Die leerlingbestuurder wissel ratte met die rathefboom.

Yes. Die here is the definite article, so it means the.

In Afrikaans, die is used for the with singular and plural nouns:

• die leerlingbestuurder = the learner driver
• die rathefboom = the gear lever
• die ratte = the gears

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the word for gender, so you do not get different forms like the for masculine/feminine/neuter nouns. It is simply die.

Leerlingbestuurder is a compound noun. It is made up of:

• leerling = learner / pupil
• bestuurder = driver

Together, leerlingbestuurder means learner driver.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, often writes compound nouns as a single word where English would usually use two words. So:

• leerlingbestuurder = learner driver
• rathefboom = gear lever

This is very normal in Afrikaans.

Wissel means change or switch.

In this sentence, wissel ratte means change gears or shift gears.

So the verb is being used in a practical driving sense. You may also see wissel in other contexts, for example:

• geld wissel = exchange money
• van plek wissel = change places

Here, though, it specifically refers to shifting gears in a vehicle.

The singular noun is rat, meaning gear.

Its plural is ratte, meaning gears.

Many Afrikaans nouns form the plural with -e or -te, and sometimes the final consonant is doubled in spelling before the plural ending. So:

• rat → ratte

This is just the normal plural form you need to learn for this word.

Met means with.

So:

• met die rathefboom = with the gear lever

It shows the instrument or means by which the action is done. In other words, the learner driver changes gears with the gear lever.

Rathefboom means gear lever or gear stick.

It is another compound noun:

• rat = gear
• hefboom = lever

So literally it is something like gear-lever.

This is a good example of how Afrikaans builds vocabulary through compounds.

Yes, this sentence uses a very familiar word order for English speakers:

subject + verb + object + prepositional phrase

So:

• Die leerlingbestuurder = subject
• wissel = verb
• ratte = object
• met die rathefboom = prepositional phrase

That makes the structure quite close to English:

• The learner driver changes gears with the gear lever.

Afrikaans often looks very English-like in simple main clauses.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form according to the subject in the present tense.

So you get:

• ek wissel = I change
• jy wissel = you change
• hy wissel = he changes
• ons wissel = we change

This is much simpler than English, where you have I change but he changes. In Afrikaans, the verb form usually stays the same.

Yes, leerlingbestuurder is a normal, understandable word for learner driver.

Because Afrikaans likes compounds, this kind of formation is very natural. Depending on context, speakers might also use other expressions, but leerlingbestuurder is straightforward and clear.

For a learner, the important thing is to recognize:

• leerling = learner
• bestuurder = driver

It would be:

Die leerlingbestuurders wissel ratte met die rathefboom.

Notice what changes:

• leerlingbestuurder → leerlingbestuurders for the plural
• die stays die
• wissel stays wissel

So Afrikaans keeps things quite simple:

• article stays the same
• verb stays the same
• only the noun changes to plural

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• leerlingbestuurder ≈ LEER-ling buh-STYUR-der
• rathefboom ≈ RAHT-hef-boom

A few helpful notes:

• ee in leer is a long vowel, somewhat like air or ay, depending on accent.
• uu in bestuurder is not an English sound exactly; it is similar to the Dutch/German-type rounded vowel. English speakers usually need practice with it.
• r in Afrikaans is often rolled or tapped more than in English, depending on the speaker.
• boom sounds like bohm, not like English boom with the same exact vowel quality.

If you are learning pronunciation, it is especially useful to hear native audio for words with uu and long compounds like leerlingbestuurder.