Die konsert vind vandag plaas.

Because plaasvind is a separable verb in Afrikaans. In a main clause, the first part stays in the normal verb position, and the second part moves to the end of the clause.

So:

• Die konsert vind vandag plaas.

But in forms where the verb is not split, you can get:

• Die konsert sal vandag plaasvind.
• Om vandag plaas te vind, is gerieflik. (less common in everyday speech, but it shows the joined form)

This is similar to separable verbs in Dutch and a bit like certain verb-particle combinations in English, though the grammar is more regular in Afrikaans.

Here, plaas is not the noun meaning farm.

In plaasvind, plaas is part of the verb and contributes the idea of taking place / happening / occurring. So you should learn plaasvind as one vocabulary item, rather than trying to translate vind and plaas separately every time.

So in this sentence:

• vind ... plaas = takes place / happens

Afrikaans main clauses usually put the finite verb in the second position. Since vind is the finite verb, it comes early:

• Die konsert = first element
• vind = second-position verb
• vandag = time expression
• plaas = separated verb particle at the end

That gives:

• Die konsert vind vandag plaas.

This word order is very natural in Afrikaans.

Yes, you may hear or see that, and it is understandable. But Die konsert vind vandag plaas is usually the more natural neutral order.

Afrikaans often places time expressions like vandag before the final separated part of the verb. So for a learner, Die konsert vind vandag plaas is the safest pattern to copy.

Yes. Die is the definite article, corresponding to English the.

A very important difference from English learners’ point of view is that Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender articles like German der / die / das. The same article die is used for singular common nouns like:

• die konsert
• die boek
• die stad

And also for plural nouns:

• die konserte

So die is much simpler than the article system in many other European languages.

Because in Afrikaans, ordinary nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence or are part of a proper name.

So:

• die konsert
• ’n boek
• my vriend

This is different from German, where all nouns are capitalized. In your sentence, Die is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• Die ≈ dee
• konsert ≈ kon-SERT
• vind ≈ fint or vint with a very short vowel
• vandag ≈ fun-DAKH or van-DAKH, depending on accent
• plaas ≈ plahs

A few useful notes:

• v in Afrikaans is often pronounced close to an English f in many accents.
• aa in plaas is a long vowel.
• The g in vandag is the guttural Afrikaans sound, not an English g.

Not in meaning, even though the words are historically related.

On its own, vind in Afrikaans often means find, as in:

• Ek vind my sleutels. = I find my keys.

But in vind plaas, it forms a fixed expression meaning take place / happen.

So in this sentence, do not translate it word-for-word as finds place. Treat vind plaas as a set phrase.

Sometimes yes, but they are not always identical.

• vind plaas often sounds a bit more formal or event-focused.
• gebeur means happen and is very common in everyday speech.

For an event like a concert, vind plaas is especially natural:

• Die konsert vind vandag plaas.

You might also hear:

• Die konsert gebeur vandag.

But that often sounds less standard or less elegant for a scheduled event. vind plaas is the better choice here.

Here are the most useful versions:

Present

• Die konsert vind vandag plaas.

Past

• Die konsert het vandag plaasgevind.

Notice that in the past participle, the verb is usually written together as plaasgevind.

Future

• Die konsert sal vandag plaasvind.

In the future with sal, the full infinitive plaasvind appears together at the end.

These patterns are very helpful because they show when the verb splits and when it stays together.

Vandag means today.

It is a time word, and Afrikaans often places time expressions in a very flexible way depending on emphasis. In your sentence, vandag simply tells you when the concert takes place.

Compare:

• Die konsert vind vandag plaas. = neutral, very natural
• Vandag vind die konsert plaas. = emphasizes today
• Die konsert vind môre plaas. = changes the day to tomorrow

So vandag works much like English today, but the surrounding word order follows Afrikaans verb rules.

The key pattern is:

subject + finite verb + other information + separated verb part

Using your sentence:

• Die konsert = subject
• vind = finite verb
• vandag = time expression
• plaas = separated verb part

So the model is:

• Die vergadering vind môre plaas.
• Die fees vind in Junie plaas.
• Die wedstryd vind Saterdag plaas.

If you remember vind ... plaas as a separable expression meaning take place, you will be able to build many useful sentences.