Learn Hardcore Dutch: Na het examen krijgen de studenten hun diploma in de grote zaal. - After the exam the students receive their diploma in the big hall.

The finite verb (here: krijgen) must be in second position in the sentence.
First position can be the subject, but it can also be a time, place, or other phrase.

Here, the time phrase Na het examen (“After the exam”) is placed in first position for emphasis or style, so the verb krijgen must come next:

Na het examen (1st position) krijgen (2nd position) de studenten hun diploma in de grote zaal (rest of the sentence)

You could also say:

De studenten krijgen na het examen hun diploma in de grote zaal.

Both are correct; only the emphasis and rhythm change.

Why is the present tense krijgen used, instead of something like “will get” in Dutch?

Dutch often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when the future event is scheduled, planned, or very certain.

So:

Na het examen krijgen de studenten hun diploma.
literally: “After the exam the students get their diploma,”
but it usually means: “After the exam the students will get their diploma.”

You could use the future auxiliary zullen:

Na het examen zullen de studenten hun diploma krijgen.

This is also correct, but it sounds more formal or slightly heavier. The simple present is more natural in many contexts.

Why is it Na het examen and not just Na examen?

In Dutch, when you talk about a specific, known exam (for example, the final exam everyone just took), you normally use a definite article (de or het).

Na het examen = “After the exam (we are all talking about).”

Without the article:

Na examen is possible but sounds either:
- like a very general expression (“after exams in general”), or
- like telegraphic language (e.g. in notes, headings).

In normal full sentences about a concrete situation, Na het examen is the standard choice.

Why is it het examen and not de examen?

Every Dutch noun has a grammatical gender, which determines whether it takes de or het in the singular.

examen is a het-word: het examen
plural: de examens

There isn’t a logical rule you can apply here; you simply need to memorise that examen belongs to the het group.

Examples for comparison:

het huis – de huizen
de tafel – de tafels
het examen – de examens

Why is it de studenten and not het studenten?

In the plural, almost all nouns in Dutch use de, regardless of their singular gender.

singular: de student (common gender)
plural: de studenten

So:

het is only for singular neuter nouns (like het examen).
de is for:
- all plural nouns, and
- all singular common-gender nouns.

That’s why it’s de studenten.

What exactly does hun mean here, and why is it hun diploma instead of something else?

In this sentence, hun is a possessive pronoun meaning “their”:

hun diploma = “their diploma”

Important points:

Hun is used when the owner is plural:
- hun diploma – the students’ diploma
- zijn diploma – his diploma
- haar diploma – her diploma
Hun here is not an object pronoun. It is a possessive before a noun.
(As an object pronoun, you would normally use hen, not hun, although in spoken Dutch many people mix them.)

So hun diploma is correct for “the diploma that belongs to them”.

Why is it diploma without an article like het diploma or een diploma?

There actually is an article in the sentence; it’s just expressed by hun:

hun diploma = “their diploma”

In Dutch, a possessive word (mijn, jouw, zijn, haar, ons, jullie, hun) replaces the normal article:

het diploma – the diploma
een diploma – a diploma
hun diploma – their diploma

You wouldn’t say het hun diploma or een hun diploma; that would be incorrect.

Why is it grote zaal and not groot zaal?

Dutch adjectives usually take an -e ending when they are placed before a noun with a definite article:

de grote zaal – the big hall
het grote huis – the big house
de grote studenten – the big/tall students

The basic form is groot (adjective), but:

Before de or het
- noun → grote
After zijn / worden (to be / to become) → usually groot:
- De zaal is groot. – The hall is big.
- Het huis is groot.

So we say in de grote zaal (not in de groot zaal).

What does zaal mean, and how is it different from kamer?

Both words refer to types of rooms, but they differ in size and function:

zaal:
- usually a large room or hall
- often used for events, ceremonies, lectures, concerts, theatre, etc.
- e.g. de aula, de concertzaal, de trouwzaal
kamer:
- a normal-sized room in a house, apartment, hotel, etc.
- e.g. slaapkamer (bedroom), woonkamer (living room), hotelkamer (hotel room)

So in de grote zaal suggests a large ceremonial hall or auditorium, which fits with getting a diploma.

Could I also say Na het examen krijgen de studenten in de grote zaal hun diploma? Is that still correct?

Yes, that is also correct Dutch:

Na het examen krijgen de studenten hun diploma in de grote zaal.
Na het examen krijgen de studenten in de grote zaal hun diploma.

Dutch word order in the middle of the sentence (between the finite verb and the sentence-final parts) is quite flexible. You can usually move time and place phrases:

Na het examen (time)
in de grote zaal (place)

Both versions are acceptable; the only difference is slight emphasis:

Final position: …hun diploma in de grote zaal can make the place feel like the final, emphasised detail.
Middle position: …in de grote zaal hun diploma can slightly emphasise where they get it before mentioning what they get.

Both are natural.

Is a comma needed after Na het examen?

No comma is required here in standard Dutch:

Na het examen krijgen de studenten hun diploma in de grote zaal.

Dutch usually does not put a comma after a simple initial prepositional phrase like Na het examen.

You might occasionally see a comma for extra emphasis or in very formal/old‑fashioned writing, but the normal, modern version is without a comma.

How do you pronounce the tricky parts of this sentence, especially examen, krijgen, and zaal?

Some pronunciation tips:

examen
- stress on the second syllable: ex–A–men
- ex- like English “ex”
- -a- in -a-men is like the a in English “father” (shorter)
- final -en is often reduced to something like -uh in casual speech
krijgen
- kr as in “cr-”
- ij sounds like the English diphthong in “eye”
- g is a voiceless guttural sound, made at the back of the mouth/throat (similar to the Scottish loch or German Bach)
- final -en again often reduced to -uh
zaal
- z voiced, like English “zoo”
- aa is a long a (like a prolonged “ah”)
- l fairly clear, not dark like in some English accents

Spoken smoothly, the rhythm is roughly:

Na het ex‑A‑men / KRIJ‑gen de STU‑den‑ten / hun di‑PLO‑ma / in de GRO‑te ZAAL.