Questions & Answers about Foundation gebruik ik niet veel.
Why are Foundation and niet veel separated in this sentence?
This is a classic example of split topicalization, which you are learning in this lesson. Instead of keeping the object together as niet veel foundation, the speaker moves just the noun (Foundation) to the front of the sentence to make it the main topic. The quantifier (niet veel) is left behind in the middle field. It translates roughly to "As for foundation, I don't use much."
Why isn't the word er used here? The lesson examples show sentences like "Boeken heb ik er drie gelezen."
We use the quantitative er when we split up countable nouns with a specific number or quantifier. Because foundation is being used as an uncountable mass noun here (like water, time, or money), we don't use er. Just like you say Geld heb ik niet veel, you say Foundation gebruik ik niet veel.
Since Foundation is the object, why does the sentence start with it and put the subject ik after the verb?
Because Dutch strictly enforces the Verb-Second (V2) rule in main clauses. By fronting the object (Foundation) into the first position for emphasis, the verb (gebruik) must still take the second position. This forces the subject (ik) to jump behind the verb, which is a process known as inversion.
Is the English loanword foundation pronounced the Dutch way, and what is its gender?