De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel.

The chair is right next to the table.

Breakdown of De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel.

• de tafel: the table
• de stoel: the chair
• staan: to stand
• bij: near
• vlak: right

Questions & Answers about De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel.

Why does the sentence use staat instead of is?

Dutch often uses special position verbs instead of the general verb zijn (to be) when talking about where something is:

• staan – to stand (upright position)
• liggen – to lie (flat, horizontal)
• zitten – to sit (sitting, or enclosed)
• hangen – to hang

A stoel (chair) is normally in an upright position, so Dutch uses staan:

• De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel.
  Literally: The chair stands very near the table.

In English you just say The chair is very near the table, but in Dutch staan sounds more natural here than is.

Could you use is instead of staat here?

Grammatically, De stoel is vlak bij de tafel is understandable, but it sounds less natural in everyday Dutch.

• With staat, you sound like a native: it describes the position and location together.
• With is, you only say it is there, without giving that sense of how it is positioned.

Use staan / liggen / zitten / hangen whenever you talk about where physical objects are located, unless you have a special reason to use zijn (is).

What exactly does vlak bij mean, and how is it different from just bij?

bij on its own means at / near / by.

vlak is an adverb here meaning very, right, or directly in this context.

So:

• bij de tafel = near the table / by the table
• vlak bij de tafel = very near the table / right next to the table (but not touching)

vlak strengthens bij: it says the distance is very small.

Why is it vlak bij (two words) and not vlakbij (one word)?

Both forms exist, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• vlak bij (two words): vlak is an adverb modifying the preposition bij.
  Example: De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel.

• vlakbij (one word): this is usually a preposition or sometimes an adverb by itself.
  Example: De stoel staat vlakbij de tafel.

In modern Dutch, vlakbij (one word) is very common and many speakers would write:

• De stoel staat vlakbij de tafel.

Your sentence with vlak bij is also correct; stylistically it can feel a bit more careful or formal. Learners can safely treat vlak bij and vlakbij as near-synonyms here.

What is the difference between vlak bij and naast?

• vlak bij = very close to / very near
  It focuses on small distance, but the objects might not be immediately side by side.

• naast = next to / beside
  It usually suggests the objects are directly side by side, at each other’s side.

Examples:

• De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel.
  The chair is very near the table (maybe a little to the front, not necessarily at the side).

• De stoel staat naast de tafel.
  The chair is next to the table (more clearly at the side of the table).

Why is it de stoel and de tafel, and not het stoel or het tafel?

Dutch has two definite articles:

• de – for common gender nouns
• het – for neuter nouns

Both stoel (chair) and tafel (table) are common gender nouns, so they take de:

• de stoel
• de tafel

You simply have to learn the gender of each noun. There is no reliable rule that tells you just from the form of the word whether it is de or het.

What is the basic word order of this sentence?

The sentence follows normal Dutch main-clause word order:

1. Subject: De stoel
2. Verb: staat
3. Rest of the sentence (place): vlak bij de tafel

So:

• De stoel (subject)
• staat (finite verb in second position)
• vlak bij de tafel (prepositional phrase of location)

In Dutch main clauses, the conjugated verb normally stands in second position, which is exactly what happens here.

What part of speech is vlak in this sentence, and does it have other meanings?

In De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel, vlak is an adverb that modifies the preposition bij, adding the meaning very / directly.

vlak has several common meanings in Dutch:

1. As an adverb: very close / right

   • Hij woont vlak bij mij. – He lives very close to me.

2. As an adjective: flat / level / smooth

   • een vlak oppervlak – a flat surface

3. In other fixed expressions:

   • vlak voor – right before
   • vlak na – right after

Here, you are dealing with the first use: an adverb meaning very / right (near).

How do you conjugate staan (the verb used here)?

Staan is an irregular verb. Present tense:

• ik sta – I stand / am (standing)
• jij / je staat – you stand
• hij / zij / het staat – he / she / it stands
• wij / jullie / zij staan – we / you (pl.) / they stand

Past tense:

• ik / hij / zij stond – I / he / she stood
• wij / jullie / zij stonden – we / you (pl.) / they stood

Past participle:

• gestaan – stood
  
  • De stoel heeft daar altijd gestaan. – The chair has always stood there.

In your sentence, staat is third person singular present: de stoel staat.

Why don’t we use ligt or zit instead of staat for the chair?

In Dutch, the choice between staan, liggen, and zitten depends on how the object is normally positioned:

• staan – upright, on its base or legs
  
  • De stoel staat daar. – The chair is there (standing).
• liggen – lying flat, horizontal
  
  • Het boek ligt op de tafel. – The book is on the table (lying).
• zitten – sitting, or inside / enclosed
  
  • Het geld zit in mijn zak. – The money is in my pocket.

A chair is an upright object on its legs, so staan is the default.
You would use ligt only if the chair is actually lying on its side on the floor, for example.

What is the difference between bij and aan in location phrases like this?

Both can translate to at / by, but they are used differently:

• bij – near / by / at in a general sense of proximity

  • De stoel staat bij de tafel. – The chair is by the table.

• aan – at / on / attached to, often suggesting contact with a side or edge, or being at something in a functional way

  • Hij zit aan de tafel. – He is sitting at the table (like for a meal or to work).

So De stoel staat vlak bij de tafel focuses on nearness in space, not the idea that someone is seated at the table to use it.