Noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is, gebruik ons die waaier binnenshuis.

Noudat means now that. It is a conjunction that introduces a reason or new situation that affects what happens in the main clause.

It is written as one word in Afrikaans:

• nou = now
• dat = that

So Noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is means Now that there is a heat warning.

In this sentence, daar means there in the sense of there is / there are.

So:

• daar is = there is
• daar was = there was

That means:

• daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is = there is a heat warning

This is very common in Afrikaans when introducing the existence of something.

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

Compare:

• Main clause: Daar is 'n hittewaarskuwing.
• Subordinate clause: ... noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is.

So the final is is normal Afrikaans word order after conjunctions like:

• dat = that
• omdat = because
• as = if/when
• terwyl = while
• noudat = now that

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

So:

• 'n hittewaarskuwing = a heat warning

A few useful things to know:

• It is written 'n, with an apostrophe before the n
• It is usually pronounced as a weak vowel sound, not like the English letter name en
• It stays lowercase even in places where English might capitalize

Yes. Afrikaans often makes compound nouns by joining words together.

So:

• hitte = heat
• waarskuwing = warning
• hittewaarskuwing = heat warning

This is very typical in Afrikaans and Dutch-related languages. English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans often combines them into one.

Because the sentence starts with another element: the subordinate clause Noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is.

In Afrikaans main clauses, the finite verb normally comes in the second position. When something other than the subject comes first, the verb comes before the subject.

So:

• Normal order: Ons gebruik die waaier binnenshuis.
• After a fronted clause: Noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is, gebruik ons die waaier binnenshuis.

This is called inversion.

Gebruik means use here.

So:

• gebruik ons = we use

It is the present tense form, and Afrikaans verbs do not change as much as English verbs do. The same form is used with different subjects in the present tense:

• ek gebruik
• jy gebruik
• ons gebruik
• hulle gebruik

Die is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• die waaier = the fan
• 'n waaier = a fan

Using die suggests a specific fan, probably one already known from the situation or context. English does the same thing:

• We use the fan indoors sounds like a particular fan
• We use a fan indoors sounds more general

Here, waaier means fan, as in an electric fan used to move air.

It can also have other meanings in other contexts, but in this sentence, because of hittewaarskuwing and binnenshuis, the meaning is clearly the household fan.

Binnenshuis means indoors or inside the house.

It is an adverb describing where the action happens:

• gebruik ons die waaier binnenshuis = we use the fan indoors

It is related to:

• binne = inside
• huis = house/home

So the idea is literally something like inside the house.

Yes, Afrikaans allows some flexibility with adverbs like binnenshuis, although some positions sound more natural than others.

For example:

• Ons gebruik die waaier binnenshuis.
• Binnenshuis gebruik ons die waaier.

In your sentence, putting binnenshuis at the end sounds very natural because it adds the location after the object.

Yes. You could also say:

Ons gebruik die waaier binnenshuis noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is.

That still means the same thing. The difference is mainly emphasis:

• Starting with Noudat ... highlights the reason or situation first
• Starting with Ons gebruik ... highlights the action first

Both are natural, but when the Noudat clause comes first, you get the inversion gebruik ons.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Noudat daar 'n hittewaarskuwing is, = subordinate clause
• gebruik ons die waaier binnenshuis. = main clause

This helps the sentence read clearly and is standard punctuation in Afrikaans when a subordinate clause comes first.