er is / er zijn & the Word er

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In Dutch, 'er is' is used to state that something exists or is present. It is always followed by a singular noun. Unlike English 'there', 'er' is often unstressed.

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Use 'er zijn' when the subject that exists is plural. The verb 'zijn' must agree with the plural noun that follows.

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To ask if something exists, invert the verb 'is' and the word 'er'. This follows standard Dutch question word order (Verb + Subject).

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For plural questions, start with the plural verb 'zijn' followed by 'er'. This is the plural counterpart to 'Is er...?'.

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The word 'er' is mandatory when introducing an indefinite subject (a noun with 'een'). You cannot start a sentence with 'Een man is hier'; you must say 'Er is een man hier'.

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To say something does not exist, use 'er is' + 'geen'. 'Geen' is used to negate nouns in Dutch.

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This is the plural form of negation. Use 'er zijn' followed by 'geen' and the plural noun.

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When a sentence contains a number and refers to existence, 'er' is used. It often acts as a placeholder for the subject.

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Use 'er zijn veel' for plural countable nouns. 'Veel' indicates a large quantity.

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Use 'er is veel' for uncountable nouns (like water, bread, or time). Since these are treated as singular, use 'is'.

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Indefinite pronouns like 'iemand' (someone) or 'niemand' (no one) are almost always introduced with 'er' in existential sentences.

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Similar to 'iemand', the word 'iets' (something) or 'niets' (nothing) uses 'er' to indicate existence.