Die leerlingbestuurder gaan die blinde kol na.

Because the verb here is the separable verb nagaan, which means something like check, inspect, or look over.

In a main clause, Afrikaans often splits separable verbs:

• gaan stays in the normal verb position
• na moves to the end

So:

• Die leerlingbestuurder gaan die blinde kol na.

is the split form of nagaan.

This is a very common pattern in Afrikaans.

No. In this sentence, gaan is not the future helper verb. It is the first part of the separable verb nagaan.

So this sentence does not mean:

• The learner driver is going to check the blind spot

It means:

• The learner driver checks / is checking the blind spot

If you wanted a future meaning, Afrikaans would usually keep nagaan together as an infinitive at the end, for example:

• Die leerlingbestuurder gaan die blinde kol nagaan.

There, the first gaan is the future helper verb, and nagaan stays together at the end.

It is a compound noun made from:

• leerling = learner / pupil
• bestuurder = driver

So leerlingbestuurder means learner driver.

Afrikaans often joins nouns into one long word, much more readily than English does. That is why learner driver becomes one word in Afrikaans.

Because they are built differently.

• leerlingbestuurder is a noun + noun compound, and Afrikaans normally writes those as one word.
• blinde kol is an adjective + noun combination:
  • blinde = blind
  • kol = spot

Adjectives usually stay separate from the noun they describe, so blinde kol is written as two words.

So the difference is:

• noun + noun → often one word
• adjective + noun → usually separate words

Because blind is being used before a noun, and Afrikaans adjectives often take an -e ending in that position.

So:

• blind = blind
• blinde kol = blind spot

This -e ending is very common when an adjective comes before a noun.

Compare:

• 'n blind persoon or blinde persoon may vary by pattern and usage, but very often you will see the adjectival -e form before nouns
• 'n blinde kol = a blind spot

For this sentence, the important thing is simply that blinde is the normal attributive form before kol.

Because both nouns are definite:

• die leerlingbestuurder = the learner driver
• die blinde kol = the blind spot

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all genders

So unlike languages with masculine/feminine/neuter article changes, Afrikaans keeps it simple: die works for all of them.

The sentence follows normal Afrikaans main-clause word order:

• Die leerlingbestuurder = subject
• gaan = finite verb
• die blinde kol = object
• na = separated particle from nagaan

So the pattern is:

Subject + finite verb + object + separated particle

That is why the sentence looks like this:

• Die leerlingbestuurder gaan die blinde kol na.

This word order is especially important with separable verbs.

Kol literally means spot, mark, or stain, depending on context.

In blinde kol, it means spot, so the full phrase means blind spot.

This is a good example of how a very ordinary word like kol can have a more specific meaning when used in a fixed expression.

No, not in a normal main clause.

Because nagaan is a separable verb, in a main clause it usually splits:

• Die leerlingbestuurder gaan die blinde kol na.

Keeping it together would sound wrong here.

However, it can stay together in other structures, especially when it is an infinitive:

• Die leerlingbestuurder wil die blinde kol nagaan.
• Die leerlingbestuurder gaan die blinde kol nagaan.

So:

• main clause with the verb as the finite verb → split it
• infinitive form at the end → keep it together

Yes. It is in the present tense.

Even though English speakers may see gaan and think of going to, here it is simply the present-tense finite part of nagaan.

So the sentence means something like:

• The learner driver checks the blind spot
• The learner driver is checking the blind spot

Which English version fits best depends on context, but grammatically the Afrikaans sentence is present tense.