Die laaikas kan deur die gang ingedra word.

Afrikaans often splits verb parts across the sentence.

Here is the structure:

• Die laaikas = the subject
• kan = the finite modal verb, which goes in second position in a main clause
• deur die gang = a prepositional phrase
• ingedra word = the rest of the verbal expression

So the pattern is roughly:

• subject + finite verb + other information + remaining verb(s)

This is very normal in Afrikaans, especially with:

• modal verbs like kan, moet, sal
• passive constructions with word

So Die laaikas kan deur die gang ingedra word is the expected word order.

Laaikas is a compound noun.

It is made up of:

• laai = drawer
• kas = cupboard / cabinet

So laaikas means something like:

• chest of drawers
• dresser
• drawer cabinet

The exact English word depends on context, but it refers to a piece of furniture with drawers.

Because Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all grammatical genders

So both of these are definite:

• die laaikas = the chest of drawers
• die gang = the hallway / corridor

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the article for gender, and unlike some other languages, it does not have separate forms like the masculine, the feminine, and so on.

Kan means can or is able to.

In this sentence, it shows possibility or ability:

• Die laaikas kan ... ingedra word = the chest of drawers can be carried in / can be brought in

It does not itself make the sentence passive. The passive meaning comes from word together with ingedra.

Here word helps form the passive.

So:

• ingedra word = be carried in / be brought in

A useful comparison:

• Hulle dra die laaikas in. = They carry the chest of drawers in.
• Die laaikas word ingedra. = The chest of drawers is being carried in.
• Die laaikas kan ingedra word. = The chest of drawers can be carried in.

So in passive constructions, word often works like English be.

Because the verb here is not just dra (carry), but indra (carry in, bring in).

The participle of dra is gedra.

When the separable prefix in- is added, you get:

• in + gedra = ingedra

So:

• dra = carry
• gedra = carried
• indra = carry in
• ingedra = carried in

That extra in- adds the idea of movement inward.

Yes. Indra is a separable verb.

That means the prefix in- can separate from the main verb in some sentence patterns.

For example:

• Hulle dra die laaikas in. = They carry the chest of drawers in.

But in participle forms, the pieces come back together:

• ingedra

This is a very common feature in Afrikaans. Other similar verbs are:

• inkom → ingekom
• uitgaan → uitgegaan
• optel → opgetel

Here deur means through.

That is because it is followed by die gang:

• deur die gang = through the hallway / through the corridor

Afrikaans deur can also mean by when it introduces the doer in a passive sentence, for example:

• Die brief is deur Jan geskryf. = The letter was written by Jan.

So deur can mean different things, and the context tells you which one is intended. In your sentence, deur die gang clearly describes movement through a place.

Gang usually means:

• hallway
• corridor
• passage

The best English choice depends on the situation, but all of those are possible translations.

So deur die gang means moving through that space.

After a modal verb such as kan, Afrikaans usually puts the participle before word in this kind of passive verb cluster.

So the normal pattern is:

• kan + participle + word

Examples:

• kan gedoen word = can be done
• kan gesien word = can be seen
• kan ingedra word = can be carried in

So kan ... ingedra word is the expected order.

Not necessarily.

Because of kan, the sentence expresses possibility or ability, not an action that is definitely happening at the moment.

So it means something like:

• it can be carried in through the hallway
• it is possible to carry it in through the hallway

Without kan, the sentence would be closer to an actual passive event:

• Die laaikas word deur die gang ingedra. = The chest of drawers is being carried in through the hallway.

You could, but the meaning would change slightly.

• gedra word = be carried
• ingedra word = be carried in / be brought in

The in- adds the idea of inward movement. In English, that idea is sometimes translated clearly and sometimes left implicit depending on context.

So ingedra is more specific than gedra.

Afrikaans usually uses a double nie.

So the negative version is:

• Die laaikas kan nie deur die gang ingedra word nie.

Pattern:

• first nie after the finite verb area
• second nie at the end of the clause

This is one of the most important basic patterns in Afrikaans negation.

An active version would name the person or people doing the carrying.

For example:

• Hulle kan die laaikas deur die gang indra. = They can carry the chest of drawers through the hallway.

Compare the two:

• Die laaikas kan deur die gang ingedra word. = passive; focus on the chest of drawers
• Hulle kan die laaikas deur die gang indra. = active; focus on the people doing it

So the passive is used when the object is more important than the doer, or when the doer is unknown or not mentioned.