Die kamer lyk skoon deurdat ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het.

Deurdat introduces a cause or explanation, often with a slight sense of through the fact that or as a result of the fact that.

So in this sentence, it links the result in the main clause to the action in the second clause.

Compared with omdat, deurdat can sound a bit more focused on the way something came about, not just the reason in a neutral sense.

For example:

• omdat = because
• deurdat = because / through the fact that / by virtue of the fact that

In practice, learners should know that deurdat is correct here, but it is somewhat more formal or written than the most everyday option.

Yes, in many contexts you could say omdat instead.

• Die kamer lyk skoon omdat ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het.

That would sound very natural and straightforward.

The difference is mainly one of nuance and style:

• omdat gives a plain reason
• deurdat highlights that the result came about through that action

So deurdat is not wrong at all, but it can feel a little more formal or explanatory.

Because deurdat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans, subordinate clauses usually send the finite verb to the end.

Main clause:

• Ons het die onderlaag egalig aangewend.

Subordinate clause after deurdat:

• ... deurdat ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het.

That final het is completely normal in Afrikaans subordinate-clause word order.

This is another effect of subordinate-clause word order.

In a normal main clause, Afrikaans usually has:

• subject + finite verb + rest + participle

So:

• Ons het die onderlaag egalig aangewend.

But in a subordinate clause introduced by deurdat, the verb cluster goes to the end:

• ... ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het.

So the order changes because of grammar, not because the tense changes.

The verb is aanwend, meaning to apply or to use.

Its perfect form is:

• het aangewend

This is the usual past/completed-action pattern in Afrikaans:

• het
  • past participle

Because aanwend is a separable verb, its past participle gets ge- inserted after the prefix:

• aan + ge + wend → aangewend

This is similar to other Afrikaans separable verbs.

Afrikaans usually prefers the perfect tense for completed past actions, especially in everyday language.

So where English might use a simple past like we applied, Afrikaans often uses:

• ons het ... aangewend

That is one of the biggest differences English speakers notice.

Afrikaans does have a simple past in a few verbs, especially wees, hê, kan, moet, and in more formal storytelling styles, but for most ordinary verbs the perfect tense is the normal choice.

Onderlaag is a compound noun:

• onder = under
• laag = layer

Together, onderlaag means something like undercoat, base layer, or primer, depending on context.

Afrikaans often forms nouns by joining smaller words into one compound word, so seeing a long single word like this is very normal.

Because egalig is an adverb here, and it modifies the verb phrase aangewend het.

It tells you how the undercoat was applied: evenly.

In Afrikaans, adverbs commonly appear before the participle or near the verb phrase:

• ons het die onderlaag egalig aangewend
• ... ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het

So this placement is natural and standard.

Because lyk is a linking verb here, like English looks in looks clean.

After linking verbs such as is, bly, word, lyk, Afrikaans uses a predicate adjective:

• Die kamer is skoon.
• Die kamer lyk skoon.

So skoon is not describing the noun directly before it; instead, it describes the subject through the linking verb lyk.

Because skoon is being used predicatively, not directly before a noun.

Compare:

• Die kamer is skoon.
• Die kamer lyk skoon.

Here, skoon stays unchanged.

But when an adjective comes directly before a noun, Afrikaans often adds an ending:

• 'n skoon kamer

So the lack of an ending here is normal, because skoon comes after lyk.

It is grammatical and understandable, but it leans a little toward a more formal or written style because of deurdat.

A more everyday version might be:

• Die kamer lyk skoon omdat ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het.

Another possible structure would be:

• Die kamer lyk skoon deur die onderlaag egalig aan te wend.

That said, the original sentence is still perfectly good Afrikaans. It just sounds a bit more deliberate or explanatory than the most conversational option.

Yes, often you can.

For example:

• Die kamer lyk skoon deur die onderlaag egalig aan te wend.

This uses deur plus an infinitive construction instead of deurdat plus a full clause.

The difference is:

• deurdat
  • full clause
    
    • deurdat ons die onderlaag egalig aangewend het
• deur
  • infinitive phrase
    
    • deur die onderlaag egalig aan te wend

The deurdat version is useful when you want a full clause with its own subject, such as ons. The deur version is often more compact.