Die weer beïnvloed die besluit.

Because die is the definite article in Afrikaans, and it is used for both the weather and the decision.

So the sentence breaks down like this:

• die weer = the weather
• beïnvloed = influences / affects
• die besluit = the decision

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not change the article for gender. You generally just use die for definite singular and plural nouns.

No. Afrikaans does not use grammatical gender the way some other European languages do.

That means:

• die weer = the weather
• die besluit = the decision

Both use the same article die, regardless of whether the noun would be masculine, feminine, or neuter in another language. This is one reason Afrikaans is often simpler for English speakers.

The word order is the normal Subject–Verb–Object pattern, just like in English.

• Die weer = subject
• beïnvloed = verb
• die besluit = object

So:

• Die weer beïnvloed die besluit
• The weather influences the decision

This is a straightforward main clause, so the verb stays in the second position after the subject.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form depending on the subject.

So you can say:

• Ek beïnvloed = I influence
• Jy beïnvloed = you influence
• Die weer beïnvloed = the weather influences
• Hulle beïnvloed = they influence

This is different from English, where we say I influence but it influences. Afrikaans keeps the same basic verb form.

The ë shows that the vowels should be pronounced in separate syllables, not blended into one.

So beïnvloed is pronounced roughly like:

• be-in-vloed

The dots over the ë are called a diaeresis. They help you see that the e and i are not forming one combined sound.

Without going too deep into pronunciation, the spelling tells you that this word has a clear break after be-.

A rough guide:

• weer sounds somewhat like English veer or fear with a v/w-like Afrikaans sound at the start, depending on accent and how closely you imitate Afrikaans pronunciation.
• besluit is roughly buh-SLUYT, where ui is a distinct Afrikaans vowel sound that does not match normal English exactly.

A few useful notes:

• weer is one syllable.
• besluit is usually stressed on the second syllable: be-SLUIT.
• The ui sound in Afrikaans can be tricky for English speakers and usually needs listening practice.

Yes. Weer can also mean again, depending on context.

For example:

• Die weer is koud = The weather is cold
• Probeer weer = Try again

In your sentence, Die weer beïnvloed die besluit, it clearly means the weather, because it follows die and functions as a noun phrase.

Here, besluit is a noun meaning decision:

• die besluit = the decision

But besluit can also be a verb meaning decide:

• Ek besluit môre = I decide tomorrow / I’ll decide tomorrow

So Afrikaans learners need to use context to tell which one it is. In your sentence, the article die makes it clear that besluit is a noun.

Yes, very often.

Depending on context, beïnvloed can be translated as:

• influence
• affect

So Die weer beïnvloed die besluit could be understood as:

• The weather influences the decision
• The weather affects the decision

Both are natural English translations, though influence is a more direct match to the Afrikaans verb.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either the simple present or a progressive form.

So:

• Die weer beïnvloed die besluit can mean The weather influences the decision
• In context, it could also be understood as The weather is influencing the decision

Afrikaans does have ways to express ongoing action, but in many ordinary sentences the simple form is enough.

Yes. In a subordinate clause, Afrikaans usually pushes the verb toward the end.

Main clause:

• Die weer beïnvloed die besluit.

Subordinate clause:

• Ek dink dat die weer die besluit beïnvloed.
• I think that the weather influences the decision.

So this sentence is useful for seeing normal main-clause order, but learners should know that Afrikaans word order changes after words like dat.

No, not exactly.

Afrikaans die is usually pronounced more like dee, not like English the.

So:

• die weer sounds roughly like dee veer/fear depending on how closely you approximate the Afrikaans w/v sound.
• die besluit starts with dee as well.

This is a very common thing for English speakers to notice, because the spelling looks familiar but the pronunciation is different.