Ek is hiervan bewus.

A simple breakdown is:

• Ek = I
• is = am
• hiervan = of this
• bewus = aware

So the structure is basically I am of-this aware, even though natural English says I am aware of this.

Hiervan is a pronominal adverb built from hier- + van.

• hier- points to something near or just mentioned: this
• van often means of or from

In this sentence, because bewus goes with van, hiervan means of this.

So:

• hiervan = of this
• daarvan = of that / of it

Afrikaans often prefers forms like hiervan, daarvan, hieroor, daarmee, etc. when referring to things, ideas, or situations.

So hiervan is usually more natural than van dit here.

A useful rule of thumb:

• for things/ideas: often use hiervan / daarvan
• for people: use normal preposition + pronoun, such as van hom, van haar, van hulle

You may sometimes hear van dit, but hiervan is the more idiomatic choice in this sentence.

Bewus is an adjective meaning aware or sometimes conscious.

In Ek is hiervan bewus, it is used predicatively, meaning it comes after is:

• Hy is moeg = He is tired
• Ek is bewus = I am aware

A very common pattern is:

• bewus van iets = aware of something

So this sentence follows that pattern exactly.

With short forms like hiervan and daarvan, Afrikaans very often places them before the adjective or participle they belong with.

So Ek is hiervan bewus is a very normal and idiomatic way to say it.

You may also come across Ek is bewus hiervan, which can be understood, but the given version sounds especially natural in careful, standard Afrikaans.

So for a learner, Ek is hiervan bewus is a very good model to copy.

Because is is the present-tense form used with all persons of wees in standard Afrikaans:

• Ek is = I am
• Jy is = you are
• Hy is = he is
• Ons is = we are
• Hulle is = they are

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change this form to am/are/is. It just uses is.

It is perfectly natural and correct, but it can sound a bit more formal or careful than some everyday alternatives.

A more conversational way might be:

• Ek weet daarvan = I know about it

But that is not always exactly the same in tone. Bewus suggests being aware, sometimes in a slightly more deliberate or formal sense.

So:

• Ek is hiervan bewus = correct, natural, slightly formal
• Ek weet daarvan = often more conversational

You use Afrikaans double negation:

• Ek is nie hiervan bewus nie.

That means I am not aware of this.

Notice the two nie words:

1. the first nie comes after the verb
2. the second nie comes at the end of the clause

This is a standard Afrikaans pattern.

A rough guide is:

• Ek ≈ eck
• is ≈ is
• hiervan ≈ HEER-fahn
• bewus ≈ buh-VUHS

A few helpful notes:

• In bewus, the w sounds like an English v
• The stress is usually on the second syllable of bewus
• hier sounds like English here

So the whole sentence is roughly:

eck is HEER-fahn buh-VUHS