Laten we er voor de actie verzamelen.

From Lesson 151:Suggestions (laten we)·Dutch

Questions & Answers about Laten we er voor de actie verzamelen.

How does "laten we" affect the word order in this sentence?
Laten we means "Let's". When you use it to make a suggestion, it acts like a helper verb. It takes the front of the sentence and pushes the main action verb—in this case, verzamelen (to gather)—all the way to the very end of the clause in its full infinitive form.
Why is the word er used here instead of daar for "there"?
Er is often used as an unstressed version of daar when the exact location is already known from context and doesn't need special emphasis. If you wanted to point and strongly emphasize "Let's gather RIGHT there", you would use daar instead.
Why does er come before voor de actie?
In Dutch, the little word er loves to be as close to the front of the sentence as possible. It usually comes right after the main verb and subject (here, Laten we). Prepositional phrases like voor de actie (for the action) will naturally follow it.
I thought verzamelen meant "to collect" (like collecting stamps). Can it also refer to people?
Yes! While verzamelen is commonly used for collecting objects, it is also the standard verb for people coming together, assembling, or meeting up in one place.

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