Word
Er is niets op de brug.
Meaning
There is nothing on the bridge.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Er is niets op de brug.
Why do we use er is here instead of just starting the sentence with niets?
In Dutch, just like in English, we use a 'dummy' subject to introduce that something exists or is located somewhere. Er is translates perfectly to 'There is'. Saying Niets is op de brug sounds unnatural, just like 'Nothing is on the bridge' is less common than 'There is nothing on the bridge'.
What is the difference between niets and niet?
Niet means 'not' and is used to make a sentence negative. Niets means 'nothing' and acts as a noun. Because we are saying that 'nothing' is physically on the bridge, we must use niets.
Why do we use is and not zijn with niets?
In Dutch, words like niets (nothing), iets (something), and alles (everything) are always treated as singular. Therefore, we use the singular verb is instead of the plural zijn.
Why use the preposition op for the bridge?
Op means 'on' or 'on top of'. Just like in English, you walk or drive on the flat surface of a bridge, so you use op de brug (on the bridge).