Learn Hardcore Dutch: Mijn schoonmoeder is streng, maar ze geeft ook veel goede tips. - My mother‑in‑law is strict, but she also gives a lot of good tips.

schoon – historically meant “related by marriage / in‑law”, but in modern Dutch it usually means “clean” or sometimes “beautiful”.
moeder – “mother”.

In compounds like schoonmoeder, schoonvader, schoondochter, schoonzoon, the older meaning survives, so:

schoonmoeder = mother‑in‑law
schoonvader = father‑in‑law

So even though schoon normally means clean, you should learn schoonmoeder as a fixed word meaning mother‑in‑law, not clean mother.

What is the difference between schoonmoeder and stiefmoeder?

schoonmoeder = mother‑in‑law (the mother of your spouse).
stiefmoeder = stepmother (a woman who marries your father after your mother, or vice versa).

English uses -in‑law vs step-; Dutch uses schoon- vs stief-.

So:

mijn schoonmoeder – my partner’s mother
mijn stiefmoeder – my stepmother

Is schoonmoeder a de‑word or a het‑word, and does that affect this sentence?

Schoonmoeder is a de‑word:

de schoonmoeder – the mother‑in‑law
een schoonmoeder – a mother‑in‑law

In this sentence you see mijn schoonmoeder, so there is no de or het. Possessive words like mijn (my), jouw (your), zijn (his/its), haar (her/its) normally replace the article:

de schoonmoeder → mijn schoonmoeder
de man → mijn man
het huis → mijn huis

So the gender (de/het) doesn’t visibly show up here, but it’s still good to know that schoonmoeder is a de‑word.

Why is it mijn schoonmoeder and not something like mijne schoonmoeder?

The normal modern form is:

mijn + noun: mijn schoonmoeder, mijn auto, mijn huis

Forms like mijne, dijne, zijne exist but are:

old‑fashioned,
or only used on their own, without a following noun, in some dialects or informal speech (e.g. Die is de mijne – That one is mine).

So for standard, everyday Dutch with a noun, you should say:

mijn schoonmoeder, not mijne schoonmoeder.

What nuance does streng have? Is it more like strict, severe, or mean?

Streng mainly means strict / firm / demanding, often about rules or expectations.

Examples:

Een strenge leraar – a strict teacher
Strenge ouders – strict parents
Strenge regels – strict rules

It does not automatically mean mean or unkind. You can be streng maar rechtvaardig (strict but fair). In the sentence, the idea is that the mother‑in‑law is demanding or not very lenient, but not necessarily a bad person—especially since she also geeft veel goede tips.

Why is the verb in second position: Mijn schoonmoeder is streng and ze geeft ook veel goede tips?

Dutch main clauses use verb‑second (V2) word order:

The first position is usually taken by the subject or some other element.
The finite verb (conjugated verb) goes in second position.

So:

Mijn schoonmoeder (subject) – first position
is (verb) – second position
streng – rest of the sentence
Ze (subject) – first position
geeft (verb) – second position
ook veel goede tips – rest of the sentence

Because maar here is a coordinating conjunction (like but in English), it simply links two main clauses. Each clause keeps normal main‑clause word order with the verb in second position:

… is streng, maar ze geeft ook veel goede tips.

What is the difference between ze and zij in maar ze geeft ook veel goede tips?

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

ze – the unstressed form, used most of the time in normal speech.
zij – the stressed form, used for contrast or emphasis.

In this sentence, the subject is not specially emphasized, so ze is natural:

maar ze geeft ook veel goede tips – neutral
maar zij geeft ook veel goede tips – emphasizes she, e.g. in contrast to someone else:
Mijn schoonvader klaagt veel, maar zij geeft ook veel goede tips.
(My father‑in‑law complains a lot, but *she gives a lot of good tips.*)

What does ook do in this sentence, and why is it placed before veel goede tips?

Ook means also / too / as well. It usually goes in the middle field, after the verb and before the main object or other information:

Ze geeft ook veel goede tips.
- ze – subject
- geeft – verb
- ook – “also”
- veel goede tips – object

By putting ook here, the speaker adds the idea that in addition to being strict, she also gives a lot of good tips.

Other common patterns:

Ze ook geeft veel goede tips. – incorrect (verb must stay in second position).
Ook ze geeft veel goede tips. – possible but now the emphasis is more on “also she (as well as someone else)”, not just on the action.

Why is it veel goede tips and not something like goede veel tips?

The usual order in Dutch is:

quantity word → adjective → noun

So:

veel goede tips – a lot of good tips
twee grote huizen – two big houses
enkele interessante boeken – several interesting books

Therefore veel (a lot of) comes before goede (good), and both come before tips (tips).
Goede veel tips is not correct Dutch.

Why does goede have an -e at the end in veel goede tips?

Dutch adjectives usually get an -e ending when they come before a noun with a determiner (article, possessive, quantity word, etc.) and the noun is plural or a de‑word:

de goede tip
veel goede tips
mijn goede vriend
de strenge leraar

In veel goede tips:

veel acts as a determiner (quantity word),
tips is plural,

so goed becomes goede.

You would only get goed without -e in specific cases like:

iets goeds – something good
het goede antwoord – the right answer (still goede here, because het
- adjective before noun usually also takes -e; exceptions are with het
  - singular neuter without extra determiner, e.g. het goede boek vs een goed boek.)

Is tips here the same as English “tips”, and can Dutch also use a word like advies?

Yes, tip in Dutch is a borrowed word from English and is used very similarly:

een tip – a tip / a hint
twee tips – two tips

It often feels a bit more informal or concrete than advies (advice):

veel goede tips – many practical, concrete hints or suggestions
veel goed advies – a lot of (good) advice (more general/uncountable idea)

In this sentence, tips suggests she gives lots of specific, useful suggestions.

Why is there a comma before maar: … is streng, maar ze geeft ook veel goede tips? Is it required?

In Dutch, it is standard and recommended to put a comma before maar when it connects two full clauses (each with its own subject and verb):

Mijn schoonmoeder is streng, maar ze geeft ook veel goede tips.
- Clause 1: Mijn schoonmoeder is streng.
- Clause 2: Ze geeft ook veel goede tips.

So the comma is normal and considered correct. In very short sentences you might sometimes see it omitted in informal writing, but the safe rule is: use the comma before maar when connecting two full clauses.