Mijn werkplek is klein, maar mijn laptop en toetsenbord liggen netjes op het bureau.

Because Dutch usually writes compound nouns as a single word.

• werk = work
• plek = place/spot

So werkplek literally means workplace or workspace. This is very common in Dutch:

• slaapkamer = bedroom
• toetsenbord = keyboard
• huisdeur = front door/house door

English often separates or hyphenates things that Dutch writes together.

Because klein is a predicate adjective here: it comes after the verb is.

In Dutch, predicate adjectives normally do not take the -e ending.

• Mijn werkplek is klein.
• Het bureau is groot.

But before a noun, you usually do add -e:

• mijn kleine werkplek
• het grote bureau

So:

• is klein = is small
• een kleine werkplek = a small workspace

Because they do different jobs.

• is is the verb zijn = to be
• liggen literally means to lie, but in Dutch it is also commonly used for the location of things

Dutch often uses position verbs where English just uses to be:

• liggen = lie / be lying
• staan = stand / be standing
• zitten = sit / be situated
• hangen = hang

So instead of just saying my laptop and keyboard are on the desk, Dutch naturally says they lie on the desk: liggen op het bureau.

Because the subject is plural: mijn laptop en toetsenbord refers to two things together.

• singular: Mijn laptop ligt op het bureau.
• plural: Mijn laptop en toetsenbord liggen op het bureau.

So the verb has to agree with a plural subject.

Yes. In Dutch, one possessive can apply to both nouns if they belong together and the meaning is clear.

So:

• mijn laptop en toetsenbord = my laptop and keyboard

You could also say:

• mijn laptop en mijn toetsenbord

But that is a bit heavier and usually only used for extra emphasis or clarity.

There are two instances of mijn in the whole sentence because each clause has its own subject:

• Mijn werkplek
• mijn laptop en toetsenbord

Here netjes means something like:

• neatly
• tidily
• in an orderly way

So liggen netjes op het bureau suggests they are placed in a tidy, organized way.

This word is very common in everyday Dutch. It can sometimes sound slightly softer or more natural than a direct English-style word-for-word choice.

Compare:

• Een nette werkplek = a tidy workspace
• De spullen liggen netjes op het bureau = the items are lying neatly on the desk

Because netjes is functioning adverbially here: it describes how they are lying.

• liggen netjes = lie neatly

But nette is an adjective form used before a noun:

• een nette werkplek = a tidy workspace
• een net toetsenbord = a neat keyboard

So:

• nette modifies a noun
• netjes modifies the verb phrase here

Because maar is a coordinating conjunction. It links two main clauses and does not change the normal main-clause word order.

Dutch main clauses usually follow verb-second order:

• Mijn werkplek is klein
• mijn laptop en toetsenbord liggen netjes op het bureau

After maar, the second clause is still a normal main clause, so the finite verb stays in second position:

• maar
  • subject
    • verb
      • rest

If another element came first, inversion would happen:

• Maar op het bureau liggen mijn laptop en toetsenbord.

That is grammatical, but less neutral here.

Because op means on, and a desk is treated as a surface.

So:

• op het bureau = on the desk

Also, in standard Dutch, bureau is a het-word, so:

• het bureau
• op het bureau

A useful note: bureau can mean desk or office, depending on context. In this sentence, it clearly means desk.

Sometimes, yes, depending on how you imagine the object.

Dutch position verbs are based on how something is positioned:

• liggen for things lying flat or resting horizontally
• staan for things standing upright

A keyboard almost always ligt on a desk. A laptop can be:

• ligt if you think of it as lying flat
• staat if it is open/upright and you think of it as standing

Because the sentence mentions laptop en toetsenbord together as desk items, liggen sounds very natural.

Because maar adds contrast.

The sentence sets up this idea:

• the workspace is small,
• but the laptop and keyboard are neatly arranged on the desk.

So maar highlights that the second fact contrasts with or softens the first. A small workspace might sound negative, but the second clause shows it is still tidy and organized.

If you used en, it would just join the two facts without that contrast.