Breakdown of Volgens de gids is dit dorp uitgestorven; er woont helemaal niemand meer.
zijn
to be
wonen
to live
dit
this (neuter)
het dorp
the village
helemaal
completely
er
there (existential)
niemand
no one
meer
more
de gids
the guide
volgens
according to
uitgestorven
deserted
Questions & Answers about Volgens de gids is dit dorp uitgestorven; er woont helemaal niemand meer.
How does helemaal change the meaning of niemand here?
Niemand means 'nobody' or 'no one'. Adding helemaal (which normally means 'completely' or 'entirely') in front of it acts as an amplifier. Together, helemaal niemand means 'no one at all' or 'absolutely nobody'.
How do you say 'anymore' in negative sentences like this?
You use the word meer. Just like niet meer means 'not anymore', you can add meer after other negative words. Here, niemand meer means 'nobody anymore', making the full phrase helemaal niemand meer (absolutely nobody anymore).
Why is er used in er woont helemaal niemand?
Dutch uses er as a dummy subject when the real subject of the sentence is indefinite (like 'a man', 'someone', or in this case, 'nobody'). It is much more natural in Dutch to say er woont helemaal niemand (literally 'there lives absolutely nobody') than starting the clause with helemaal niemand.
Does uitgestorven literally mean that everyone died?
It comes from the verb uitsterven (to go extinct or die out). While it can literally mean 'extinct' for animals, when applied to a place like a village (dorp) or a street, it is simply the standard Dutch way to say a place is 'deserted', 'abandoned', or completely empty.
Why is the verb is placed before the subject dit dorp?
Because the sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Volgens de gids (According to the guide). In Dutch main clauses, the verb must always be in the second position. The starting phrase takes up position one, so the verb (is) comes next, pushing the subject (dit dorp) to position three (this is called inversion).
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