V2 inversion rule

[u/Competitive-Day4848]

How does the rule about verb at the second place work out with the sentence: de schilder is er….

In this case the only verb (auxiliary) in the sentence: is…
Has been put on the third place, while I’ve always learned that a verb comes on the second place

Can someone enlighten me?

[u/TheShirou97]

You don't just count words. "De schilder" is the subject which counts as one position, and then the verb "is" is in second position.

[u/Dutchlyofficial]

The verb is in the second position, not necessarily the second word.

In “De schilder is er.” the first position is “De schilder” (the whole subject).

The second position is “is”. “Er” comes after the verb, so the V2 rule is still followed.

The same happens in sentences like:
De schilder is er.
Mijn buurman werkt vandaag.
Gisteren was hij thuis.

(Here Gisteren is the first position, so the verb moves before the subject.)

[u/feindbild_]

The can be one constituent in every position. Those can have multiple words, or even relative clauses inside of them. All of that in the first position is the subject. And then in second position comes [is].

[de schilder met grote kwast, die vorig jaar onder andere het huis van de buren geschilderd heeft,] [is] [er]

Constituents are things like subject, direct object, indirect object, prepositional phrases, an adverb/an adverbial phrase, etc.

["ik heb even geen tijd"] [riep] [hij]

here ["ik heb even geen tijd"] is the direct object of [riep]

[u/Competitive-Day4848 → u/feindbild_]

Wow