Breakdown of We zetten de scheerlijn daar vast.
daar
there
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
vastzetten
to secure / to tie down (to fix or fasten in place)
de scheerlijn
the guy rope
Questions & Answers about We zetten de scheerlijn daar vast.
How does this sentence relate to the rule about avoiding a double er?
If you changed the object to a quantity, like 'three of them', you would need the quantitative er. Because Dutch forbids saying er er (one for quantity, one for location), the location word must become daar. You would say We zetten er daar drie vast (We secure three of them there).
Could we use er instead of daar in this exact sentence?
Yes, you could say We zetten de scheerlijn er vast if you just mean an unstressed 'there'. Using daar is stronger and usually implies pointing to a specific spot: 'We secure the guy rope over there.'
Why is the word vast placed at the very end?
It is the prefix of the separable verb vastzetten (to secure or fix in place). In a standard main clause, the conjugated verb (zetten) takes the second position, while the separable prefix (vast) gets pushed to the end of the sentence.
What is the literal translation of scheerlijn?
It translates to 'guy rope' (the tension line used for tents). It combines lijn (line or rope) and scheren, which here is an old nautical term for pulling ropes taut, not the usual meaning of 'to shave.'
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