Hulle slaan die tent af voordat hulle vertrek.

On its own, slaan often does mean hit, strike, or beat. But in this sentence, slaan ... af is a separable verb: afslaan.

In the camping context, 'n tent afslaan means to take down a tent or to strike a tent.

So the meaning comes from the whole expression, not just from slaan by itself. This is similar to English phrasal verbs, where the full meaning is not always predictable from the individual parts.

Because afslaan is a separable verb.

In a normal main clause, Afrikaans usually puts the finite verb early in the sentence, and the separable prefix or particle goes to the end:

• Hulle slaan die tent af.

But when the verb is used as an infinitive or past participle, it is written together:

• om die tent af te slaan
• Hulle het die tent afgeslaan.

So in your sentence, slaan and af belong together in meaning, even though they are split apart in the sentence.

That is the normal word order with a separable verb in a main clause.

Pattern:

• subject + finite verb + object + particle

So:

• Hulle = subject
• slaan = finite verb
• die tent = object
• af = separable particle

This is actually quite similar to English:

• They take the tent down.

English can also split a verb-like expression around the object, so this structure often feels fairly natural to English speakers.

Voordat means before when it introduces a clause.

So:

• voordat hulle vertrek = before they leave

It links the two actions in time:

1. they take down the tent
2. then they leave

So voordat introduces the action that happens later as the reference point.

Because there are two clauses, and each clause needs its own subject.

• Hulle slaan die tent af = main clause
• voordat hulle vertrek = subordinate clause

In both clauses, the subject is they, so hulle appears twice.

Afrikaans does not normally leave out subject pronouns the way some languages do. If the subject is needed in each clause, it is usually stated.

Also, hulle is the same form for they and them, so Afrikaans does not change the pronoun form the way English does.

In standard Afrikaans, you normally do not put a comma before a subordinate clause like this when it comes after the main clause.

So this is normal:

• Hulle slaan die tent af voordat hulle vertrek.

If the voordat clause comes first, then you do use a comma after it:

• Voordat hulle vertrek, slaan hulle die tent af.

So the punctuation depends on where the subordinate clause is placed.

Yes, both slaan and vertrek are in the present tense, but Afrikaans often uses the present tense for:

• habitual actions
• general instructions
• planned or expected future actions

So this sentence can mean something like:

• They take down the tent before they leave
• They are taking down the tent before they leave
• They will take down the tent before they leave

The exact time sense depends on context.

Vertrek means leave or depart.

It is not exactly the same as gaan:

• gaan = go
• vertrek = leave / depart

So vertrek focuses on the act of setting off from a place.

In this sentence, vertrek is a very natural choice because it suggests leaving camp and heading off.

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for the.

Unlike English learners of languages such as German or Dutch, you do not have to learn different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns here. Afrikaans does not change the for grammatical gender in this way.

So:

• die tent = the tent

It is simple and stays the same across nouns in ordinary use.