Learn Hardcore Dutch: Op het bureau ligt een oude krant vol interessante artikelen. - On the desk lies an old newspaper full of interesting articles.

Dutch follows the “V2” (verb-second) rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position in a main clause. Here the prepositional phrase Op het bureau counts as the first position (the first constituent), so the verb ligt comes next, and only then follows the subject een oude krant.

How do I choose between the verbs liggen, staan and zitten when describing where something is?

In Dutch, the choice depends on the orientation or “posture” of the object:

liggen for things that lie flat (books, newspapers, blankets)
staan for upright or standing objects (cups, bottles, lamps)
zitten for things that sit inside or are contained (in a pocket, in a chair)
Since a newspaper is lying flat on a desk, you use liggen (hence ligt).

Why does oud become oude before krant?

Dutch adjectives normally take an -e ending when they precede a noun and are accompanied by an article or demonstrative. Because krant is a “de-word” (common gender), you get:

de oude krant (definite)
een oude krant (indefinite)
(If it were a neuter noun after een, you’d often see no -e: een oud huis.)

Why is the article een used instead of de, and what would change if I used de oude krant?

een is the indefinite article (“a/an”) and signals that we’re talking about some unspecified old newspaper. If you said de oude krant, you’d be referring to one specific, previously known newspaper (“the old newspaper”), which changes the meaning and often the context.

What does vol interessante artikelen mean exactly, and why isn’t there a met after vol?

vol interessante artikelen literally means “full of interesting articles.” In Dutch, vol can take a direct noun phrase without met (just like in een doos vol koekjes = “a box full of cookies”). You can also say vol met interessante artikelen, but omitting met is more concise and very common.

Can I swap Op het bureau and Een oude krant? What effect does that have?

Yes. You could say
Een oude krant ligt op het bureau.
Both sentences are grammatically correct (still following V2). The difference is one of emphasis:

Op het bureau ligt… highlights the location first.
Een oude krant ligt… highlights the newspaper first.

Why do we say het bureau and not de bureau?

In Dutch every noun is either a “de-word” (common gender) or a “het-word” (neuter). bureau (desk) is a neuter noun, so it takes het. Unfortunately, gender assignments must often be memorized, though many loanwords from French (like bureau) end up as het-woorden.

How do I pronounce bureau in Dutch, since it’s spelled the same as in English?

In Dutch bureau is pronounced /byˈroː/:

b as in English “b.”
u is the Dutch “hoofdletter-U” [y], like the French “u” in tu.
eau is realized as a long /oː/.
So roughly “by-ROH.”
For krant, pronounce it /krɑnt/ (a short “ah” as in “car,” and a final “t”).