from the 100% free Hear Dutch Here Website — more shorts
Short    Building Sentences 17, Word Order: Placeholders Er, Daar andWaar
Read and listen to the examples below to memorize the patterns 'Placeholders' are short words referring to things mentioned or pointed out before, implied or coming up - to avoid repetition, for instance: Ik spreek geen Nederlands 2 I don't speak Dutch Maar ik kan het wel verstaan 2 3 But I do understand it Dutch has het 2 3 / 't like English 'it,'  dat for 'that,' and wat for 'what' Ik zie het 2 3 I see it Dat wist ik niet 2 I didn't know that Wat ik dacht ... 2 3 What I was thinking ... But when a preposition is involved, het  almost always turns into 'er' - dat  turns into 'daar' and wat  turns into 'waar' Ik kijk ernaar 2 3 I'm looking at it Daar weet ik niks van 2 I know nothing about that (either familiarity with an event or incident, or general knowledge of) Waar denk je aan? What are you thinking of? (about?) Je moet er wat aan doen 2 3 4 You should do something about it Ik heb er niks aan 2 3 4 5 It's not of use to me Er is haast bij 2 3 4 [There is urgency to it] - It's urgent Er is geen haast bij 2 [There is no urgency to it] - It's not urgent, no rush Ik heb er zin in 2 I feel like it, I'm looking forward to it Weg ermee! 2 Away with it! Out with it! Throw it out! Ik kan er niet meer tegen 2 3 I can't stand (against, up to) it anymore Ik heb er genoeg van 2 I've had enough of it - I've had it, I' m sick and tired of it Heb je er wat aan? 2 3 4 5 Is it of (any) use to you, is it useful to you? In speaking, a D can be inserted between vowels or diphthongs for ease in pronunciation ‑>> Heb je d'r wat aan? 2 Is it of (any) use to you, is it useful to you? Veel succes ermee! 2 3 Best of luck with it! Daar zit wat in 2 3 There is something in there -or usually: There is something to that, it's a good point Daar krijg je last van 2 3 That's going to bother you, that's going to cause you trouble Daar houd ik niet van 2 3 4 I don't like that Wat zou daar het voordeel van zijn? 2 3 4 What could be the advantage of that? Ben je daar zeker van? 2 3 4 Are you sure (of that)? Are you certain? Waar hou(d) je van? What do you like? Waar wacht je op? 2 3 What are you waiting for? (Often meaning: Take action!) Hij weet waar-(d)ie het over heeft 2 He knows what he's talking about 't eerste waar je aan denkt 2 3 The first thing you think of Waar gaat 't om? 2 3 What is it about? What is the important thing? Waar gaat 't over? 2 3 What is it about? What is the subject? Waarom? Daarom! Why? Because! Is 't 't waard? Is it worth it? Full Page Er / Het - Daar / Dat - Waar / Wat Shorts      More Previous / Next      email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2025. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or hotlinked to. Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'