Learn Hardcore Dutch: In de kantine is het tamelijk lawaaierig, maar met name achterin is het rustig. - In the cafeteria it is quite noisy, but especially in the back it is calm.

Dutch has a verb‑second (V2) rule in main clauses: the conjugated verb generally comes in second position, but what comes first is flexible. You can put a time, place, or topic at the start to emphasize it.

Neutral / basic:
- Het is tamelijk lawaaierig in de kantine, maar met name achterin is het rustig.
With place fronted (as in your sentence):
- In de kantine is het tamelijk lawaaierig, maar met name achterin is het rustig.

By putting In de kantine first, the speaker emphasizes the location as the topic: as for the canteen, it’s rather noisy… This is very natural in Dutch, especially in written language or more careful speech.

Both versions are correct; the difference is mainly word order and emphasis, not meaning.

Why does the verb is come right after In de kantine? In English we’d say In the canteen, it is… with it immediately after.

Because of the V2 rule: in Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in second position, no matter what is in first position.

Word order structure:

First position: In de kantine (place)
Second position: is (the finite verb)
Then the subject: het
Then the rest: tamelijk lawaaierig

So:

In de kantine (1) is (2) het (3) tamelijk lawaaierig (4)

English doesn’t have this strict V2 rule, so the subject it stays right after the introductory phrase. Dutch instead prioritizes putting the verb in the second slot.

What exactly does tamelijk mean here, and how strong is it compared to other words like best, redelijk, or erg?

Tamelijk is a moderate intensifier; it usually translates as “quite / rather / fairly”. It suggests noticeable, but not extreme.

On a rough scale:

een beetje lawaaierig – a bit noisy
tamelijk lawaaierig – quite / rather noisy
redelijk lawaaierig – reasonably / fairly noisy (similar strength, slightly more neutral)
behoorlijk lawaaierig – pretty / considerably noisy
erg / heel / zeer lawaaierig – very noisy

So tamelijk lawaaierig suggests that the noise is clearly noticeable and might be slightly bothersome, but not unbearable. It’s mildly formal/neutral; not something you’d say a lot in casual speech among young people, but it’s perfectly correct and common in more neutral or written contexts.

What does lawaai‑erig (lawaaiig / lawaaierig) mean exactly? Is it different from druk or rumoerig?

Lawaaiierig literally means “noisy” – there is a lot of sound/volume.

Nuances:

lawaaiierig – noisy in the sense of loud sounds, often random or unpleasant.
rumoerig – noisy or rowdy, often with chatter, movement, buzzing of people. Less about pure volume, more about restless atmosphere.
druk – busy/crowded; can imply noise, but the focus is on many people / much activity, not on sound itself.

So:

De kantine is lawaaiierig – specifically loud/noisy (clattering, people shouting, machines, etc.).
De kantine is rumoerig – lively, lots of talking, a bit rowdy.
De kantine is druk – many people are there; may or may not be loud.

In your sentence, tamelijk lawaaierig highlights noise level rather than crowd size or general busyness.

What does met name mean here, and where can it appear in a sentence?

Met name means “especially / particularly / in particular”.

In your sentence:

…maar met name achterin is het rustig.
= “…but especially in the back it is quiet.”

Placement possibilities:

At the start of the clause (as in your sentence):
- Met name achterin is het rustig.
After the verb and subject:
- Achterin is het met name rustig.
Before the element you want to highlight:
- Het is rustig, met name achterin.

All of these are grammatical; only the emphasis and rhythm change slightly. The version in your sentence sounds quite natural and slightly more formal/written.

Why do we have het twice: is het tamelijk lawaaierig and is het rustig? What does het refer to?

In both clauses, het is the subject pronoun for an impersonal “it”, referring to the situation / atmosphere in the canteen, not to a specific object.

In de kantine is het tamelijk lawaaierig
→ In the canteen, it is quite noisy (there).
met name achterin is het rustig
→ especially at the back, it is quiet (there).

You could think of het as referring to “the situation / the atmosphere / things” in that place. Dutch, like English, often uses het / it as a dummy subject for things like weather, situations, or general conditions:

Het is koud. – It is cold.
Het is druk in de stad. – It is busy in the city.
Het is rustig achterin. – It is quiet in the back.

So having het in both clauses is completely normal; each clause has its own subject het.

The second part says maar met name achterin is het rustig. Could we also say maar het is met name achterin rustig? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both; the difference is mainly in emphasis and style.

Maar met name achterin is het rustig.
– Emphasizes achterin by putting it right after maar.
– Feels a bit more formal or written, with clear topicalization.
Maar het is met name achterin rustig.
– More straightforward, similar to English word order.
– Very natural in spoken Dutch.

Both are correct. Version 1 highlights the location more; version 2 highlights the condition (that it is quiet) and then narrows down where that applies.

What is the difference between achterin, achteraan, and achter?

All relate to “the back”, but they’re used differently:

achterin
– Adverb meaning “(somewhere) in the back part (inside something)”.
– Often used with places you can be inside: a room, bus, cinema, classroom.
- Ik zit achterin. – I’m sitting in the back (of the room / bus).
achteraan
– More like “at the very back / at the back end (often at the edge)”.
– Often used when something is at the far back of a line, row, or queue.
- Ik sta achteraan in de rij. – I’m at the back of the line.
achter
– General preposition/adverb “behind / at the back”, without specifying “inside”.
- Hij staat achter de auto. – He is standing behind the car.
- De tuin ligt achter het huis. – The garden is behind the house.

In your sentence, achterin is appropriate because we’re talking about the back part of the canteen interior.

Could we also say stil instead of rustig? What’s the difference?

Both relate to quietness, but with different nuance:

rustig
- Means “calm / quiet / peaceful”.
- Focuses on the overall atmosphere: not much noise, not much movement, not hectic.
- Can describe both sound and general mood:
  - Het is rustig in de kantine. – It’s quiet/calm in the canteen.
  - Een rustige dag. – A calm/uneventful day.
stil
- Means “silent / very quiet (little to no sound)”.
- Focus is strongly on absence of sound.
- Het is stil in de kantine. – It’s silent in the canteen (very little noise).

In your sentence:

…achterin is het rustig. – The back is calm; you can sit there without much disturbance.
…achterin is het stil. – The back is almost silent.

Both are possible; rustig is slightly softer and more about the general calmness, not just sound.

Is the comma before maar necessary, and what is the function of maar here?

Yes, the comma before maar is standard and recommended in written Dutch here.

Maar is a coordinating conjunction meaning “but”, linking two main clauses:
- In de kantine is het tamelijk lawaaierig
- met name achterin is het rustig

The comma:

marks the boundary between the two clauses,
makes the sentence easier to read,
is the usual punctuation rule when maar connects two full clauses.

So the structure is:

[Clause 1], maar [Clause 2].

Just like in English: In the canteen it is rather noisy, but especially in the back it is quiet.

What is the general tone or register of this sentence? Would it sound natural in casual conversation?

The sentence is neutral to slightly formal, and absolutely acceptable in everyday speech, though some small adjustments might be more typical in casual conversations.

Spoken, many people might say something like:

In de kantine is het best lawaaiierig, maar achterin is het juist wel rustig.
Het is nogal lawaaiierig in de kantine, maar achterin is het meestal rustig.

Characteristics of your original sentence:

tamelijk – slightly formal/neutral, not super colloquial.
met name – neutral but tends to appear often in more careful speech or writing.

So it’s perfectly natural Dutch, perhaps something you’d find in:

a description,
a guide,
a review,
or more careful spoken language.

It does not sound stiff, just a little more “written” than very casual speech.