Learn Hardcore Dutch: Volgens de burgemeester verbetert de nieuwe tramlijn de stad. - According to the mayor the new tram line improves the city.

Volgens is a preposition meaning according to. It introduces the source of information or opinion. In Dutch you follow it directly by a noun or pronoun (no extra words in between). Here volgens de burgemeester means according to the mayor.

Why does the verb verbetert come before the subject de nieuwe tramlijn?

Dutch main clauses generally follow a Verb Second rule: the finite verb is always in the second position. When you start the sentence with any element other than the subject (here: volgens de burgemeester), you treat that as position 1. The verb (verbetert) then moves to position 2, pushing the subject (de nieuwe tramlijn) to position 3.

Why is it de burgemeester and not een burgemeester?

Using de indicates you’re talking about a specific mayor, presumably the one everyone knows about. If you said een burgemeester, it would sound like any mayor in general, which doesn’t fit when you want to cite a particular person’s view.

Why does nieuwe have an -e at the end?

In Dutch, attributive adjectives (adjectives placed before a noun) take an -e when the noun has a definite article (de/het) or is plural. Here:
• de nieuwe tramlijn
• definite article (de) + common gender noun (tramlijn) → adjective gets -e.

What is the direct object in this sentence, and why?

The direct object is de stad (the city). The verb verbeteren is transitive, meaning it needs an object that receives the action. The tram line doesn’t improve itself; it improves the city.

Could you place volgens de burgemeester at the end instead?

Yes. You could say:
De nieuwe tramlijn verbetert de stad volgens de burgemeester.
In that version the subject (de nieuwe tramlijn) stays in first position, so you don’t invert verb and subject there.

Is verbetert conjugated correctly for this sentence?

Yes. Verbetert is the 3rd person singular present form of verbeteren (to improve). The subject de nieuwe tramlijn is singular, so you add -t.

Could you use a different word instead of volgens to say “according to”?

Informally you might hear als je het mij vraagt (if you ask me), but in formal or written Dutch volgens is the standard preposition for according to.