of er aan komt / eraan komt / er aankomt (word order)
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What a surprising meaning... betasten as in "groping" someone?
Anyway, the intended meaning should be "approaching". I've seen the first option (er aan komt) in a sprookje book, but I couldn't be sure whether it was correct or it was a typo.
My rationale was: if it's part of the verb aankomen (which I usually interpret as "arrive"), then it should be connected to the verb in the end. However, if it's just a construction with the verb komen + the preposition aan, then it should be connected to the er. So maybe my book is indeed... wrong?
Unless there's a way to use er + a preposition without these two being necessarily connected. Do you recall if such a thing is possible at all?
Anyway, the intended meaning should be "approaching". I've seen the first option (er aan komt) in a sprookje book, but I couldn't be sure whether it was correct or it was a typo.
My rationale was: if it's part of the verb aankomen (which I usually interpret as "arrive"), then it should be connected to the verb in the end. However, if it's just a construction with the verb komen + the preposition aan, then it should be connected to the er. So maybe my book is indeed... wrong?
Unless there's a way to use er + a preposition without these two being necessarily connected. Do you recall if such a thing is possible at all?
Perhaps "aanraken" would have been a better synonym.
This is a tricky one. It does not look like a variant of "Hij komt aan" but as an idiomatic expression meaning "He is coming"' and consisting of two parts (eraan + komen). I happened to find an excellent explanation by means of some parallel structures here, such as "eraan moeten geloven", "eraan gaan", etc. Have a look!
This is a very thorough and clear explanation, thanks a lot!
BUT
I still wonder if my book is grammatically wrong because the way they use "er aan komt" does not fit the criteria described in the link for writing them separately. Or does it? take a look (yes, it's from the steadfast tin soldier)
It is wrong, simply.
But this is one of the more difficult aspects of spelling. As in: "Het hangt er vanaf" as is sometime written because we have a preposition written as "vanaf", but here it should be: "Het hangt ervan af" [It -pends it-from de-]... "Af" is a particle, depending on "hangen".
But this is one of the more difficult aspects of spelling. As in: "Het hangt er vanaf" as is sometime written because we have a preposition written as "vanaf", but here it should be: "Het hangt ervan af" [It -pends it-from de-]... "Af" is a particle, depending on "hangen".
It is. Whenever two different spellings exist, mistakes are made, and of course, even more so when a/the rule does not seem too clear...
Isn't it the case for any scheidbaar werkwoord?
"Aankomen" is not an exception, it is a separable verb: the "aan" is, as far as I know, considered to be a particle ("non-verbal rest" with us)...
Not impossible though that the preposition developed ('grammaticalised) into a separate word category after fusion with the verb...
Not impossible though that the preposition developed ('grammaticalised) into a separate word category after fusion with the verb...
According to the link ThomasK shared, 3 is the general rule, 2 is an exception with a special meaning and 1 (the version actually printed on the book) is in reality ungrammatical. So 2 and 3 could be right.
However, in 3 you guys seem to be getting a stronger idea of "touching" rather than of "arriving" with aankomen, which begs the question: I see you guys are all from Belgium and this is a book from the Netherlands, so maybe the sense of "touching" could be more of a flemish thing? Any thoughts?
However, in 3 you guys seem to be getting a stronger idea of "touching" rather than of "arriving" with aankomen, which begs the question: I see you guys are all from Belgium and this is a book from the Netherlands, so maybe the sense of "touching" could be more of a flemish thing? Any thoughts?
Well, as for 2: I do not dare to consider that use of "aankomen" lexically correct; I think this touching is indeed rather Flemish.
But it is not an exception! If "[aan]komen (.../aan)" is acceptable, "eraan komen"'is perfect according to the rule applicable to V + fixed preposition.
More examples:
- ik zit op een stoel >>> ik zit erop
- ik werk aan een computer >>> ik werk eraan
- ik speel met een bal >>> ik speel ermee
In the above cases the noun in the prepositional object is replaced by a pronoun, and then you always get verb + erPREP (= lit. there/it-on/to,),.
But that is another rule/ logic than the one referred to in my link in message #6.
#1 is simply wrong and #3 might be acceptable in the meaning of "arriving there", but I would have expectd "daar" rather.
But it is not an exception! If "[aan]komen (.../aan)" is acceptable, "eraan komen"'is perfect according to the rule applicable to V + fixed preposition.
More examples:
- ik zit op een stoel >>> ik zit erop
- ik werk aan een computer >>> ik werk eraan
- ik speel met een bal >>> ik speel ermee
In the above cases the noun in the prepositional object is replaced by a pronoun, and then you always get verb + erPREP (= lit. there/it-on/to,),.
But that is another rule/ logic than the one referred to in my link in message #6.
#1 is simply wrong and #3 might be acceptable in the meaning of "arriving there", but I would have expectd "daar" rather.
I beg to disagree. #3 can only be justified if referring to "arriving at a place (there)". It is the normal form if 'aankomen" is a separable verb meaning arriving.
#2 can be justified in two ways: eraan as an idiomatic part added to more verbs or eraan als a prep. object added to a verbing meaning touching.
#1 is wrong. I think you can never keep the final three words separate. I believe.
Van dale mentions for "aankomen": 8 aanraken, betasten without any label referring to Belgian Dutch.
Aankomen in the meaning aanraken is normal in Netherlands Dutch.
Please forgive me for my suspicion!
Nergens aankomen! =Don't touch anything
Nergens is used as a reference to anything in this case. While it's also used as nowhere in different situations. And aankomen =to touch