Learn Dutch: Deze kleurrijke tulpen ruiken lekker, maar ik kies er twee witte. - These colorful tulips smell nice, but I choose two white ones.

This is the quantitative er. In Dutch, when you mention an amount of something previously discussed (like two tulips) without repeating the noun itself, you must include er. You can think of it as meaning "of them", so the phrase literally translates to "I choose of them two white".

Why does wit have an -e added to it (witte)?

The adjective gets an -e because it refers back to the plural noun tulpen. When you drop the noun and just use an adjective with a number (like "two white ones" in English), the adjective still takes the same ending it would have if the noun were right there. Since tulpen is plural, the adjective needs the -e.

Why doesn't er go at the very end of the sentence?

The quantitative er usually places itself right after the finite verb (and any subject or object pronouns). Most importantly, it must come before the number and the adjective (twee witte) that it belongs to, so it cannot be pushed to the end of the sentence.

Why does the sentence use lekker instead of goed for "smell nice"?

In Dutch, lekker is used for pleasant physical sensations, not just tasty food. We use it for things that smell, feel, or sound pleasant. If you said the tulips ruiken goed, it would playfully imply that the flowers themselves have a highly functioning sense of smell!