Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie is verkeerd.

Verlofsaldo is a compound noun:

• verlof = leave, time off
• saldo = balance

So verlofsaldo means leave balance.

Afrikaans often joins nouns into one word where English uses two separate words. That is very common, so English speakers should get used to seeing long compound nouns.

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for both singular and plural nouns.

In this sentence:

• Die verlofsaldo = The leave balance
• op die salarisstrokie = on the payslip

So the two instances of die belong to two different nouns:

1. verlofsaldo
2. salarisstrokie

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the word for the based on gender or number.

Salarisstrokie means payslip or salary slip.

It is based on strokie, which is a diminutive form, roughly little slip/strip. The ending -ie is a very common Afrikaans diminutive ending.

So:

• strook = strip, slip
• strokie = little strip/slip
• salarisstrokie = salary slip / payslip

Afrikaans uses diminutives much more often than English does, and in many cases the diminutive form is simply the normal everyday word.

Op usually means on.

A payslip is thought of as something written on a document, so op die salarisstrokie is natural: on the payslip.

Using in would usually suggest something being inside something, which does not fit as well here.

This is a simple main clause, and the structure is quite straightforward:

• Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie = subject
• is = verb
• verkeerd = complement/adjective

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + description

That is why it looks close to English:

The leave balance on the payslip is wrong.

The phrase op die salarisstrokie is part of the noun phrase and tells you which leave balance is being discussed.

After the verb is, Afrikaans normally uses the plain adjective form, not the inflected form.

So you say:

• Die saldo is verkeerd.
• Die antwoord is reg.
• Die kos is warm.

But before a noun, an adjective often does take -e:

• die verkeerde saldo = the wrong balance
• die warm kos = the hot food

So:

• verkeerd after is
• verkeerde before a noun

Here verkeerd means wrong or incorrect.

In different contexts, verkeerd can also mean:

• mistaken
• incorrect
• the wrong one
• the wrong way

In this sentence, it means the leave balance shown on the payslip is not correct.

Yes, but they are slightly different in tone.

• verkeerd = the most natural everyday word for wrong
• foutief = more formal, like incorrect/erroneous
• nie korrek nie = not correct, also possible but a bit less direct

So all of these can work:

• Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie is verkeerd.
• Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie is foutief.
• Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie is nie korrek nie.

For normal speech, verkeerd is probably the most common choice.

A natural negative version would be:

Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie is nie reg nie.

Afrikaans usually uses a double negative structure:

• nie after the verb or later in the clause
• another nie at the end

You could also say:

Die verlofsaldo op die salarisstrokie is nie korrek nie.

If you keep verkeerd, you usually would not negate it, because is verkeerd is already the negative idea in meaning.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• verlofsaldo ≈ fur-LOF-sal-do
• salarisstrokie ≈ sa-LAH-ris-STRO-kee
• verkeerd ≈ fur-KEERT

A few useful tips:

• v in Afrikaans is often pronounced a bit like English f
• g is usually a throaty sound, but there is no g in this sentence
• oo / o / ie sounds may not match English exactly, so it helps to listen to native audio if possible

The main stress is usually on:

• verLOFsaldo
• salaRISstrokie or salarisSTROkie depending on speech rhythm
• verKEERD

Verlof is a general word for leave from work.

Depending on context, it can include:

• annual leave
• sick leave
• maternity/paternity leave
• other approved leave

If the meaning is specifically vacation or annual leave, the context usually makes that clear. So verlofsaldo often means the employee’s available leave balance, not only holiday time in the narrow English sense.

It would usually sound less natural than op die salarisstrokie.

For information shown on a document, Afrikaans normally prefers op:

• op die vorm = on the form
• op die rekening = on the bill
• op die salarisstrokie = on the payslip

So op die salarisstrokie is the best choice here.

The most useful plurals are:

• saldo → saldo's
• verlofsaldo → verlofsaldo's
• salarisstrokie → salarisstrokies

Examples:

• Die verlofsaldo's is verkeerd. = The leave balances are wrong.
• Die salarisstrokies is hier. = The payslips are here.

Notice that die still stays die in the plural.