Learn Dutch: We zien de zanger op het podium staan. - We see the singer stand on the stage.

This sentence uses the verb of perception zien (to see) with a second verb, staan (to stand). In Dutch, when you combine a verb like zien, horen (to hear), or voelen (to feel) with another verb, that second verb stays in its full dictionary form (the bare infinitive) and gets pushed to the very end of the clause.

In English, I would usually say 'We see the singer standing'. Why isn't it translated as a continuous form?

When using verbs of perception in Dutch, you use the bare infinitive (staan) rather than a continuous 'is standing' structure like aan het staan. So, both 'We see the singer stand' and 'We see the singer standing' translate exactly the same way: We zien de zanger... staan.

Why do we use op for 'on the stage'?

Just like in English, a stage (het podium) is viewed as a surface you stand on top of. Therefore, you use op (on). If you used in, it would mean the singer is physically inside the floorboards!

If I want to add a time, like 'tonight', where would it go in this sentence?