Learn Hardcore Dutch: Er zit nog vet in de pan. - There is still grease in the pan.

er is a dummy or placeholder pronoun used in existential or locative constructions. It introduces the fact that something exists or is located somewhere—in English it corresponds to there in “there is still fat in the pan.” It has no independent meaning here beyond signaling “there is/are.”

Why is the verb zitten used here instead of zijn (to be)?

In Dutch, position verbs like zitten, liggen, staan and hangen can replace zijn in existential sentences to add a spatial nuance. Using zitten (literally “to sit”) emphasizes that the fat is contained in the pan. You could say Er is nog vet in de pan, but Er zit nog vet highlights the physical presence inside the pan.

What does nog mean in this sentence, and why is it placed after the verb?

nog means still. Dutch follows a V2 (verb-second) word order: after er (position 1) comes the finite verb zit (position 2), and adverbs like nog typically follow the verb. So the structure is: Er (1) – zit (2) – nog (adverb) – vet…

Why is there no article before vet? Why not het vet?

Here vet is an uncountable (mass) noun meaning “fat” or “grease,” with an unspecified amount. Dutch usually omits the definite article in such cases: it’s like saying “there is still fat” rather than “the fat.” If you want to specify quantity, you could add a word like een beetje or wat (e.g. nog een beetje vet).

Why does pan take de instead of het?

Dutch has two grammatical genders: common (de) and neuter (het). pan is a common-gender noun, so it takes de. There’s no simple rule for every noun—you often have to learn or look up which article goes with which word.

Could I say Er is nog vet in de pan instead of Er zit nog vet in de pan, and is there a nuance?

Yes—Er is nog vet in de pan is perfectly correct and means “there is still fat in the pan.” Using er zit adds a slight spatial nuance, implying the fat is “sitting” inside the pan. In everyday speech, both forms are common and interchangeable.

Can I modify vet to indicate only a small amount, for example with een beetje or wat?

Absolutely. To stress a small quantity, you can say:
• Er zit nog wat vet in de pan.
• Er zit nog een beetje vet in de pan.
Both mean “there’s still a bit of fat in the pan,” with wat slightly more colloquial and een beetje more neutral or precise.