Na de kapper kamt Sofie haar pony naar opzij en glimlacht ze in de spiegel.

Literally, na de kapper looks like after the hairdresser/barber, but in natural Dutch it is often a shortened way of saying something like:

• na het bezoek aan de kapper = after the visit to the hairdresser
• nadat ze bij de kapper is geweest = after she has been to the hairdresser

So yes, it is a bit elliptical. Native speakers often use de kapper to mean the whole hairdresser appointment or visit, not just the person.

Also, kapper can mean barber or hairdresser, depending on context.

This is because Dutch main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

The sentence begins with Na de kapper, which is the first element of the clause. Since that first position is already taken, the finite verb must come next:

• Na de kapper kamt Sofie ...

If you started with the subject, then it would be:

• Sofie kamt haar pony naar opzij.

So:

• Sofie first → Sofie kamt
• Na de kapper first → kamt Sofie

That inversion is very common in Dutch.

Here haar means her, as a possessive adjective.

So:

• haar pony = her fringe/bangs

This can be confusing because haar can also be the noun hair in other contexts:

• Haar is nat. = Hair is wet.
• Ze kamt haar haar. = She combs her hair.

In your sentence, haar clearly means her, because it comes before a noun: pony.

No. In Dutch, pony can mean fringe or bangs in a hairstyle context.

So:

• een pony = a fringe / bangs

This is a very common false friend for English speakers, because English pony normally means the small horse.

In this sentence, haar pony kammen means to comb her bangs/fringe.

Naar opzij means to the side or sideways.

So:

• haar pony naar opzij kammen = to comb her bangs to the side

You can think of it as describing the direction in which she combs it.

Other similar expressions are:

• naar achteren = backward / to the back
• naar voren = forward / to the front
• omhoog = upward
• omlaag = downward

In Dutch, these directional phrases often come after the object:

• Ze kamt haar pony naar opzij.

Ze refers back to Sofie.

The reason for glimlacht ze is again word order. The sentence is structured so that Na de kapper also applies to the second coordinated clause:

• Na de kapper kamt Sofie ... en glimlacht ze ...

This is similar to:

• Na het eten leest Jan een boek en drinkt hij thee.

The omitted time phrase still affects the second clause, so inversion remains natural.

You could say en ze glimlacht in de spiegel, but that feels more like a fresh clause with normal subject-first order. The version with glimlacht ze is very natural when both actions are part of the same sequence under the same opening phrase.

Dutch often avoids repeating a name when the referent is already clear.

So after Sofie has been introduced, using ze is normal:

• Sofie komt binnen en ze gaat zitten.
• Sofie kamt haar pony ... en glimlacht ze ...

In your sentence, ze simply means she.

Repeating Sofie would still be possible in some contexts, but it would sound heavier and less natural here.

Both can mean she, but zij is the stressed form and ze is the unstressed form.

In ordinary sentences, Dutch usually uses ze:

• Ze glimlacht. = She smiles.

You use zij when you want emphasis or contrast:

• Niet Anna, maar zij glimlacht. = Not Anna, but she smiles.

So in your sentence, ze is the normal choice because there is no special emphasis.

No. In de spiegel means in the mirror, as in in the mirror’s reflection.

This is the normal Dutch expression, just like in English:

• Ze kijkt in de spiegel. = She looks in the mirror.
• Ze glimlacht in de spiegel. = She smiles in the mirror / smiles at her reflection.

So it refers to what is seen in the mirror, not her actual location.

Because Dutch, like English, often avoids repeating information that clearly applies to both parts of a coordinated sentence.

So this:

• Na de kapper kamt Sofie haar pony naar opzij en glimlacht ze in de spiegel.

is understood as:

• Na de kapper kamt Sofie haar pony naar opzij en na de kapper glimlacht ze in de spiegel.

The second Na de kapper is omitted because it would be repetitive.

Strictly speaking, kammen means to comb. It is related to kam, which means comb.

Dutch also has:

• borstelen = to brush

But in everyday language, kammen is often used naturally for arranging hair, especially when talking about a fringe/bangs.

So in this sentence, kamt is a very normal verb choice.

In a neutral Dutch main clause, the object usually comes before this kind of directional phrase:

• Ze kamt haar pony naar opzij.

So the order is:

1. verb
2. subject/object as needed
3. adverbial or directional phrase

Putting naar opzij before haar pony is not the normal neutral order here.

Dutch word order is flexible in some cases, but haar pony naar opzij is the standard, natural version.

Yes. Those are fuller or more explicit alternatives.

For example:

• Na het kappersbezoek kamt Sofie haar pony naar opzij ...
• Nadat ze bij de kapper is geweest, kamt Sofie haar pony naar opzij ...

The original Na de kapper is shorter and more conversational. It sounds natural, but it is less explicit than those longer versions.

Yes. It is in the present tense:

• kamt = combs / is combing
• glimlacht = smiles / is smiling

Dutch often uses the present tense to describe actions in a simple, vivid way, especially in examples, stories, or descriptions of routines.

So even though one action follows another, the present tense is completely normal here.