Learn Hardcore Dutch: In het oosten komt de zon vroeg op in de zomer. - In the east the sun rises early in summer.

Dutch uses two genders for singular nouns: de-words and het-words. The noun oosten (meaning “east” as a region) is a het-word, so you need het. Also, directions are common nouns here, not proper names, so you say in het oosten (“in the east”).

What kind of verb is “opkomen”, and why is it split in the sentence?

Opkomen is a separable-prefix verb. In a main clause, the prefix op goes to the end of the clause, so komt … op. Literally: “comes … up,” meaning “rises.”

Why is “komt” (the verb) in second position but “op” at the end?

Dutch main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule: the finite verb (komt) must be in the second position after the first constituent (In het oosten). The separable prefix (op) goes to the very end.

Why are there two “in” prepositions?

Each in has a different function:

in het oosten specifies place (“in the east”).
in de zomer specifies time (“in summer”).
Dutch often uses in both for time periods and locations.

Could we move the time phrase “in de zomer” to the front? How would that affect word order?

Yes. If you start with in de zomer, it becomes the first element, so the finite verb still stays second:
In de zomer komt in het oosten de zon vroeg op.
Note: you can also swap the order of the two subjects/objects for emphasis.

Why is “vroe g” (early) placed before “op” rather than directly before “komt”?

Adverbs of time or manner (like vroeg) usually come before the separable prefix at the end. You can’t put vroeg between komt and op, but you could put it right after the subject:
komt de zon vroeg op.

Why is “zomer” introduced with de and not het?

Most seasons in Dutch are de-words: de lente, de zomer, de herfst, de winter. So when you say in de zomer, you use the correct article de.

Are direction words like oosten, westen, noorden, zuiden always lowercase?

Yes, when referring to compass directions generically they are lowercase common nouns: in het zuiden, in het westen. They only become capitalized if they’re part of a proper name (e.g., Noord-Brabant).

Can you use vroeger instead of vroeg here?

No. Vroeger means “earlier” (a comparative: earlier than something else). Vroeg means “early” (i.e., at an early time of day). Since we’re saying the sun rises at an early hour, we use vroeg.

What’s the literal word-by-word translation of the sentence?

In = in
het oosten = the east
komt = comes
de zon = the sun
vroeg = early
op = up
in de zomer = in (the) summer
So literally: “In the east comes the sun early up in the summer.”