Questions & Answers about Het wijkcentrum is oud, maar er wordt aan gewerkt.
Where is the subject in the second half of this sentence?
There isn't a traditional subject! This is an impersonal passive sentence. In Dutch, when a verb uses a fixed preposition like werken aan (to work on), you form the passive by using er as a dummy subject. Therefore, er wordt aan gewerkt translates to the passive 'it is being worked on.'
Why do we use er and aan instead of a direct translation like aan het?
In Dutch, you cannot combine a preposition like aan with the pronoun het (it). Instead, you must use a pronominal adverb, which is er + preposition. Here, er and aan combine to mean 'on it,' referring back to het wijkcentrum.
Why are er and aan split up by the verb wordt?
Words like eraan are often split in Dutch sentences. The er part acts as the dummy subject and sits near the front of the clause, right after the conjunction maar. The preposition aan gets pushed to the end of the clause, resting just before the past participle gewerkt.
Could I say maar het wordt aan gewerkt since 'it' is the subject in English?