Daar

Daar is a word found in Afrikaans and Dutch that functions as a demonstrative adverb meaning "there" or "there in that place." In both languages it marks location and is often used in existential and locational phrases, as well as in a variety of compound forms.

In Afrikaans, daar is used in the standard existential construction "Daar is ..." to indicate that something exists or is present, for example "Daar is baie werk" (There is a lot of work) or "Daar is drie mense" (There are three people). It also participates in many common compounds and adverbial formations such as daarna (after that), daarom (therefore), daarheen (to there), and daarmee (with it). The word is highly productive in everyday speech and writing, and it frequently appears in phrases that emphasise location or progression.

In Dutch, daar also means "there," but the corresponding existential construction is typically er is / er zijn in standard usage. Daar is still common in spoken Dutch and in certain fixed phrases, and it can be used for emphasis or to indicate movement or position, for example daar gaan hij (there he goes) or daar staan de bomen (there stand the trees). Dutch speakers may prefer er in the existential sense, but daar remains a normal locational adverb and appears in many collocations alongside er, daarheen, daarna, en daarmee, among others.

Etymologically, daar is a West Germanic demonstrative rooted in a Proto-Germanic term for indicating location, closely related to English there and German da. The Afrikaans form derives directly from Dutch, sharing the same lineage and cognate meanings.