Breakdown of Wij verwarmen er de garage mee.
wij
we
de garage
the garage
er
it (in 'er ... op/mee', pronominal adverb)
mee
along, with (too)
verwarmen
to heat
Questions & Answers about Wij verwarmen er de garage mee.
How does the prefix ver- change the meaning of the word in verwarmen?
The verb verwarmen comes from the adjective warm. Adding the prefix ver- to an adjective creates a verb that means 'to make [adjective]' or signals a change of state. So, verwarmen literally means 'to make warm', which translates as 'to heat'.
Why does the sentence use er ... mee instead of met het for 'with it'?
When referring to inanimate objects, Dutch replaces a preposition plus het with a combination of er plus the preposition. Here, the preposition met (with) changes its form to mee when it becomes part of this combination, creating ermee (with it).
Why is ermee split apart, with de garage sitting in the middle?
In Dutch, these combination words are frequently split. The er part naturally gravitates toward the front of the sentence, right after the main verb (verwarmen). The preposition part (mee) is pushed to the very end of the clause, sandwiching the direct object (de garage).
Is it required to split er and mee here, or could I say Wij verwarmen de garage ermee?
You are not strictly required to split it. Saying Wij verwarmen de garage ermee is grammatically correct. However, splitting it as Wij verwarmen er de garage mee sounds much more idiomatic and is what you will typically hear native speakers use.
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