Hulle werk tuis.

Here, hulle means they. It is the subject of the sentence.

A useful extra note: hulle can also mean them or their in other contexts, but in Hulle werk tuis, it clearly means they.

Werk means work. In this sentence, it is a verb: to work.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form for different subjects the way English verbs sometimes do. So you get:

• Ek werk — I work
• Jy werk — you work
• Hulle werk — they work

The verb stays werk.

Afrikaans does not need are here.

In English, you can say:

• They work at home
• They are working at home

Afrikaans often uses the simple verb werk for both ideas, depending on context. So Hulle werk tuis can mean:

• They work at home
• They are working at home

If you need to be more specific, context usually makes it clear.

Tuis means at home or home in the sense of being in your home environment.

So Hulle werk tuis is literally They work at home.

A helpful comparison:

• huis = house/home as a noun
• tuis = at home/home as an adverb

So tuis is not the building itself; it describes the location or state of being at home.

Because tuis already includes the idea of at home. It works like an adverb, so you do not need a separate preposition.

That is why Afrikaans says:

• Hulle werk tuis

rather than needing a direct word-for-word version of at home.

Yes, you could. Hulle werk by die huis also means They work at home / by the house, depending on context.

But there is a slight difference:

• tuis = idiomatic at home
• by die huis = more literally at the house/home

In many everyday situations, tuis is the more natural choice when you mean someone is at home.

Yes. In a normal Afrikaans main clause, the verb usually comes in the second position.

So:

• Hulle = subject
• werk = verb
• tuis = adverb/place expression

This is the standard word order for a simple statement: Subject + Verb + Rest

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Hulle ≈ HULL-uh
• werk ≈ similar to English verk but with an Afrikaans w/v-like sound depending on accent
• tuis ≈ roughly tays or toys with an Afrikaans vowel sound

A few pronunciation notes:

• g is not present here, so this sentence is relatively easy to say.
• ui in tuis is a distinct Afrikaans vowel sound that English does not have exactly.
• w in Afrikaans is often pronounced more like an English v.

Not necessarily. It simply says that they work at home.

Depending on context, it could mean:

• they usually work from home
• they are working from home today
• they are currently working at home

The sentence itself does not tell you whether it is permanent, temporary, or happening right now. Context does that.

No, hulle does not mean you.

For you (plural), Afrikaans uses julle.

So:

• hulle = they
• julle = you all / you plural

This is a very common pair for learners to mix up, because the words look similar.

It is neutral and perfectly normal everyday Afrikaans.

Nothing in Hulle werk tuis is especially formal or informal. It is just a simple, natural sentence.