Learn Hardcore Dutch: In het stiltegebied van de trein kan zij zich veel beter concentreren. - In the quiet zone of the train she can concentrate much better.

In Dutch, every noun is either de-word (common gender) or het-word (neuter).
The word gebied (area, region) is a het-word: het gebied.

Stiltegebied is a compound noun: stilte (silence) + gebied (area).
In Dutch compounds, the gender is usually determined by the last part of the word.
Since gebied is neuter (het gebied), the compound becomes het stiltegebied.

What exactly does stiltegebied mean, and is it a normal word to use for trains?

Stiltegebied literally means “silence area” or “quiet zone”.
On Dutch trains, you’ll see signs like Stiltegebied or Stiltecoupé, meaning a place where passengers are supposed to be quiet (no loud talking, no phone calls).

So in this sentence, In het stiltegebied van de trein means “In the quiet zone of the train” – a designated silent section.
It’s natural and idiomatic in the context of trains.

Why is it van de trein (“of the train”) instead of something like in de trein?

Van de trein here expresses possession or association: “the train’s quiet zone” → het stiltegebied van de trein.
It tells you which quiet zone: the one of the train, not, for example, a quiet zone in a library or at home.

If you said In de trein kan zij zich veel beter concentreren, that would mean “On the train she can concentrate much better”, with no specific reference to a special quiet area.
Both are correct Dutch, but they say different things.

Why does the sentence start with In het stiltegebied van de trein and then kan zij? Why not Zij kan?

Dutch main clauses follow a verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb (here kan) must be in second position.
Whatever comes first (subject, time expression, place expression, etc.), the conjugated verb must come right after it.

Here, the first element is the place phrase In het stiltegebied van de trein, so the verb must follow:

In het stiltegebied van de trein kan zij zich veel beter concentreren.

If you start with the subject, you also get verb-second:

Zij kan zich in het stiltegebied van de trein veel beter concentreren.

Both are correct; the first version emphasizes the location, the second emphasizes she.

Can I also say Zij kan zich in het stiltegebied van de trein veel beter concentreren? Is there a difference in meaning?

Yes, that sentence is also completely correct.

Zij kan zich in het stiltegebied van de trein veel beter concentreren.
– neutral order, focusing more on her as the topic.
In het stiltegebied van de trein kan zij zich veel beter concentreren.
– location is in the first position, so you give a bit more emphasis to where this happens.

The basic meaning is the same; it’s mostly a matter of emphasis and flow.

Why do we need zich with concentreren? English doesn’t say “she can concentrate herself”.

In Dutch, zich concentreren is a reflexive verb.
That means it is normally used with a reflexive pronoun (me, je, zich, ons, jullie) even when English doesn’t use one.

So you usually say:

Ik concentreer me. – I concentrate.
Zij kan zich goed concentreren. – She can concentrate well.

Leaving out zich (Zij kan veel beter concentreren) sounds incomplete or wrong in standard Dutch. The reflexive pronoun is considered part of the verb.

Where should the reflexive pronoun zich go in this sentence? Could I say zij kan veel beter zich concentreren?

The reflexive pronoun normally goes right after the finite verb (or very close to it) and before other elements like adverbs and the infinitive.

Correct:

Zij kan zich veel beter concentreren.

Incorrect or very unnatural:

Zij kan veel beter zich concentreren.

So in your original sentence the order is:
kan (finite verb) + zij (subject in inverted order) + zich (reflexive pronoun) + veel beter (adverb) + concentreren (infinitive).

Why is it veel beter for “much better”? Can I just say beter?

Beter means “better”.
Veel beter literally means “a lot better” or “much better” – veel intensifies the comparison.

Both are grammatically fine:

Zij kan zich beter concentreren. – She can concentrate better.
Zij kan zich veel beter concentreren. – She can concentrate much/a lot better.

The version with veel is simply stronger.

What is the difference between zij and ze here? Could I say kan ze zich instead of kan zij zich?

Zij and ze both mean “she” (or “they”, depending on context), but:

zij is the stressed form.
ze is the unstressed form, used more in everyday speech.

In your sentence, you could also say:

In het stiltegebied van de trein kan ze zich veel beter concentreren.

That sounds a bit more casual and is very common in spoken Dutch.
Using zij gives a little more emphasis to her, or just sounds slightly more formal or careful.

Why is there no te before concentreren? In other contexts I’ve seen te + infinitive.

After modal verbs like kunnen (can), moeten (must), mogen (may), willen (want), zullen (shall/will), Dutch does not use te before the infinitive.

So you say:

Zij kan zich concentreren. – not kan zich te concentreren
Ik moet werken. – not moet te werken

You use te with other constructions, for example:

Het is moeilijk om je te concentreren. – It is difficult to concentrate.

Here there is no modal verb, so te is used. In your original sentence, kan is a modal, so no te.