Dit is 'n openbare vergadering.

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

In speech, it is usually pronounced as a very short neutral vowel, like uh /ə/. So:

Dit is 'n openbare vergadering.
sounds roughly like: Dit is uh openbare vergadering.

A very important spelling rule: 'n is always written with an apostrophe and a lowercase n, even at the start of a sentence. If a sentence begins with it, the next word is capitalized instead:

'n Openbare vergadering begin om agtuur.

Yes. Dit is usually means It is or This is, depending on context.

• dit = it / this
• is = is

In this sentence, Dit is 'n openbare vergadering means something like This is a public meeting or It is a public meeting.

In everyday speech, people often contract dit is to dis:

• Dit is 'n openbare vergadering.
• Dis 'n openbare vergadering.

Both are common, but dit is is the fuller form.

That -e is the attributive adjective ending. In Afrikaans, when an adjective comes before a noun, it often takes an -e ending.

So:

• openbaar = public
• 'n openbare vergadering = a public meeting

This is different from English, where adjectives do not change form before nouns.

A useful contrast:

• Die vergadering is openbaar. = The meeting is public.
  Here the adjective comes after is, so it is usually openbaar.
• 'n openbare vergadering = a public meeting
  Here it comes before the noun, so it becomes openbare.

Yes, but it takes some practice because the system is not exactly the same in every case.

A good beginner rule is:

• When the adjective comes before the noun, it often takes -e.
• When it comes after the verb like is, it usually stays in the base form.

Examples:

• 'n openbare vergadering = a public meeting
• Die vergadering is openbaar. = The meeting is public.

Another example:

• 'n groot huis = a big house
• Die huis is groot. = The house is big.

So the sentence is a good example of an adjective used before the noun.

Vergadering is a noun meaning meeting.

It is built from the verb vergader, which means to meet or to hold a meeting.

So:

• vergader = to meet / to assemble
• vergadering = meeting

This -ing ending is common in Afrikaans for making nouns from verbs, much like English sometimes does with -ing or other noun-forming endings.

Because this is a very basic main clause in Afrikaans, and in simple statements the word order is often similar to English:

• Dit = subject
• is = verb
• 'n openbare vergadering = complement

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + complement

That gives:

Dit is 'n openbare vergadering.

Afrikaans and English are both Germanic languages, so in straightforward sentences like this, the structure can look very familiar.

Afrikaans normally uses a double negative with nie ... nie.

So:

Dit is nie 'n openbare vergadering nie.
= It is not a public meeting.

The first nie usually comes after the verb, and the second nie goes near the end of the clause.

This is one of the most important grammar patterns in Afrikaans.

In Afrikaans, yes/no questions usually change the word order so that the verb comes first.

Statement:
Dit is 'n openbare vergadering.

Question:
Is dit 'n openbare vergadering?
= Is this a public meeting?

So Afrikaans often forms questions in a way that is very similar to English.

Yes, publieke can also mean public, but openbare vergadering is a very common and natural phrase for public meeting.

In many contexts:

• openbaar / openbare often has the sense of public, open to the public, not private
• publiek / publieke can also mean public, but sometimes feels slightly more like relating to the public

For this sentence, openbare vergadering is a very standard choice.

A rough guide is:

openbare → OH-puhn-baa-ruh

More carefully, Afrikaans pronunciation is closer to:
/ˈoːpənbɑːrə/

A few points:

• o is usually a clear long oh
• e in the middle can sound like a short neutral vowel
• the r is pronounced, but the exact sound varies by speaker
• the final -e is usually a light vowel sound, like uh

You do not need a perfect accent right away; being consistent and clear matters more.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

vergadering → fer-GAA-duh-ring

A more careful approximation is:
/fərˈχɑːdərɪŋ/ in some accents, though pronunciation varies.

A few useful notes:

• The first syllable ver- is usually reduced, like fer-
• The g in Afrikaans is often a throat sound, not the English g
• The stressed part is usually -ga-

If the Afrikaans g is difficult, that is very normal for beginners.

The Afrikaans g is usually not like the English g in go. It is often a throaty sound, similar to the ch in some pronunciations of Scottish loch or German Bach.

In this sentence, you hear it in:

• vergadering

For learners, this sound can be challenging. The good news is: you do not need to perfect it immediately to be understood. It is better to:

1. learn where the sound occurs,
2. try to make it gently in the throat,
3. improve it over time.

Native speakers will usually still understand you if the rest of your pronunciation is clear.

Yes, often it can. Afrikaans dit can cover both it and this in many basic sentences, depending on context.

So:

Dit is 'n openbare vergadering.

could mean:

• It is a public meeting
• This is a public meeting

If you are pointing something out, English might prefer this. If you are just describing something already mentioned, English might prefer it. Afrikaans often still uses dit in both situations.

It is completely normal and natural, and it works in both neutral written Afrikaans and everyday speech.

In casual speech, someone might say:

Dis 'n openbare vergadering.

That is just a spoken-style contraction of Dit is, not a different meaning. So the full sentence is standard, and the contracted version is very common in conversation.