Learn Hardcore Dutch: Anna stopt de kleren in de droger en zet hem aan. - Anna puts the clothes in the dryer and turns it on.

Dutch nouns are either common gender (de-words) or neuter (het-words). De droger is a common-gender noun, so the object pronoun is hem. If it were a neuter noun (het-word), you’d use het. In Dutch, inanimate things can be referred to with hem or haar depending on the noun’s grammatical gender.

Can I say zet de droger aan instead of zet hem aan?

Yes. Both are correct:

Anna zet de droger aan.
Anna zet hem aan. Using the noun repeats it explicitly; using hem avoids repetition once the referent is clear.

Is 'm acceptable in place of hem?

Yes, in informal speech/writing you often see 'm:

Anna zet 'm aan. Use hem in formal contexts.

Why is it in de droger and not naar de droger?

Use in to indicate movement into a container or enclosed space:

iets in iets doen/stoppen = put something into something Naar means “to/towards” a destination, not “into”:
You go naar de droger (towards it), but you put clothes in de droger.

Could I say Anna doet de kleren in de droger instead of stopt?

Yes. Doen … in is very common and neutral: Anna doet de kleren in de droger. Stoppen … in can sound like “to stuff/put in,” slightly more forceful, but it’s perfectly normal for laundry.

What’s the difference between kleren and kleding?

kleren = clothes (countable plural, informal, very common)
kleding = clothing (uncountable/mass noun, a bit more formal or general) In everyday speech here, kleren fits well. You can also say de was (the laundry): Anna stopt de was in de droger.

Could hem refer to the clothes here?

No. De kleren is plural; the pronoun for “them” would be ze (or hen/hun in certain contexts). Hem is singular and refers to de droger.

Can I use erin to avoid repeating “de droger”?

Yes. Dutch often uses er + preposition:

After you’ve mentioned the dryer: Anna stopt de kleren erin en zet hem aan. Here erin = “into it,” referring back to the dryer. You could also say: Anna stopt de kleren in de droger en zet die aan (pointing/colloquial), or simply repeat: … en zet de droger aan.

Why is the subject missing in the second part en zet hem aan?

It’s a coordination with en (“and”), and Dutch allows you to omit the repeated subject when it’s the same:

Anna stopt … en (Anna) zet … → Anna stopt … en zet …

Do I need a comma before en here?

No. Dutch typically doesn’t use a comma before en when joining two short main clauses. A comma is optional in longer or more complex sentences for readability.

Is aandoen also possible instead of aanzetten?

Sometimes, yes:

het licht aandoen and de tv aandoen are very common. For appliances like a dryer, aanzetten is more idiomatic: de droger aanzetten. De droger aandoen is understandable but less common. Be careful: de kleren aandoen means “put on the clothes,” not “turn on.”

How would this look in a subordinate clause?

Ik zie dat Anna de kleren in de droger stopt en hem aanzet. Note that in subordinate clauses, separable verbs reunite: aanzet (not split). The verb cluster goes to the end of the clause.

Where does the particle go with modal verbs or with te?

With a modal: Anna wil hem aanzetten. (particle stays attached to the infinitive)
With te: om hem aan te zetten. Don’t split aan from zetten in these infinitive constructions.

Are there regional word choices for “dryer”?

Yes.

Netherlands: de droger, de wasdroger
Belgium (Flanders): de droogkast All mean a clothes dryer.

Does stoppen also mean “to quit,” and how do I avoid confusion?

Yes, stoppen can mean “to stop/quit,” but then it’s used with met or without an object:

Anna stopt met werken. = Anna quits working.
Anna stopt de kleren in de droger. = Anna puts the clothes in the dryer. The presence of a direct object plus in makes the meaning clear.