Die sonsambreel gee skaduwee.

Die usually means the in Afrikaans.

So Die sonsambreel means The sun umbrella or The parasol.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans does not have different words for the depending on gender, because Afrikaans nouns do not have grammatical gender the way German does. Die is the normal definite article.

It is also used with plural nouns, so context tells you whether it is singular or plural.

Afrikaans very often forms compound nouns by joining words together into a single word.

So:

• son = sun
• sambreel = umbrella
• sonsambreel = sun umbrella / parasol

This is very common in Afrikaans and also happens a lot in Dutch and German. English sometimes writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans often prefers one compound word.

Literally, it is sun umbrella:

• son = sun
• sambreel = umbrella

So the word describes an umbrella used against the sun rather than rain. In natural English, this is often translated as parasol, sun umbrella, or sometimes beach umbrella, depending on context.

Gee means give.

In this sentence, gee skaduwee literally means gives shade.

So the whole sentence is literally:

The sun umbrella gives shade.

Afrikaans often uses gee in exactly this kind of way, just like English uses give in expressions such as give shade, give help, and so on.

Gee is in the present tense.

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs because they usually do not change form depending on the subject.

So you get:

• ek gee = I give
• jy gee = you give
• hy/sy gee = he/she gives
• ons gee = we give

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not add -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

That is why it is Die sonsambreel gee ..., not something like gees.

Because skaduwee is being used here in a general, uncountable sense: shade.

In English, we also usually say:

• It gives shade

not

• It gives a shade

So Afrikaans works similarly here.

If you are talking about shade in a general sense, you normally just use skaduwee without an indefinite article.

Skaduwee can relate to both shade and shadow, depending on context.

In this sentence, shade is the best translation because a sonsambreel protects you from the sun.

So here:

• gee skaduwee = gives shade

If the context were about a dark shape cast by something, English might prefer shadow, but here shade is definitely the natural meaning.

No, this is the normal basic word order in a main clause:

Subject + verb + object

• Die sonsambreel = subject
• gee = verb
• skaduwee = object

So the structure is very close to English:

The sun umbrella gives shade.

This makes simple Afrikaans statements fairly easy for English speakers to follow.

Gee is pronounced roughly like kheh or gheh, with the typical Afrikaans g sound, which is much harsher than the English g.

A few pronunciation notes:

• The g in Afrikaans is usually a guttural sound made at the back of the throat.
• The ee here is not like English see.
• It is closer to a long eh-type sound in standard pronunciation.

Pronunciation can vary somewhat by accent, but the main thing for learners is that g is not the soft English sound in giant, and not usually the hard English sound in go either.

Yes, it is perfectly natural and grammatical.

Die sonsambreel gee skaduwee is a simple, straightforward sentence that sounds normal in Afrikaans.

Depending on context, a speaker might also say something like:

• Die sonsambreel maak skaduwee. = The sun umbrella makes shade.
• Die sonsambreel sorg vir skaduwee. = The sun umbrella provides shade.

But gee skaduwee is absolutely fine and easy to understand.

You would make sonsambreel plural:

• Die sonsambrele gee skaduwee. = The sun umbrellas give shade.

A couple of things to notice:

• sonsambreel → sonsambrele
• gee stays gee

Again, the verb does not change for plural subjects in the present tense, which is one of the simpler features of Afrikaans grammar.