Learn Hardcore Dutch: Anna zingt vrolijk in de tuin. - Anna sings cheerfully in the garden.

Anna vrolijk zingt in de tuin is not wrong, but it sounds unusual or poetic and puts special emphasis on vrolijk. The neutral, everyday order is Anna zingt vrolijk in de tuin.

Is vrolijk an adjective or an adverb here?

Here vrolijk functions as an adverb describing how Anna sings (cheerfully).

In Dutch, many words have the same form as both adjective and adverb:

Adjective: een vrolijk kind – a cheerful child
Adverb: Anna zingt vrolijk – Anna sings cheerfully

Unlike English, Dutch does not usually add something like -ly to make an adverb; the form stays the same.

Why is it in de tuin and not in het tuin?

Dutch nouns have two genders for the article system:

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

Tuin is a de-word, so:

singular: de tuin – the garden
plural: de tuinen – the gardens

That’s why the sentence uses in de tuin, not in het tuin.

Can the word order be Anna zingt in de tuin vrolijk?

Anna zingt in de tuin vrolijk is possible, but it is not the most neutral order.

Typical neutral order for elements is often:

time – manner – place or, if there is no time:
manner – place

So:

Anna zingt vrolijk in de tuin (manner vrolijk, then place in de tuin) sounds most natural.

Putting vrolijk at the end (in de tuin vrolijk) can sound like you are stressing the cheerfulness in contrast to some other way of singing.

Does Anna zingt mean Anna sings or Anna is singing?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Dutch usually uses the simple present for:

general habits: Anna zingt vaak in de tuin – Anna often sings in the garden.
actions happening now: Stil, Anna zingt – Be quiet, Anna is singing.

Dutch does have a progressive form (Anna is aan het zingen), but in everyday speech the simple present (Anna zingt) very often covers the English is singing.

How would the verb change with different subjects?

Present tense of zingen:

ik zing – I sing
jij / je zingt – you sing (singular, informal)
u zingt – you sing (formal)
hij / zij / het zingt – he / she / it sings
Anna zingt – Anna sings
wij / we zingen – we sing
jullie zingen – you (plural) sing
zij / ze zingen – they sing

So:

Wij zingen vrolijk in de tuin. – We sing cheerfully in the garden.

Notice the plural forms end in -en (zingen), and third person singular takes -t (zingt).

How do you pronounce zingt and tuin?

Very roughly (not exact IPA):

zingt
- z like English z in zoo
- ing similar to ing in sing
- final t is pronounced (unlike many forms in English spelling)
  → sounds like: zingt with a clear t at the end.
tuin
- t like English t
- ui is a typical Dutch vowel, somewhere between the u in burn (British) and ow in cow, but with rounded lips; it does not exist in English.
- n at the end is usually audible but not strongly stressed.
  → one syllable with that special ui sound.

Can I use a different word than vrolijk, like blij?

You can, but the meaning changes slightly.

vrolijk – cheerful, merry, light-hearted (often used for atmosphere or behavior)
blij – glad, happy (more about feeling pleased or satisfied)

Anna zingt vrolijk in de tuin suggests a cheerful, lively way of singing.
Anna zingt blij in de tuin is understandable but less common; it emphasizes that she sings in a happy way because she feels glad about something.

Could we leave out in de tuin and still have a correct sentence?

Yes.

Anna zingt vrolijk. – Anna sings cheerfully.

This is a complete and correct sentence. You simply lose the information about where she is singing. Adding in de tuin gives the location:

Anna zingt vrolijk in de tuin. – Anna sings cheerfully in the garden.