Questions & Answers about Deze appels zijn lekker, ik koop er een kilo.
Why do we need the word er in ik koop er een kilo?
This is the quantitative er, which translates to 'of them' in this context. In Dutch, when you mention a quantity like een kilo but leave out the noun you are counting (the apples), you must use er.
Could I just leave out er and say ik koop een kilo?
No, in Dutch that sounds incomplete. While in English you can sometimes just say 'I am buying a kilo,' Dutch grammar strictly requires er whenever a noun is dropped but its quantity remains in the sentence.
Why is er placed before een kilo rather than after it?
Quantitative er generally appears early in the sentence, right after the verb. It prefers to separate from the actual number or quantity, which sits at the end of the clause.
Why is it Deze appels and not Dit appels?
Because appels is plural. When pointing out plural nouns, you always use deze (these) or die (those), regardless of whether the singular noun is a de word or a het word.
Is the plural of appel always made by adding an -s?