ervoor

ervoor is a Dutch compound word formed from the preposition voor and the pronoun er. It functions as a fixed particle that can refer to a previously mentioned object or situation, and it is used in a variety of constructions to express “for it” or to indicate purpose, obligation, or exchange. In many cases it is best understood as a kind of placeholder that carries the sense of the prepositional phrase voor + er.

The most common use is in combination with verbs that take a prepositional object, especially zorgen: ervoor zorgen means “to make sure” or “to take care that.” For example: Ik zal ervoor zorgen dat alles op tijd is. This means “I will make sure that everything is on time.” In this senseervoor shifts the object of concern to the specific situation already introduced in the discourse.

Another frequent usage is to express an exchange or benefit: Wat krijg je ervoor? meaning “What do you get for it?” Here ervoor stands in for “for it” in the context of a deal or sacrifice. In addition, er is often replaced by daarvoor in other common phrases, where daarvoor means “for that” or “for that purpose,” though for exact nuances the two forms are not always interchangeable.

Etymologically, er is a placeholder pronoun that can link to different prepositional phrases, and מפר combining it with voor yields a versatile adverbial particle. Spelling is always единочная (one word) in contemporary Dutch; it is not written as separated voor er in normal usage. Typical contexts range from informal speech to formal writing, but the particle is widely understood across registers.

See also: daarvoor, er, prepositional pronouns in Dutch, verb + voorzorgen constructions.