Breakdown of Zoek je rozen? Ik heb er tien rode.
ik
I
hebben
to have
tien
ten
zoeken
to look for
rood
red
je
you (unstressed form of jij)
er
of them (with a number or quantity)
de roos
the rose
Questions & Answers about Zoek je rozen? Ik heb er tien rode.
Why do we need the word er in the second sentence?
Here, er acts as a quantitative pronoun, meaning "of them". Whenever you mention a quantity of something previously talked about (like the rozen), but you do not repeat the noun, Dutch requires you to use this quantitative er.
How does Dutch translate the word "ones" in the phrase "red ones"?
Dutch does not have a direct translation for the pronoun "ones". Instead, you just use the adjective and leave out the noun completely. So "red ones" simply becomes rode.
Why does rood get an -e ending to become rode here?
The adjective still has to match the noun it describes, even when that noun is left out! Because the implied word rozen is plural, the adjective gets the standard -e ending. Notice that the spelling of rood drops an o to become rode in order to keep the vowel sound long.
What is the rule for where er goes in the sentence Ik heb er tien rode?
The quantitative er usually comes as early as possible after the conjugated verb (in this case, heb). It must appear before the number (tien) and the adjective (rode).
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