Learn Hardcore Dutch: Er staat een groene plant op de vensterbank. - A green plant is standing on the windowsill.

In Dutch, er acts as a dummy or expletive subject in existential sentences. It doesn’t carry concrete meaning but introduces the idea of “there is” or “there stands.” So Er staat een groene plant… literally signals “There stands a green plant….”

Why does the sentence use staat instead of is (zijn)?

Dutch uses different existential verbs depending on the nature of what’s being described. Zijn (= “to be”) is neutral, while staan (= “to stand”) is used for things that are upright or standing. Saying Er is een groene plant… is grammatically correct but less specific; Er staat… highlights that the plant is standing upright on the sill.

Why does the adjective groene end with -e instead of remaining groen?

Attributive adjectives in Dutch normally take an -e ending when the noun is preceded by a definite article (de, het) or by an indefinite article for a de-word. Since plant is a common-gender noun (it would be de plant), even with een, the adjective gets -e: een groene plant. (By contrast, with a neuter noun like huis, you’d say een groot huis without -e.)

Why does een groene plant come after the verb staat?

Because of the combination of the expletive er and the V2 (verb-second) rule in Dutch. The sequence is Er (dummy subject) + staat (finite verb) + real subject (een groene plant) + rest. In other words, the real subject follows the verb when er occupies the first position.

Could I omit er and say Een groene plant staat op de vensterbank?

Yes. Een groene plant staat op de vensterbank is correct. You’d then have een groene plant in first position and staat in second position (V2 word order). Omitting er shifts focus slightly—from existence (“there is/stands…”) to simply describing where the plant is.

Why is the preposition op used before de vensterbank? Could another preposition work?

Op means “on” and is used whenever something rests on a horizontal surface. A windowsill is considered a shelf-like surface, so you say op de vensterbank (“on the windowsill”). You wouldn’t use in (in) or aan (on a vertical surface).

What is the literal meaning of vensterbank, and how does it compare to “windowsill”?

Venster means “window” and bank means “bench” or “shelf.” So vensterbank literally means “window bench/shelf.” It’s the exact Dutch equivalent of the English “windowsill.”

Is er staat only used for plants, or can it apply to other things (or people)?

You can use er staat for any upright or standing object and even for people. For example: Er staat een man bij de deur (“There is a man standing by the door”). It emphasizes the position or vertical posture of whatever or whoever is there.