Learn Hardcore Dutch: Die jurk ziet er stoer uit en is toch elegant. - That dress looks cool and is still elegant.

Die jurk ziet er stoer uit ≈ “That dress looks tough/cool.”
Literally, you can think of it as “That dress sees out tough,” but in normal English we say “looks tough.”

So:

zien = to see
er … uitzien = to look / to appear (in terms of looks)

Why do we need er in ziet er stoer uit? Can I say Die jurk ziet stoer uit?

You must use er in this construction. The normal pattern is:

er + adjective + uitzien → to look + adjective

For example:

Hij ziet er moe uit. – He looks tired.
Het huis ziet er oud uit. – The house looks old.

Die jurk ziet stoer uit is ungrammatical in standard Dutch. In this meaning (“to look/appear”), er is basically a fixed, required part of the verb er … uitzien.

Why is the word order ziet er stoer uit and not ziet stoer eruit or ziet er uit stoer?

In this construction, the word order is quite fixed:

onderwerp – ziet – er – (bijwoord/adjectief) – uit

So:

Die jurk (subject)
ziet (verb)
er
stoer (adjective)
uit

Correct:

Die jurk ziet er stoer uit.

Wrong / unnatural:

Die jurk ziet stoer eruit.
Die jurk ziet er uit stoer.

You can add more words between er and uit, but er should stay directly after the verb, and uit comes at the end of that verb phrase:

Die jurk ziet er vandaag extra stoer uit.

What is the difference between ziet er stoer uit, is stoer, and lijkt stoer?

All three are possible but have slightly different nuances:

Die jurk ziet er stoer uit.
Focus on visual appearance. You’re talking about how it looks.
Die jurk is stoer.
Stronger statement; you’re calling the dress “tough / cool” as a quality, not just how it looks.
Die jurk lijkt stoer.
Literally “seems/appears tough.” You’re judging based on your impression; there may be some doubt or distance.

In everyday speech, ziet er stoer uit is the most natural when you’re commenting on how something looks.

Why do we use die and not dat or deze in Die jurk?

Jurk is a de-word (de jurk), so the demonstratives are:

die jurk = that dress
deze jurk = this dress

Dat goes with het-words:

dat huis = that house
dat boek = that book

So:

Die jurk = “that dress” (further away or already known in the context)
Deze jurk = “this dress” (close by)

You cannot say dat jurk in standard Dutch; it must be die jurk.

What exactly does stoer mean when talking about a dress?

Stoer is a bit tricky to translate directly. It can mean:

tough
cool
rugged
bold

With clothing, stoer often suggests:

a bit edgy or strong, not cute or delicate
maybe a leather jacket vibe, or chunky boots, or a powerful look

So a stoere jurk might:

have a bold design
look powerful or cool
be less “sweet” or “girly” and more “tough / confident”

In the sentence, stoer contrasts nicely with elegant: the dress looks tough/cool but is still elegant.

What is the function of toch in en is toch elegant?

Toch here expresses contrast with expectation, similar to:

“yet”
“still”
“nevertheless”

The idea is:

You might expect that something stoer is not elegant.
But toch says: despite that, it actually is elegant.

So:

…ziet er stoer uit en is toch elegant.
≈ “…looks tough/cool and is still / yet elegant.”

Toch is very common in spoken Dutch to soften or highlight a contrast.

Could we use maar instead of en in this sentence? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

Die jurk ziet er stoer uit, maar is toch elegant.

Differences:

en (and)
Simply adds information. The contrast is mainly carried by toch.
Tone: “It looks tough, and it’s still elegant.”
maar (but)
Explicitly marks contrast, plus toch adds extra emphasis.
Tone: stronger feeling of “even though”:
“It looks tough, but it’s still elegant.”

Both are grammatical. With en, the contrast feels a bit softer and more subtle.

Could we say Die jurk ziet er stoer en elegant uit instead? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that’s possible:

Die jurk ziet er stoer en elegant uit.
= “That dress looks tough and elegant.”

Difference in nuance:

Die jurk ziet er stoer uit en is toch elegant.
Suggests some tension between the two ideas: it looks tough but (surprisingly) is elegant.
Die jurk ziet er stoer en elegant uit.
Presents stoer and elegant as simultaneous qualities of the look without highlighting a contrast. No toch, no surprise; it just looks both ways at once.

Why don’t the adjectives have an -e ending here (not stoere / elegante)?

In Dutch, adjectives get an -e ending when they come before a noun (attributive):

een stoere jurk – a tough/cool dress
een elegante jurk – an elegant dress

But when the adjective comes after the verb and describes the subject (predicative), there is no -e:

Die jurk is stoer.
Die jurk is elegant.
Die jurk ziet er stoer uit.
Die jurk is toch elegant.

In the sentence, stoer and elegant are predicative, so no -e.

How would I make this into a yes/no question in Dutch?

You invert the subject and the verb (V2 rule). For example:

Ziet die jurk er stoer uit en is hij toch elegant?
= “Does that dress look tough and is it still elegant?”

You can also drop hij (it) in the second part because the subject is clear:

Ziet die jurk er stoer uit en is toch elegant?

That’s acceptable in spoken Dutch, though …en is hij toch elegant? is clearer and more complete.