In 2018 waren er tien incidenten. De afgelopen jaren zijn dat er minder geworden.
It looks like that there are two subjects in the subclaus. But it is not the case.
dat → demonstrative pronoun. It functions as a resumptive reference. It refers back to the entire previously mentioned set or situation: de tien incidenten in 2018. It is not the grammatical subject.
er → expletive/quantitative particle Here, er is used in a quantitative construction (er minder geworden), which is typical when talking about numbers or amounts.
Er does not function as a lexical subject either.
So, it can be rewritten as : In 2018 waren er tien incidenten. De afgelopen jaren zijn er minder geworden. Let one “er” do both jobs.
“Er zijn er + aantal” is also a useful sentence structure for avoiding repetition of previously mentioned information. It is used to refer back to a known set without restating it.
Er zijn er geen meer beschikbaar.
Er zijn er meer dan verwacht.
first “er” = existential (“there are”)
second “er” = referential (“of them”, referring back to a known plural noun)
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