Learn Dutch: Soms vinden we er nog een bruikbaar apparaat. - Sometimes we still find a usable device there.

Soms vinden we er nog een bruikbaar apparaat.

Sometimes we still find a usable device there.

Breakdown of Soms vinden we er nog een bruikbaar apparaat.

there (in that place)

Questions & Answers about Soms vinden we er nog een bruikbaar apparaat.

Why is er placed right after we, instead of at the end of the sentence like 'there' in English?

In Dutch, the word er loves to be as close to the beginning of the middle of the sentence as possible. Because the sentence starts with Soms, the subject we has to swap places with the verb. The word er then steps in immediately after the subject, neatly preceding the time adverb nog (still).

Why does the verb vinden come before the subject we?

The sentence starts with the adverb Soms (Sometimes). In Dutch, whenever you start a main clause with anything other than the subject, the verb and subject must swap places to keep the verb firmly in the second position. This rule is called inversion.

Does nog een mean 'another' in this sentence?

That is a great guess, as nog een very often means 'another' in Dutch. However, in this specific sentence, nog functions independently as an adverb meaning 'still' ('we still find...'), while een is simply the article for bruikbaar apparaat ('a usable device'). They just happen to sit next to each other because of the word order.

Why doesn't the adjective bruikbaar get an -e ending here?