Bij die slager kun je snel afrekenen, maar vandaag was het vlees uitverkocht.

Bij die slager sets the scene first: it means at that butcher’s / at that butcher shop.

Dutch often puts a place or time expression at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis or topic-setting. When that happens, the finite verb still has to stay in second position, which is why you get:

• Bij die slager kun je snel afrekenen.

instead of the more basic order:

• Je kunt bij die slager snel afrekenen.

Both are grammatical, but the version in your sentence emphasizes that butcher as the place being talked about.

Here bij means something like at, with, or from, depending on context.

In Bij die slager, it refers to the business/place:

• bij de bakker = at the baker’s
• bij de slager = at the butcher’s
• bij de dokter = at the doctor’s

So Bij die slager does not literally mean only standing physically next to the butcher; it usually means at that butcher shop / with that butcher.

Die means that, so die slager = that butcher.

Compare:

• de slager = the butcher
• die slager = that butcher

Using die points to a specific butcher already known, visible, or previously mentioned. In English, this is the difference between the butcher and that butcher.

This is because of Dutch verb-second word order in a main clause.

The finite verb must come in the second slot of the sentence. Since Bij die slager is placed first, the verb comes next:

• Bij die slager kun je snel afrekenen.

If the sentence began with the subject, you would normally get:

• Je kunt bij die slager snel afrekenen.

So kun je is not a question here. It is just inversion caused by putting Bij die slager first.

Both are forms of you, but they are used differently.

• je = unstressed, neutral form
• jij = stressed form, used for emphasis or contrast

In this sentence, there is no special emphasis on you, so je is natural:

• Bij die slager kun je snel afrekenen.

If you wanted emphasis, you might say:

• Bij die slager kun jij snel afrekenen, maar ik niet.

So here je is simply the normal choice.

Afrekenen means to pay, to settle the bill, or to check out.

In a shopping context, it often refers to the final step at the register/cash desk:

• Ik ga even afrekenen. = I’m just going to pay.
• Je kunt hier afrekenen. = You can pay here.

So snel afrekenen means pay quickly or check out quickly.

Because snel is an adverb modifying the verb afrekenen.

• snel afrekenen = to pay quickly

In Dutch, adverbs like snel, langzaam, graag, vaak often come before the infinitive or the verb phrase they modify.

So:

• kun je snel afrekenen = you can pay quickly

This is very natural Dutch word order.

Maar means but and connects two contrasting ideas:

• Bij die slager kun je snel afrekenen
• maar vandaag was het vlees uitverkocht

The contrast is:

• positive point: you can check out quickly there
• negative point: today the meat was sold out

So maar works exactly like English but here.

Was is the past tense of zijn (to be).

• vandaag was het vlees uitverkocht = today the meat was sold out

This suggests the speaker is talking about an event that happened earlier today, from a later point of view. In English we also do this:

• Today the meat was sold out.

If the speaker were talking about the current situation right now, they might say:

• vandaag is het vlees uitverkocht

So was tells you the sentence is narrated in the past.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same.

• vlees = meat in a general sense
• het vlees = the meat, or the meat sold there / the meat under discussion

In this sentence, het vlees sounds more specific: it refers to the meat at that butcher shop.

So:

• het vlees was uitverkocht = the meat was sold out

This is very natural when talking about the stock in a shop.

Uitverkocht means sold out.

It is often used for things that are no longer available because everything has been sold:

• De kaarten zijn uitverkocht. = The tickets are sold out.
• Het brood is uitverkocht. = The bread is sold out.
• Het vlees was uitverkocht. = The meat was sold out.

It is a common word in shops and business contexts.

Yes, it is natural.

A learner might expect something like op (gone / finished) instead, and that is also common in speech:

• Het vlees is op. = The meat is gone.

But uitverkocht is especially appropriate when talking about a shop’s stock: the butcher had meat for sale, and all of it had been sold.

So in a retail context, uitverkocht is a very good choice.

The sentence has two coordinated main clauses:

1. Bij die slager kun je snel afrekenen
2. maar vandaag was het vlees uitverkocht

You can break them down like this:

First clause:

• Bij die slager = place expression
• kun = finite verb
• je = subject
• snel afrekenen = rest of the verb phrase

Second clause:

• maar = but
• vandaag = time expression
• was = finite verb
• het vlees = subject
• uitverkocht = predicate adjective / complement

This is a very useful example of normal Dutch main-clause word order:

• something first
• finite verb second
• subject after the verb if something else comes first

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct:

• Je kunt bij die slager snel afrekenen, maar vandaag was het vlees uitverkocht.

The difference is mainly emphasis:

• Bij die slager kun je... emphasizes that butcher
• Je kunt bij die slager... is more neutral and starts with you

Dutch often allows both patterns, depending on what you want to highlight.