Learn Hardcore Dutch: Na het dweilen zet Tom de dweil naast de wasmachine. - After mopping, Tom puts the mop next to the washing machine.

Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb must be in second position. When you front an element like the time phrase Na het dweilen, it takes the first slot, so the verb zet moves to second position and the subject Tom comes after it: Na het dweilen zet Tom... If you start with the subject, you get the more neutral order Tom zet na het dweilen de dweil naast de wasmachine.

Why is it Na het dweilen and not Na dweilen?

The preposition na must be followed by a noun phrase. To turn a verb into a noun phrase, Dutch uses het + infinitive: het dweilen = “the mopping.” So standard Dutch is Na het dweilen. Bare Na dweilen is nonstandard (though you may hear it informally). You can also expand it: Na het dweilen van de vloer.

Can I use nadat instead of na het + infinitive?

Yes. Use nadat with a full clause:

Nadat Tom heeft gedweild, zet hij de dweil naast de wasmachine. In a subordinate clause, the verbs cluster at the end; both orders are accepted in modern Dutch: heeft gedweild or gedweild heeft. Choose the tense to match your context (present perfect if the main clause is present, past perfect if the main clause is past).

Why is it zet and not legt?

Dutch tends to contrast:

zetten for placing something so it “stands” (upright/vertical or as a general “set/place” verb),
leggen for placing something so it “lies” (flat/horizontal),
doen/stoppen for putting something into a container,
plaatsen is more formal/neutral “to place.” With a mop (de dweil), zetten often implies putting it upright (perhaps leaning). If you lay it flat on the floor, leggen fits: Tom legt de dweil naast de wasmachine.

Is naast the same as bij?

No:

naast = next to, immediately adjacent.
bij = by/at/near, more general proximity. Here, naast de wasmachine means right next to the washing machine. If you only mean “somewhere near it,” use bij de wasmachine.

Do I need a comma after Na het dweilen?

Not required. Many style guides omit a comma after a short fronted phrase: Na het dweilen zet Tom... With longer or heavier openers, a comma is fine. Your sentence is correct without one.

Why is it de dweil and de wasmachine (not het)?

Both dweil and wasmachine are common-gender nouns in Dutch, so they take de:

de dweil (the mop)
de wasmachine (the washing machine) Indefinite forms would be een dweil, een wasmachine. Note that het appears in het dweilen only because it’s the nominalized infinitive.

Is wasmachine one word?

Yes. Dutch writes compounds as a single word: wasmachine (was + machine). Don’t write was machine or was-machine.

Can I replace naast de wasmachine with a pronoun?

Yes, use the pronominal adverb ernaast:

Tom zet de dweil ernaast. (= Tom puts the mop next to it.) If you also pronominalize the object, you get: Tom zet hem ernaast. (hem refers to de dweil.)

Could I say neerzetten or wegzetten?

Yes, these separable verbs are common:

neerzetten = set down: Tom zet de dweil naast de wasmachine neer.
wegzetten = put away (out of use): Tom zet de dweil weg (naast de wasmachine). In main clauses, the particle goes to the end: zet ... neer/weg.

How would I say this with a past-tense narrative?

Main clause in simple past, time phrase unchanged:

Na het dweilen zette Tom de dweil naast de wasmachine. If you switch to a nadat-clause: Nadat Tom had gedweild, zette hij de dweil naast de wasmachine.

What’s the pronunciation of dweil/dweilen and wasmachine?

Approximate guide (Netherlands Dutch):

dweil ≈ “dw-ile” (ei like English “eye”), dweilen ≈ “DW-ile-un”
wasmachine ≈ “WAS-ma-sheen-uh” (compound stress on WAS-) Note: Dutch ei and ij are pronounced the same in most accents.

Is dweil the same as mop? Any other words I should know?

de dweil is the mop (often the cloth head; in everyday speech it can mean the whole mop).
dweilen = to mop. Other useful terms:
de zwabber (string mop, regional/colloquial),
de mop (less common for the tool in NL; in BE more common),
de vloertrekker (floor squeegee).

Can Na het dweilen go at the end?

Yes, though fronting time phrases is very common:

Tom zet de dweil naast de wasmachine na het dweilen. Meaning stays the same; rhythm/emphasis changes.

Is naast only for physical position?

Mostly spatial, but naast can also be figurative (“besides/in addition to”): Naast zijn werk studeert hij. In your sentence it’s spatial: next to the machine.

Any small tweaks to sound even more natural?

All good as is. Depending on what you mean:

Upright placement: Na het dweilen zet Tom de dweil naast de wasmachine.
Laying it down: ... legt Tom de dweil naast de wasmachine.
Putting it away out of use: ... zet Tom de dweil weg, naast de wasmachine or ... bergt Tom de dweil op in het kastje.