Learn Hardcore Dutch: In de paskamer vraagt zij om een andere maat, want de jurk is te lang om zonder riem te dragen. - In the fitting room she asks for another size, because the dress is too long to wear without a belt.

Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here vraagt) must be in second position in the sentence, no matter what comes first.

Neutral order: Zij vraagt in de paskamer om een andere maat.
(Subject first → verb second.)
With emphasis on place: In de paskamer vraagt zij om een andere maat.
(Prepositional phrase first → verb still second → subject moves after the verb.)

Both are correct, but In de paskamer vraagt zij... emphasizes where this happens (in the fitting room). Dutch allows you to put many different elements in first position, as long as the conjugated verb remains second.

Why is it vraagt zij om een andere maat and not vraagt zij voor een andere maat?

With vragen (to ask), Dutch typically uses:

vragen om + noun = to ask for something
- Zij vraagt om een andere maat. = She asks for another size.
vragen naar + noun = to ask about something
- Hij vraagt naar de prijs. = He asks about the price.

Using voor after vragen in this sense is not idiomatic in Dutch.
So you say:

om een andere maat vragen (ask for another size), not voor een andere maat vragen.

What exactly does maat mean here? Why not grootte for “size”?

Both maat and grootte can refer to size, but they’re used differently:

maat = a measured size, often in fixed categories, especially for clothing and shoes.
- een andere maat = a different clothing size (e.g. 36, 38, S, M)
- Ik heb maat 40. = My size is 40.
grootte = size/extent in a more general sense.
- de grootte van het huis = the size of the house
- de grootte van de groep = the size of the group

For clothes in a shop, you almost always use maat, not grootte.

What is the difference between want and omdat in this context? Could the sentence use omdat?

Both want and omdat can mean because, but:

want is a coordinating conjunction.
- It connects two main clauses.
- Word order after want stays like a normal main clause: subject before verb.
- In the sentence:
  ...vraagt zij om een andere maat, want de jurk is te lang...
  → de jurk is (subject + verb).
omdat is a subordinating conjunction.
- It starts a subordinate clause, and the conjugated verb goes to the end.
- You would say:
  In de paskamer vraagt zij om een andere maat, omdat de jurk te lang is om zonder riem te dragen.

So yes, you could use omdat, but then you must change the word order to de jurk te lang is, not de jurk is te lang.
Using want feels a bit more informal and “speech-like”; omdat is slightly more neutral/formal.

How does the structure te lang om ... te dragen work?

Dutch often uses the pattern:

te + adjective + om te + infinitive
= too + adjective + to + verb

In this sentence:

te lang = too long
om (zonder riem) te dragen = to wear (without a belt)

Together: te lang om zonder riem te dragen = too long to wear without a belt.

The object de jurk is understood and left out in the om te clause. If you spell it out, it becomes:

De jurk is te lang om (hem) zonder riem te dragen.
(hem = it, referring to the dress)

Why is it zonder riem and not zonder een riem?

After zonder, Dutch often omits the article, especially with general or abstract meanings:

zonder riem = without a belt (in general, any belt)
zonder jas = without a coat
zonder suiker = without sugar

You can say zonder een riem, but it sounds like “without a single belt / without any belt at all”, with extra emphasis on absolutely no belt.

In most neutral situations, zonder riem is the natural choice.

Why does dragen go at the end of om zonder riem te dragen?

In Dutch, in infinitive clauses with te, the verb goes to the end:

om te dragen
om te koken
om te helpen

If you add more elements (like zonder riem), they come before the infinitive:

om zonder riem te dragen
om in de zomer te dragen
om met vrienden te delen

So the order is: om + (extra words) + te + infinitive (at the end).
That’s why dragen appears at the very end of that phrase.

Why is it de jurk and not het jurk? How do I know the gender?

In Dutch, nouns are either:

de-words (common gender)
het-words (neuter)

jurk (dress) happens to be a de-word, so you say de jurk.

Unfortunately, gender is mostly lexical – you simply have to learn it with the word. Some hints:

Most words for people and animals are de-words.
Many one-syllable concrete nouns are het, but there are lots of exceptions.
You always say de jurk, de rok, de broek, de blouse.

When in doubt, dictionaries indicate the gender:

jurk (de)

Why is it zij here and not ze? Is there a difference?

Both zij and ze mean she (or they in other contexts). The difference is mainly about stress:

zij – stressed form, used when you want to emphasize the subject.
- In de paskamer vraagt zij om een andere maat can subtly emphasize she (and not someone else).
ze – unstressed, neutral form, more common in everyday speech when there is no special emphasis.
- In de paskamer vraagt ze om een andere maat. (also perfectly correct)

So you could replace zij with ze here without changing the basic meaning.

What is the difference between paskamer and kleedkamer? Are they interchangeable?

Both involve changing clothes, but they’re used in different contexts:

paskamer
- Literally: trying-on room.
- Used in clothing shops where customers try on clothes.
- Matches English fitting room / changing room in a store.
kleedkamer
- Literally: dressing room.
- Used for sports facilities (locker rooms), theatres, backstage changing rooms, etc.

In a clothing store, you should say paskamer, not kleedkamer.