Learn Hardcore Dutch: Tijdens de vergadering stelt Anna zich kort voor. - During the meeting Anna briefly introduces herself.

Here, the first position is taken by the time phrase Tijdens de vergadering (During the meeting). Because that is moved to the front, the verb must come next:

Tijdens de vergadering (1st position: time phrase)
stelt (2nd position: finite verb)
Anna (subject)
zich kort voor (rest of the sentence)

If you start with the subject instead, it is:

Anna stelt zich kort voor.

So both are correct, but once you move something (like a time phrase) to the front, the verb has to move in front of the subject.

Could I also say Anna stelt zich kort voor tijdens de vergadering? Is that different?

Yes, that sentence is also correct:

Anna stelt zich kort voor tijdens de vergadering.

The difference is mainly one of emphasis:

Tijdens de vergadering stelt Anna zich kort voor.
→ Emphasis a bit more on when/where this happens: during the meeting, (and not at some other time) she introduces herself.
Anna stelt zich kort voor tijdens de vergadering.
→ More neutral; normal subject–verb start. Just states what Anna does, and adds tijdens de vergadering as extra information at the end.

Both are completely natural. Fronting Tijdens de vergadering is a common way to set the scene first.

What is the base (infinitive) form of stelt … voor, and why is voor at the end?

The infinitive here is (zich) voorstellen.

voorstellen is a separable verb:
- voor = separable prefix (particle)
- stellen = main verb

In the present tense main clause, separable verbs split:

Ik stel me voor. – I introduce myself.
Anna stelt zich kort voor.

So:

voorstellen (infinitive)
stelt … voor (present tense, split in a main clause)

In subordinate clauses, they come back together:

… dat Anna zich kort voorstelt.
(… that Anna briefly introduces herself.)

What does zich do in stelt Anna zich kort voor?

zich is a reflexive pronoun. It shows that the subject acts on itself.

The verb zich voorstellen literally means to introduce oneself:

Anna stelt zich voor. – Anna introduces herself.
Ik stel me voor. – I introduce myself.
Wij stellen ons voor. – We introduce ourselves.

Without zich (or another reflexive pronoun), voorstellen usually means to propose / to suggest:

Ik stel voor dat we pauze nemen. – I suggest that we take a break.

So zich changes voorstellen from “to suggest” -> “to introduce (oneself)”.

Can I say Anna stelt zichzelf kort voor or Anna stelt haarzelf kort voor instead of zich?

You can say zichzelf, but it is not the default here. haarzelf is usually not used in this structure.

Anna stelt zich kort voor.
→ Normal, neutral, standard Dutch.
Anna stelt zichzelf kort voor.
→ Grammatically okay, but sounds like extra emphasis on herself (for contrast), e.g.:
- Anna stelt zichzelf kort voor, en daarna stelt Peter zich voor. (Anna introduces herself briefly, and then Peter introduces himself.)
Anna stelt haarzelf kort voor.
→ Generally avoided; haarzelf is rare and sounds awkward here. Use zich or zichzelf, not haarzelf, in this reflexive-verb pattern.

So the natural choice in your sentence is simply zich.

What does kort mean here? Does it literally mean “short”?

Literally, kort means short, but here it functions as an adverb meaning briefly.

Anna stelt zich kort voor.
→ Anna introduces herself briefly (she doesn’t talk for long).

Other very common options in this context are:

even:
- Anna stelt zich even voor. – Anna just briefly introduces herself (very idiomatic).
kort even:
- Anna stelt zich kort even voor. – Also heard, a bit more informal.

kort is fine and clear, and in more formal or written contexts it’s quite normal to use kort for “briefly”.

Why do we use tijdens instead of something like in here?

tijdens means during and is used for something that happens within the time span of another event:

Tijdens de vergadering – During the meeting.

Using in here (as in in de vergadering) is not natural Dutch for this meaning. Possible alternatives:

In de vergadering
→ sounds more like inside the meeting (as a body) and is not what you want.
In de vergadering might appear in some fixed legal or organizational phrases, but not for simple “during the meeting” in everyday use.

More natural variants for “during the meeting”:

Tijdens de vergadering – during the meeting (standard).
In de vergadering van maandag – can work in some contexts, but carries an institutional/agenda feel (the “meeting of Monday”), not just “while we were meeting”.

For a learner: prefer tijdens when you would say “during” in English.

Why is the order zich kort voor and not kort zich voor or zich voor kort?

In a main clause with a separable verb, Dutch tends to order elements like this:

[finite verb] [subject] [object/reflexive pronoun] [short adverbs] [separable prefix]

So:

stelt (finite verb)
Anna (subject)
zich (reflexive pronoun)
kort (adverb)
voor (separable prefix)

→ stelt Anna zich kort voor

The alternatives sound wrong or very unnatural:

✗ stelt Anna kort zich voor – incorrect word order.
✗ stelt Anna zich voor kort – incorrect for a normal main clause; voor needs to be right next to stelt at the end.

So: reflexive pronoun (zich) usually directly follows the subject, and short adverbs like kort come after zich, before voor.

How would this sentence look in the past tense?

You need the perfect tense of a separable verb:

Infinitive: zich voorstellen
Past participle: voorgesteld (prefix voor moves in front of gesteld)

Anna heeft zich tijdens de vergadering kort voorgesteld.
– Anna briefly introduced herself during the meeting.

Word order rule in the perfect:

Auxiliary (heeft) in second position.
Past participle (voorgesteld) goes to the end.
zich and kort stay in the middle field:

→ heeft Anna zich tijdens de vergadering kort voorgesteld.

Does vergadering mean any kind of meeting, or only a business meeting?

vergadering is usually:

a formal or organized meeting,
with an agenda, minutes, decisions, etc.
often in a work, club, committee, or board context.

Other options for “meeting” in Dutch:

bijeenkomst – gathering, meeting (often more general).
afspraak – appointment (with one or a few people).
meeting (loanword, informal/business).

So Tijdens de vergadering is most naturally understood as “During the (formal) meeting” (e.g. a team meeting, board meeting, committee meeting).

What is the difference between zich voorstellen and iets voorstellen?

They use the same verb voorstellen, but the meaning changes:

zich voorstellen (reflexive)
→ to introduce oneself
- Ik stel me voor. – I introduce myself.
- Tijdens de vergadering stelt Anna zich kort voor.
iets voorstellen (non‑reflexive)
→ to suggest / to propose something
- Ik stel voor dat we beginnen. – I suggest that we start.
- Anna stelt een nieuw plan voor. – Anna proposes a new plan.

So the little reflexive pronoun (me, je, zich, ons, jullie) is crucial: it changes the meaning of the verb.