Question 1

Why does er come right after we and before nooit?

Accepted Answer

In the middle part of a Dutch sentence, the little word er likes to be placed as early as possible. It almost always sits right after the finite verb or the subject. It also must come before negation words like nooit (never) or niet (not), as well as before adverbs of time, manner, and place.

Question 2

What does er mean here, and could I use daar instead?

Accepted Answer

Here, er acts as an unstressed word for location, meaning "there" or "in it". It refers back to De zolder (the attic). You could grammatically use daar (there), but er is much more natural because you aren't emphasizing the location.

Question 3

Why is the verb komen at the very end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

The conjunction omdat (because) introduces a subordinate clause. A core rule in Dutch is that in subordinate clauses, all verbs get pushed to the very end. That is why it is omdat we er nooit komen instead of omdat we komen er nooit.

Question 4

Why use komen (to come) instead of gaan (to go)?

Accepted Answer

In English, you might naturally say "we never go there." In Dutch, however, komen is very frequently used to express showing up, visiting, or finding yourself in a specific place. Saying you "never come there" (er nooit komen) is the standard, natural way to express that you never visit that space.

De zolder is muf omdat we er nooit komen.

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