Die komitee behoort die mosie te bespreek.

Afrikaans follows the usual verb-second pattern in main clauses. That means the finite verb — here behoort — normally comes early in the sentence, usually in second position:

• Die komitee = subject
• behoort = finite verb
• die mosie = object
• te bespreek = infinitive phrase

The full infinitive te bespreek goes to the end of the clause. This is very common in Afrikaans when one verb is followed by another in the infinitive.

Behoort is a modal-like verb meaning something like ought to, should, or is supposed to, depending on context.

In this sentence, it expresses obligation, expectation, or what is considered proper:

• Die komitee behoort die mosie te bespreek.
• The committee ought to discuss the motion.

So behoort is the verb that carries the tense and structure of the sentence, while bespreek gives the main action.

After behoort, Afrikaans normally uses te + infinitive:

• behoort te doen
• behoort te weet
• behoort te bespreek

Here, te works much like English to in ought to discuss.

So:

• behoort = ought
• te bespreek = to discuss

This is just the standard pattern with behoort.

Because om ... te is not used after every verb. After behoort, you normally use just te + infinitive:

• behoort te bespreek
• not behoort om te bespreek

Afrikaans uses om ... te in some other structures, especially where English would often use to after certain verbs or in purpose expressions, but behoort does not need om.

No. Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form according to the subject the way English verbs sometimes do.

So you get:

• Ek behoort
• Jy behoort
• Die komitee behoort
• Hulle behoort

The form behoort stays the same. This is one of the nice simplifications in Afrikaans.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the. It is used for singular and plural nouns, and Afrikaans does not mark grammatical gender in the article.

So both of these mean the:

• die komitee = the committee
• die mosie = the motion

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not have different forms like masculine, feminine, or neuter articles here.

It is singular here: die komitee = the committee.

Even though a committee is made up of several people, the noun itself is grammatically singular. That is why the sentence treats it as one unit.

If you wanted the plural, you would usually say komitees:

• die komitees behoort die mosie te bespreek = the committees ought to discuss the motion

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Die komitee bespreek die mosie = the committee discusses / is discussing the motion
• Die komitee behoort die mosie te bespreek = the committee ought to discuss the motion

So without behoort and te, you just state the action. With behoort ... te, you add the idea of obligation, expectation, or appropriateness.

No. Behoort is usually softer than must. It is closer to should, ought to, or is supposed to.

Compare:

• Die komitee moet die mosie bespreek. = The committee must discuss the motion.
• Die komitee behoort die mosie te bespreek. = The committee should / ought to discuss the motion.

So moet is generally stronger and more direct than behoort.

Mosie is a noun, and yes, it is a normal Afrikaans word. It means motion, especially in a formal, political, parliamentary, or committee context.

It is similar to the English word because both come from the same source historically. Afrikaans has many words of this kind that look familiar to English speakers.

In a yes/no question, the finite verb usually comes first:

• Behoort die komitee die mosie te bespreek?
• Should the committee discuss the motion?

Notice that behoort moves to the front, but te bespreek still stays at the end.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• behoort ≈ buh-HOORT
• bespreek ≈ buh-SPRAYK

A few helpful notes:

• oo in behoort is a long vowel.
• ee in bespreek sounds like the vowel in say, but longer and tenser.
• The g sound is not present here, so these words are easier for English speakers than some other Afrikaans words.

These are only rough approximations, but they are a useful starting point.

Yes. Afrikaans still keeps the finite verb in second position.

For example:

• Vandag behoort die komitee die mosie te bespreek.
• Today the committee ought to discuss the motion.

Here Vandag comes first, so behoort still stays second, and the subject die komitee comes after it.

This verb-second rule is very important in Afrikaans word order.