Learn Hardcore Dutch: Haar zoon neemt twee boterhammen met pindakaas mee naar school. - Her son takes two slices of bread with peanut butter to school.

haar (lowercase) can mean her (possessive) or hair, depending on context.
At the beginning of a sentence, the first letter is always capitalized, so haar becomes Haar.
So Haar zoon = her son, not hair son. Only context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why is it Haar zoon and not something like de zoon van haar?

Dutch strongly prefers possessive pronouns before a noun:

haar zoon = her son
de zoon van haar = the son of her

Both are grammatically correct, but:

haar zoon sounds neutral and is what you normally say.
de zoon van haar is more emphatic or contrastive, e.g.:
- Niet mijn zoon, maar de zoon van haar.
  Not my son, but her son.

So in neutral sentences, use haar zoon, mijn zoon, zijn zoon, etc.

Why is the verb neemt and not nemen or something else?

The infinitive is nemen (to take). Dutch conjugates it like this in the present tense:

ik neem – I take
jij / je neemt – you take
hij / zij / het neemt – he / she / it takes
wij nemen – we take
jullie nemen – you (plural) take
zij nemen – they take

zoon is he, so you need hij neemt → haar zoon neemt.
That is why it is neemt and not nemen here.

What is the function of mee in neemt ... mee?

neemt ... mee comes from the separable verb meenemen (to take along / to bring (with you)).

Infinitive: meenemen
In a main clause, it splits:
- Hij neemt twee boterhammen mee.
  He takes two sandwiches with him.

So:

nemen alone = to take
meenemen = to take along / to bring with you

Leaving out mee would change the meaning:

Hij neemt twee boterhammen naar school.
Sounds more like He takes two sandwiches to school (more literal, less idiomatic).
Hij neemt twee boterhammen mee naar school.
Natural Dutch for He brings two sandwiches to school (with him).

Why is mee placed before naar school and not right after neemt?

Typical main‑clause word order in Dutch is:

subject – conjugated verb – objects – other information – particle (from a separable verb)

In this sentence:

Haar zoon = subject
neemt = conjugated verb
twee boterhammen met pindakaas = object
naar school = destination (adverbial phrase)
mee = separable particle from meenemen

So we get:

Haar zoon – neemt – twee boterhammen met pindakaas – mee – naar school

Both ... mee naar school and ... naar school mee are possible, but ... mee naar school is more natural here because mee is closely linked to what he takes along (the sandwiches) before saying where he takes them.

What exactly is a boterham, and why is the plural boterhammen?

A boterham is a very Dutch concept:

Literally: buttered slice of bread
In practice: a slice of (usually sliced) bread, typically with something on it (cheese, ham, peanut butter, etc.)
In many contexts it means a (simple) sandwich.

Plural:

boterham → boterhammen

Grammar:

Most Dutch nouns add -en in the plural.
boterham ends in -am; when you add -en, the final m is doubled:
- boterham
  - -en → boterhammen

So twee boterhammen = two slices of bread / two sandwiches.

Why is it met pindakaas and not met de pindakaas?

Dutch often drops the article before uncountable or generic food items used as a topping or ingredient:

brood met kaas – bread with cheese
yoghurt met fruit – yogurt with fruit
boterhammen met pindakaas – sandwiches with peanut butter

You would normally only use an article if you are talking about a specific, identifiable amount or kind, which is less common in this kind of phrase. So:

met pindakaas = with (some) peanut butter (in general)
met de pindakaas would sound odd here, as if you meant some specific, previously mentioned peanut butter.

Does met pindakaas mean the peanut butter is inside the sandwich or just on one slice?

met pindakaas is purposely vague and works exactly like English with peanut butter:

It could be a single slice with peanut butter on top.
It could be two slices pressed together (a “closed” sandwich).
The sentence doesn’t specify; it just says the bread is eaten with peanut butter as the topping/filling.

Context would clarify, but grammatically met pindakaas just means with peanut butter.

Why is it naar school and not naar de school?

Dutch often omits the article when talking about institutions in a general, everyday sense:

naar school gaan – go to school
naar huis gaan – go home
naar werk gaan – go to work
naar bed gaan – go to bed

So:

naar school = to school (as an institution, in general), no article.
naar de school would mean to the (specific) school building, for example if you were comparing several different schools or talking about the physical location especially. That’s less common in a sentence like this.

What is the difference between naar school and op school?

They express different ideas:

naar school = to school (movement, direction)
- Hij gaat naar school. – He goes to school.
- Hij neemt boterhammen mee naar school. – He brings sandwiches to school.
op school = at school (location / being there)
- Hij is op school. – He is at school.
- Hij eet zijn boterhammen op school. – He eats his sandwiches at school.

So in your sentence, naar school is correct because the focus is on what he takes with him when he goes there.

Can neemt here also mean brings, like English He brings two sandwiches to school?

Yes. Dutch nemen / meenemen often overlaps with English take and bring.

In this sentence:

neemt ... mee naar school is best translated as brings ... to school (with him).
The basic idea is that he has the sandwiches with him as he goes from home to school.

So although nemen literally means to take, in context neemt ... mee naar school is very naturally translated as brings ... to school.

Does the present tense neemt describe a habitual action (what he usually does) or just what he is doing now?

Dutch uses the simple present tense for both:

Habitual actions:
- Hij neemt elke dag twee boterhammen mee naar school.
  He takes/brings two sandwiches to school every day.
Actions happening now (if context makes it clear):
- Kijk, hij neemt nu twee boterhammen mee naar school.
  Look, he is now taking two sandwiches to school.

Your sentence, with no extra time expression, is most naturally understood as a habit (something he usually does), especially in everyday descriptions. Context would decide if it’s about right now instead.