Learn Dutch: Er ligt geen enkel brood op het kale schap. - There is not a single loaf of bread on the bare shelf.

Er ligt geen enkel brood op het kale schap.

There is not a single loaf of bread on the bare shelf.

Breakdown of Er ligt geen enkel brood op het kale schap.

Questions & Answers about Er ligt geen enkel brood op het kale schap.

Why is it geen enkel brood and not geen enkele brood?

The word brood is a het-word (het brood). When you use this emphatic negation with a singular het-word, enkel does not get an -e ending. If it were a de-word, like appel (apple), you would add the -e and say geen enkele appel.

Why does the sentence use ligt (lies) instead of is?

Dutch strongly prefers specific positional verbs like liggen (to lie), staan (to stand), or zitten (to sit) over zijn (to be) when describing where a physical object is located. Because a loaf of bread rests flat and wide, it 'lies' on the shelf.

Why does kaal (bare) become kale in this sentence?

When an adjective comes directly before a noun and follows a definite article like het, it gets an -e ending. Notice that the spelling also changes from kaal to kale: one 'a' is dropped to keep the same long 'a' vowel sound because the syllable is now open.

Why do we start this sentence with Er?