Breakdown of In het Nederlands gebruiken we vaak ‘er’ als een onderwerp, zoals in “Er staat een auto voor de deur” of “Er is een probleem in de stad.”
zijn
to be
wij
we
in
in
de deur
the door
voor
for
staan
to stand
er
there
of
or
de auto
the car
gebruiken
to use
vaak
often
als
as
de stad
the city
zoals
such as
het onderwerp
the subject
het probleem
the problem
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about In het Nederlands gebruiken we vaak ‘er’ als een onderwerp, zoals in “Er staat een auto voor de deur” of “Er is een probleem in de stad.”
What is the role of er in these Dutch sentences?
In the given sentences, er acts as a dummy or expletive subject. It doesn’t carry a specific meaning on its own but is used to fulfill the syntactical requirement for a subject in existential constructions. Much like the English “there” in “there is a problem,” er helps introduce the existence or occurrence of something without contributing additional semantic content.
Does er directly translate to there in English?
Not exactly. Although er is often paired with sentences that in English begin with “there is” or “there are,” its function in Dutch is strictly grammatical. Whereas the English “there” can sometimes suggest a location, in these constructions er is used solely as a placeholder in existential sentences, meaning it doesn’t denote any particular place or thing.
How does the presence of er affect the word order in these Dutch sentences?
The inclusion of er influences the sentence structure by occupying the subject position, which in turn affects the placement of the verb and the true subject. In Dutch, when er is used, it typically comes at the beginning of the sentence, allows the finite verb to appear in the second position (a key feature of Dutch main clauses), and pushes the actual subject to a later position. For example, in “Er staat een auto voor de deur,” er starts the sentence, followed by the verb staat, while een auto serves as the delayed subject.
Can er be omitted in these existential sentences?
Generally, no. In existential constructions like those provided, er is required to satisfy Dutch grammatical rules. It serves as a necessary placeholder subject when the sentence’s real subject appears later. Omitting er would lead to an incomplete or ungrammatical structure, as the sentence would lack the subject needed to agree with the verb.
Are there any other functions of er in Dutch besides its use as a dummy subject?
Yes, er can serve a variety of functions in Dutch. Beyond its role as a placeholder in existential sentences, er can also function as an adverbial element indicating location or quantity, among other uses. However, in the examples provided, its specific role is to introduce the existence of something, ensuring the sentence adheres to proper syntactic order.