Word
Hoeveel koekjes bak jij in de oven? Ik bak er genoeg.
Meaning
How many cookies are you baking in the oven? I am baking enough of them.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Hoeveel koekjes bak jij in de oven? Ik bak er genoeg.
What does er mean in the sentence Ik bak er genoeg?
In this sentence, er acts as the quantitative er. It replaces the noun koekjes (cookies) from the first sentence so you do not have to repeat it. When you use a quantity word like genoeg (enough) without repeating the noun, Dutch requires you to add er. It translates perfectly to "of them" in English: "I am baking enough of them."
Could I just say Ik bak genoeg and leave out er?
No, that would sound incorrect in Dutch! Unlike English, where you can simply say "I am baking enough," Dutch requires you to use er whenever you state a quantity of something but leave out the specific noun you are counting.
Where exactly does quantitative er go in a sentence?
Why is it bak jij in the first sentence instead of bakt jij?