Sy verklaar die probleem.

Here Sy means she.

In Afrikaans, sy can also mean his in other contexts, so learners sometimes get confused. In this sentence, though, it is clearly the subject pronoun she, because it comes before the verb verklaar.

So the structure is:

Sy = she

It is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

If the word appeared later in the sentence, it would normally be written sy, not Sy.

For example:

Ek dink sy verklaar die probleem. = I think she explains the problem.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

That means you get:

Ek verklaar = I explain
Jy verklaar = you explain
Sy verklaar = she explains
Ons verklaar = we explain

This is much simpler than English, where you have I explain but she explains.

Die means the.

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for both singular and plural nouns, and it does not change for gender.

So:

die probleem = the problem
die probleme = the problems

Unlike English, you do not need different forms like the for different genders or cases.

The word order is the normal main-clause pattern:

subject + verb + object

So here:

Sy = subject
verklaar = verb
die probleem = object

This is very similar to standard English word order:

She explains the problem.

Not always. Verklaar can have a few related meanings depending on context, such as explain, declare, or state.

With die probleem, it often feels like explains the problem or states the problem clearly.

In everyday Afrikaans, verduidelik is also very common for explain, so learners may see both verbs.

Because verklaar here is a finite verb, not an infinitive.

This sentence is a complete present-tense statement, so Afrikaans simply uses the verb directly:

Sy verklaar die probleem. = She explains the problem.

You would only expect te in other structures, not in a simple main clause like this.

It is singular: the problem.

The plural is probleme:

die probleem = the problem
die probleme = the problems

So if you wanted She explains the problems, you would say:

Sy verklaar die probleme.

No, not in the way languages like German or French do.

The noun probleem does not require a special masculine, feminine, or neuter article. Afrikaans uses die for the, regardless of gender.

That is one reason Afrikaans articles are often easier for English speakers to learn.

You would normally say:

Sy verklaar nie die probleem nie.

Afrikaans commonly uses a double nie in negative sentences. That is a very important pattern to learn.

So:

Sy verklaar die probleem. = She explains the problem.
Sy verklaar nie die probleem nie. = She does not explain the problem.

Not in this sentence.

Here sy is the subject pronoun she. If you want her as an object, Afrikaans usually uses haar.

For example:

Ek sien haar. = I see her.

So:

sy = she
haar = her

That distinction is useful to remember early on.