Die waterkan bevat drinkwater.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, so here it means the.

It is not pronounced like the English verb die. In Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced roughly like dee.

A useful point for English speakers: Afrikaans does not have different forms like the for gender. The same article die is used with all nouns in this kind of sentence.

Afrikaans very often writes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• water = water
• kan = jug / can
• waterkan = water jug

This is very common in Afrikaans, and it is something English speakers need to get used to, because English often writes similar ideas as two words, while Afrikaans joins them.

Other similar examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• skooltas = school bag

Bevat means contains.

It is a perfectly normal and correct word, but it can sound a little more formal or precise than some alternatives in everyday speech.

In casual Afrikaans, people might also say:

• Die waterkan het drinkwater. = The water jug has drinking water.
• Daar is drinkwater in die waterkan. = There is drinking water in the jug.

So bevat is natural, but it has a slightly more formal or descriptive feel than het.

For the same reason as waterkan: Afrikaans likes to form compound words.

• drink = drink
• water = water
• drinkwater = drinking water / potable water

In Afrikaans, this idea is normally written as one word. English often uses two words where Afrikaans uses one.

This is the normal main clause word order in Afrikaans:

subject + verb + rest

So:

• Die waterkan = subject
• bevat = verb
• drinkwater = object

This is very similar to ordinary English word order:

• The water jug contains drinking water

So for this sentence, the structure is straightforward and familiar to an English speaker.

No. One of the nice things about Afrikaans is that verbs usually do not change much for person or number in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek bevat — although this would be unusual in meaning
• Jy bevat
• Hy bevat
• Ons bevat
• Hulle bevat

In practice, with a verb like bevat, you would mostly see it with things such as containers, texts, reports, ingredients, and so on. The important grammar point is that the verb form stays the same.

This is much simpler than English, where you have I contain but it contains.

No. Afrikaans does not capitalize all nouns.

So:

• waterkan is lowercase
• drinkwater is lowercase

You only capitalize when normal spelling rules require it, such as at the beginning of a sentence or with proper names.

That means:

• Die waterkan bevat drinkwater. but
• Jan drink water.

Yes, both are possible, but the meaning becomes less specific.

• Die kan bevat water = The jug/can contains water
• Die waterkan bevat water = The water jug contains water
• Die waterkan bevat drinkwater = The water jug contains drinking water

Using drinkwater tells you the water is specifically meant for drinking, not just any water.

Also, kan by itself can mean different kinds of container depending on context, while waterkan is more specific.

Yes, there is a small nuance.

• drinkwater is the normal noun for drinking water
• drinkbare water means drinkable water or potable water

So:

• drinkwater names the type of water
• drinkbare describes the water as safe or suitable to drink

In many contexts they are close in meaning, but they are not always identical in tone.

The plural of waterkan is normally waterkanne.

So:

• Die waterkan bevat drinkwater. = The water jug contains drinking water.
• Die waterkanne bevat drinkwater. = The water jugs contain drinking water.

Notice that:

• die stays the same
• bevat stays the same
• only the noun changes to the plural form

That is another way Afrikaans is simpler than English.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

dee VAH-ter-kun buh-FUT DRUNK-vah-ter

A few helpful notes:

• Die sounds roughly like dee
• water in Afrikaans is not exactly like English water
• bevat has stress on the second part: be-FAT or buh-FUT, depending on accent
• drinkwater is said as one word

Pronunciation varies a bit by speaker and region, but that rough guide will help you get close.

It is grammatical and natural, but it does sound a bit neat or textbook-like because of bevat.

In everyday speech, many speakers might prefer:

• Daar is drinkwater in die waterkan.
• Die waterkan het drinkwater in.

But Die waterkan bevat drinkwater is still good Afrikaans. It is the kind of sentence you might see in a description, instruction, label, or simple learner material.