Ik zet het glas op de rand van de tafel.

I put the glass on the edge of the table.

Breakdown of Ik zet het glas op de rand van de tafel.

• ik: I
• de tafel: the table
• van: of
• zetten: to put
• op: on
• het glas: the glass
• de rand: the edge

Questions & Answers about Ik zet het glas op de rand van de tafel.

Why is the verb zetten used here instead of leggen?

In Dutch you distinguish putting things down by orientation:
• leggen = lay something flat (horizontal).
• zetten = set something upright (vertical).
A glass normally stands upright, so you zet het glas. If you laid a book flat, you’d say Ik leg het boek op de tafel.

Is op in zet… op the separable prefix of opzetten or just a preposition?

Here op is a preposition meaning “on,” not the separable verb opzetten (“to turn on” or “to put on”). You can test it by asking a location question:
Waar zet je het glas? → Op de rand van de tafel.
That shows op introduces a place. With the separable verb opzetten, the meaning would be different (e.g. Ik zet de radio op = “I turn the radio on.”).

What does rand mean, and how does van de tafel work here?

rand is a feminine noun meaning edge or rim. The phrase rand van de tafel literally means “edge of the table.” In Dutch you link two nouns with van (of), placing the van-phrase after the head noun:
head noun (rand) + van-phrase (van de tafel).

Why op de rand instead of aan de rand or simply op tafel?

• op de rand = “on the very edge,” suggesting it’s precarious.
• aan de rand = “at the edge,” more like next to or near the border.
• op tafel = “on the table,” anywhere on its surface.
Choosing op de rand highlights that the glass is perched on the table’s rim.

Why does glas take het, while rand and tafel take de?

Dutch nouns are either common gender (use de) or neuter (use het). Unfortunately there’s no simple rule—you memorize each word’s article or consult a dictionary. So it’s het glas, de rand, de tafel by convention.

Could I say op de tafelrand instead of op de rand van de tafel?

Yes. tafelrand is a compound noun (“table edge”). You can say:
Ik zet het glas op de tafelrand.
Using rand van de tafel is just a more explicit two‐word construction; both are correct.

How would I turn this into a question—does the word order change?

Yes. For a yes/no question swap subject and verb:
Zet ik het glas op de rand van de tafel?
With a question word like Waar, place it first, then the verb, then subject:
Waar zet je het glas?
Op de rand van de tafel.