Die verslete mou het 'n skeur.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

In this sentence, die verslete mou means the worn sleeve. Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all genders

So unlike some other languages, you do not need different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

Examples:

• die mou = the sleeve
• die moue = the sleeves
• die boek = the book
• die boeke = the books

Verslete is the normal adjective form meaning worn, threadbare, or frayed from use.

It is one of those adjectives that already appears in an -e form. In other words, verslete is simply the standard word you learn and use here.

So:

• die verslete mou = the worn sleeve

You do not normally strip the -e off and say verslet in this meaning.

Mou means sleeve, as in the sleeve of a shirt, jacket, or other piece of clothing.

Plural:

• mou = sleeve
• moue = sleeves

So:

• Die verslete mou = The worn sleeve
• Die verslete moue = The worn sleeves

Het is the finite present-tense form of the verb hê, which means to have.

So in this sentence:

• Die verslete mou het 'n skeur.
• literally: The worn sleeve has a tear.

This is a very normal way to express possession in Afrikaans.

A useful comparison:

• dictionary form: hê = to have
• sentence form: het = have / has

Examples:

• Ek het 'n boek. = I have a book.
• Sy het 'n hond. = She has a dog.
• Die mou het 'n skeur. = The sleeve has a tear.

'n is the normal Afrikaans indefinite article, meaning a or an.

So:

• 'n skeur = a tear

Een means one, and is used when you want to stress the number.

Compare:

• Die mou het 'n skeur. = The sleeve has a tear.
• Die mou het een skeur. = The sleeve has one tear.
  This sounds more emphatic, as if you are counting.

So in ordinary speech, 'n is the natural choice.

'n is usually pronounced as a very weak uh sound, like the unstressed vowel in English about.

So 'n skeur is roughly:

• uh skeur

The apostrophe is just part of how this word is written in Afrikaans. It is not optional.

A few useful notes:

• 'n is always written in lowercase, even if it starts a sentence.
• If it begins a sentence, the next word gets the capital letter.

Example:

• 'n Man staan daar. = A man stands there.

Here, skeur is a noun, meaning tear or rip.

So:

• 'n skeur = a tear

But skeur can also be a verb in other contexts, meaning to tear.

Compare:

• Die mou het 'n skeur.
  Here skeur is a noun: a tear.
• Moenie die papier skeur nie.
  Here skeur is a verb: tear.

This is common in Afrikaans: one form can sometimes be both a noun and a verb, and the sentence structure tells you which one it is.

The word order is the normal Afrikaans main-clause pattern:

Subject + verb + object/complement

So here:

• Die verslete mou = subject
• het = verb
• 'n skeur = object / thing possessed

This is very similar to English:

• The worn sleeve has a tear.

Afrikaans often feels familiar to English speakers in simple main clauses because the basic word order is often quite close.

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

Daar is 'n skeur in die verslete mou.

That means:

• There is a tear in the worn sleeve.

So Afrikaans can express the idea in at least two natural ways:

• Die verslete mou het 'n skeur. = The worn sleeve has a tear.
• Daar is 'n skeur in die verslete mou. = There is a tear in the worn sleeve.

The first focuses on the sleeve as the possessor. The second focuses on the existence/location of the tear.

You would usually change both nouns to plural where needed:

Die verslete moue het skeure.

That means:

• The worn sleeves have tears.

Changes:

• mou → moue
• skeur → skeure

Notice that Afrikaans normally does not use 'n with plural nouns.

So:

• singular: 'n skeur = a tear
• plural: skeure = tears

The negative is:

Die verslete mou het nie 'n skeur nie.

Afrikaans usually uses double nie in ordinary negation:

• one nie after the verb phrase area
• one nie at the end of the clause

So:

• het 'n skeur = has a tear
• het nie 'n skeur nie = does not have a tear

This double-negative pattern is one of the most important things for English speakers to get used to in Afrikaans.