Learn Dutch: Shampoo en conditioner hebben we genoeg. - Shampoo and conditioner, we have enough.

Shampoo en conditioner hebben we genoeg.

Shampoo and conditioner, we have enough.

Breakdown of Shampoo en conditioner hebben we genoeg.

and

hebben

to have

we (unstressed form of wij)

genoeg

enough

Questions & Answers about Shampoo en conditioner hebben we genoeg.

Why is genoeg separated from shampoo en conditioner?

This is an example of split topicalization. To emphasize shampoo en conditioner, we move them to the front of the sentence as the topic. However, the quantifier genoeg is left behind in the middle of the sentence.

Why does the verb hebben come right after the two nouns?

Even though shampoo en conditioner are two words, they form a single phrase taking up the first position in the sentence. Because Dutch strictly follows the V2 rule in main clauses, the verb hebben must take the second position, which pushes the subject we to the third position.

Shouldn't this sentence use the word er, like in Boeken heb ik er drie?

No, you do not need er here. The quantitative er is required when you have a stranded number or a specific quantity of countable nouns. Because shampoo and conditioner are treated as uncountable mass nouns in this context, and genoeg just expresses an indefinite amount, er is not used.

Is it also correct to say We hebben genoeg shampoo en conditioner?

Yes, that is the standard, neutral word order. Splitting the noun phrase and moving the items to the front is just a stylistic choice to add emphasis, similar to saying 'As for shampoo and conditioner, we have enough' in English.