Die lid sekondeer die mosie.

Because die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

In this sentence, both nouns are definite:

• die lid = the member
• die mosie = the motion

Afrikaans does not change the definite article for gender or most cases, so die is used for both nouns.

Yes. Lid means member, especially a member of a group, committee, parliament, church, club, and so on.

So die lid means the member.

A useful extra point: the plural of lid is lede, which is irregular:

• die lid = the member
• die lede = the members

Sekondeer means to second, in the formal meeting or parliamentary sense: to formally support a motion so it can proceed.

So this is not about time or seconds. It is the same idea as English to second a motion.

This word is mostly used in formal contexts such as:

• meetings
• councils
• committees
• parliamentary procedure

Yes, it behaves like a regular Afrikaans verb in the present tense.

One helpful thing about Afrikaans is that verbs usually do not change form depending on the subject in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek sekondeer
• Jy sekondeer
• Hy sekondeer
• Ons sekondeer
• Hulle sekondeer

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not add an -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

This is the normal word order for a simple main clause in Afrikaans:

subject + verb + object

So:

• Die lid = subject
• sekondeer = verb
• die mosie = object

This is very similar to standard English word order:

• The member seconds the motion

Afrikaans often uses verb-second order in main clauses, and here the subject comes first, so the verb comes next naturally.

Usually die lid means the member, so it sounds specific.

If you wanted to say a member, you would use:

• ’n lid

So compare:

• Die lid sekondeer die mosie. = The member seconds the motion.
• ’n Lid sekondeer die mosie. = A member seconds the motion.

In some contexts, die can also be used more generally, but for a learner, the safest reading here is the member.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• sekondeer ≈ seh-kon-DEER
• mosie ≈ MOH-see

And the full sentence:

• Die lid sekondeer die mosie ≈ dee lit seh-kon-DEER dee MOH-see

A few pronunciation notes:

• die in Afrikaans is usually pronounced like dee, not like English die
• d at the end of lid is often pronounced close to a t sound, so it may sound like lit
• ie in mosie sounds like ee

Yes, in this context mosie means motion, especially a formal proposal put forward in a meeting.

It is a common formal or procedural word. In everyday casual speech, people may choose different wording depending on context, but in meetings mosie is perfectly normal.

Yes, depending on the exact meaning.

• sekondeer is specifically to second a motion in formal procedure.
• ondersteun means support, which is broader and less technical.

So:

• Die lid sekondeer die mosie = the member formally seconds the motion
• Die lid ondersteun die mosie = the member supports the motion

These are close in meaning, but not always identical in a procedural setting.

One important point is that Afrikaans nouns do not have grammatical gender in the same way as languages like German or Dutch.

So you do not have to learn different forms of the for masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns. That is why both lid and mosie simply take die when definite.

This makes Afrikaans simpler for English speakers:

• die lid
• die mosie

No gender-based article changes are needed.