Die geslag word aangeteken.

Here, die is the definite article, so it means the.

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns: die boek = the book
• plural nouns: die boeke = the books

Unlike some other languages, Afrikaans does not have different forms of the for grammatical gender.

In this sentence, geslag means gender or sex, depending on context.

However, geslag can have other meanings in Afrikaans too, such as:

• generation / lineage
• kind / type
• in some contexts, even slaughter

So learners often notice that it looks a bit broad. The surrounding context tells you which meaning is intended. In Die geslag word aangeteken, the intended meaning is the one already given to you: gender/sex.

No. Afrikaans word is a verb, not the English noun word.

Here, word means something like:

• becomes
• and in passive sentences, it helps form is being / is

So in Die geslag word aangeteken, word is part of the passive construction.

A very common pattern in Afrikaans is:

• word + past participle

This often corresponds to English passive forms like:

• is recorded
• is being recorded
• gets recorded

So word here is a grammar word used to build the passive.

Afrikaans often uses the passive when the focus is on the thing affected by the action, not on the person doing it.

So:

• Die geslag word aangeteken. = the focus is on the gender
• the person or system doing the recording is not mentioned

This is very similar to English:

• The gender is recorded.

If you wanted an active sentence, it might look more like:

• Hulle teken die geslag aan. = They record the gender.

Aangeteken is the past participle of the verb aanteken, which means:

• to note down
• to record
• to write down

So:

• aanteken = infinitive
• aangeteken = past participle

In passive sentences, Afrikaans commonly uses:

• word + past participle

That is why you get:

• word aangeteken

This is because aanteken is a separable verb.

The basic verb is:

• teken = write / mark / note

With the prefix aan-, it becomes:

• aanteken = note down / record

In Afrikaans past participles of many separable verbs, ge- is inserted between the prefix and the main verb part:

• aan + ge + teken → aangeteken

This is a very useful pattern to recognize.

Other similar examples:

• opskryf → opgeskryf
• uittrek → uitgetrek

In Afrikaans main clauses with auxiliary verbs, the finite verb usually comes early, and the other verb form goes to the end.

So the structure here is:

• Die geslag = subject
• word = finite verb
• aangeteken = past participle at the end

This is very normal Afrikaans word order.

Compare:

• Die geslag word aangeteken.
• Die vorm is ingevul.
• Die inligting word gestoor.

If you are an English speaker, this final verb form can feel very noticeable at first, but it is a core Afrikaans pattern.

This is an excellent question, because word and is are both used in passive-looking sentences, but they are not the same.

• Die geslag word aangeteken
  = The gender is being recorded / gets recorded / is recorded
  This focuses on the process or action.

• Die geslag is aangeteken
  = The gender has been recorded / is recorded
  This usually suggests the action has already been completed, or that the result is now true.

So very roughly:

• word + participle = ongoing or general passive action
• is + participle = completed/resulting state

Afrikaans nouns do not work like nouns in languages such as German or Dutch, where grammatical gender affects the article.

In Afrikaans, grammatical gender has mostly disappeared from everyday noun grammar. So you do not need to learn geslag as masculine, feminine, or neuter for article purposes.

You simply use:

• die geslag = the gender

That makes Afrikaans simpler than many related languages in this area.

You could use that as a grammar aid, but it would not be natural English.

Because word historically has the sense of become, learners sometimes think of:

• word aangeteken = becomes recorded

That can help you understand the structure, but the natural English translation is usually:

• The gender is recorded
• or The gender is being recorded

So a literal translation can be useful for learning, but not for normal English.

A common active pattern would be:

• Ek teken die geslag aan. = I record the gender.
• Hulle teken die geslag aan. = They record the gender.

Notice what happens with the separable verb aanteken:

In the infinitive:

• aanteken

In a simple present main clause:

• teken ... aan

So the prefix separates off:

• Ek teken dit aan.

But in the participle:

• aangeteken

This split pattern is one of the main things learners need to get used to.

Yes, very much so.

This kind of sentence sounds formal, administrative, or procedural. It fits well in contexts like:

• forms
• databases
• registration processes
• medical or government documents
• instructions about what information is entered

Afrikaans often uses passive constructions in formal writing, just like English does. So this sentence has a very natural official / record-keeping feel.