Dutch Er: What Does This Little Word Do?
Understand common uses of er for existence, place and quantity.
NL005 · NL · A2 / B1 · grammar
The question
Why do Dutch speakers say Er is een probleem and Ik heb er twee?
Dutch er is very frequent, but it does not have a single English equivalent. It can introduce existence (Er is een probleem = There is a problem), refer to an understood place (Ik woon er = I live there), or stand for an understood quantity (Ik heb er twee = I have two of them).
Three useful functions
| Function | Dutch | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Existence | Er zijn drie stoelen. | There are three chairs. |
| Location | Ik ben er morgen. | I'll be there tomorrow. |
| Quantity | Heb je appels? Ik heb er twee. | Do you have apples? I have two. |
| Prepositional reference | Ik wacht erop. | I'm waiting for it. |
Er also appears in pronominal adverbs, such as erop, ermee, erin and ervoor, when referring to things rather than people: Ik denk eraan (I'm thinking about it). The appropriate preposition depends on the verb: wachten op, denken aan. Word order and placement of er can be more advanced than these first examples.
Common mistake
Do not replace er with daar in every expression: Ik heb er twee means 'I have two of them', not 'I have two there'. Also avoid using er as a substitute for a person after a preposition: Ik wacht op hem (I'm waiting for him).
Remember
First identify whether er marks existence, location, quantity or a prepositional reference.