Die besluit het 'n groot invloed.

Here, die means the. So Die besluit means the decision.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans uses die for both singular and plural definite nouns:

• die besluit = the decision
• die besluite = the decisions

Because they do different jobs:

• die = the for something definite or specific
• 'n = a / an for something indefinite or nonspecific

So:

• Die besluit = the decision → a specific decision
• 'n groot invloed = a great influence → not a specific named influence, just one influence

This is very similar to English: The decision has a great influence.

It is a noun here, meaning decision.

Afrikaans besluit can also be a verb meaning decide, but in this sentence it is clearly a noun because it comes after die and functions as the subject:

• Die besluit = The decision

Hê is the dictionary form, meaning to have. In an actual sentence, the present-tense form is het:

• ek het = I have
• jy het = you have
• hy/sy het = he/she has

So Die besluit het ... means The decision has ...

Here, het is the main verb and means has.

That matters because het can also be used as an auxiliary in perfect tense sentences, for example:

• Hy het besluit = He decided / He has decided

But in Die besluit het 'n groot invloed, het does not help another verb. It simply means has.

'n is the indefinite article, meaning a / an.

It is pronounced as a very weak uh sound, like the a in about. It is usually not stressed.

It is also written in a special way:

• with an apostrophe: 'n
• usually not capitalized, even at the beginning of a sentence

So at the start of a sentence you would normally write:

• 'n Groot invloed ...

not 'N Groot invloed ...

Groot comes before invloed because adjectives normally come before nouns in Afrikaans, just as they do in English:

• groot invloed = great influence

Yes, groot can mean big, great, or large, depending on context. With an abstract noun like invloed, English usually prefers great or major rather than big.

Yes. Invloed is a cognate of English influence, so it is easy to recognize.

In this sentence it is a noun:

• 'n groot invloed = a great influence

Afrikaans also has a related verb, beïnvloed, meaning to influence.

So a sentence with a similar meaning could be:

• Die besluit beïnvloed baie.
• The decision influences a lot / has a strong effect.

You would say:

Die besluit het nie 'n groot invloed nie.

Afrikaans usually uses double negation:

• one nie after the verb or the part being negated
• another nie at the end of the clause

So the pattern is often:

• ... nie ... nie

That is one of the most important differences from English.