Learn Hardcore Dutch: De gouden stoel staat in de nieuwe kamer.

In Dutch, when an adjective directly precedes a noun that has a definite article (de or het) or is plural, you add an extra “-e” (called the weak inflection). Both stoel and kamer are preceded by de, so goud → gouden and nieuw → nieuwe. If you used an indefinite het-word in singular (e.g. een nieuw huis), the adjective stays uninflected: no “-e.”

What determines whether a noun takes de or het as the definite article?

Dutch nouns are divided into de-words (common gender) and het-words (neuter). There’s no simple rule covering all nouns, so learners often memorize them or use a dictionary. Rough guides:

Most living things (people, animals) take de.
Many diminutives (ending in -je) take het.
But you’ll need practice and exposure or a helper tool to get them right.

Why is the verb staat used here instead of is?

In Dutch, placement of objects often uses staan (to stand), liggen (to lie), zitten (to sit) depending on their typical position. A chair is an upright object, so you say de stoel staat in a room. If you talk about existence you could use is, but for location of an upright object, staat is idiomatic.

Why is staat placed in the second position in the sentence?

Dutch follows the V2 (verb-second) rule in main clauses: the finite verb (here staat) must come directly after the first “thought unit” (subject, adverb, object or time phrase). In De gouden stoel (subject) staat (verb) in de nieuwe kamer, the verb is second, even though it’s a location sentence.

Why do we use in rather than another preposition to describe the chair’s location?

in in Dutch, like in English, indicates being “inside” something. Since the chair is inside the room, you use in. If it were on top of something, you’d use op (“op de tafel”), or for “at” somewhere you might use bij.

How would I say “a golden chair” or “a new room” if I wanted the indefinite article?

You keep the adjective inflection rule:

“a golden chair” → een gouden stoel (‘stoel’ is a de-word, so the adjective still takes “-en”)
“a new room” → een nieuwe kamer (again def. inflection because kamer is a de-word)

Does gouden in Dutch mean “made of gold” or just “gold-colored”?

It can mean both, depending on context. Often gouden implies “golden” or “gold-plated” rather than solid gold. If you really mean “made of gold,” you might specify van goud: een stoel van goud (a chair made from gold).

How do I pronounce the Dutch g in gouden and the k in kamer?

Dutch g is a guttural sound (like a light gargle) made at the back of the throat: “ɣ” or “x.” Listen for a breathy, rasping sound.
Dutch k is similar to English k, but a bit crisper. kamer is pronounced roughly as [ˈkaː.mər].
Practice with audio examples to get the exact Dutch quality!