de stad. |
| There are many students in the city. | Er zijn veel studenten in de stad. |
Asking Questions
To ask a question, simply invert the verb and the word er to form is er (is there) or zijn er (are there).
| Is there a supermarket nearby? | Is er een supermarkt dichtbij? |
Someone, No one, Something, Nothing
You will frequently use er is to talk about indefinite people or things. Words like iemand (someone), niemand (no one), iets (something), and niets (nothing) are always treated as singular.
| There is someone at the station. | Er is iemand bij het station. |
| There is nothing on the bridge. | Er is niets op de brug. |
Adding Time and Place
When your sentence includes extra details, the time often comes right after er is (before the subject), while the place is usually pushed to the end of the sentence.
| There is a party in the village tonight. | Er is vanavond een feest in het dorp. |
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