Learn Hardcore Dutch: De brug is niet veilig, dus we rijden er niet overheen. - The bridge is not safe, so we will not drive over it.

er is a pronominal adverb that refers back to de brug (“the bridge”). In combination with a separable prepositional verb, it roughly corresponds to English “it” or “there.” So rijden er niet overheen literally means “drive not over it.”

Why is overheen separated from rijden?

Dutch has many separable verbs. The base verb here is overheenrijden (“to drive over”). In a main clause, the prefix (overheen) detaches and moves to the end of the clause: • infinitive: overheenrijden
• in our sentence: … rijden … overheen

Could I instead say We rijden niet over de brug?

Yes.
• We rijden niet over de brug is perfectly correct and more literal.
• Er niet overheen rijden is idiomatic when the object (de brug) is already known or has been mentioned.

Why use dus here? Where do you place it?

dus means “so” or “therefore.” When linking two main clauses, dus can start the second clause: • “De brug is niet veilig, dus we rijden er niet overheen.”
In Dutch, coordinating conjunctions or adverbs like dus often come at the beginning of the new clause (position 1), followed by subject and verb.

What’s the difference between niet veilig and onveilig?

Both communicate “not safe,” but:
• niet veilig = literally “not safe.”
• onveilig = “unsafe,” formed with the negative prefix on-.
They’re interchangeable here, though onveilig is more concise: De brug is onveilig, dus we rijden er niet overheen.

Why are there two niets in the sentence?

They negate different parts:

niet veilig negates the adjective veilig (“safe”).
rijden er niet overheen negates the verb phrase “drive over it.”
There’s no double negation problem because each niet applies to its own element.