Breakdown of Ik koop er twee grote voor de boerderij.
ik
I
groot
big
kopen
to buy
twee
two
voor
for (on behalf of)
de boerderij
the farm
er
of them (with a number or quantity)
Questions & Answers about Ik koop er twee grote voor de boerderij.
Why is er used in this sentence?
Here, er acts as a quantitative pronoun, meaning 'of them'. Whenever you state a quantity of something previously mentioned but leave out the noun, Dutch requires you to use er. In English, you might just say 'I am buying two', but Dutch says Ik koop er twee (I am buying two of them).
How do you translate the word 'ones' from 'two large ones' into Dutch?
Dutch doesn't use a specific word for 'ones' in this context. Instead, you simply use the adjective with its standard ending (grote) entirely on its own. The combination of the quantitative er, the number, and the standalone adjective does all the work to convey 'large ones'.
Why does grote get an -e ending if there is no noun immediately following it?
Even though the noun is omitted, the adjective still behaves as if the plural noun is there. Because it refers back to a plural object (implied by twee), it takes the standard -e ending for plurals, turning groot into grote.
Could I emphasize the farm by moving voor de boerderij to the beginning of the sentence?
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