Die parkeermeter is by die parkeervak.

Because Afrikaans uses the definite article die for the, and it does not change for gender or case.

So:

• die parkeermeter = the parking meter
• die parkeervak = the parking space / parking bay

Afrikaans repeats the article just as English does: The parking meter is by the parking space.

Very often, yes. Afrikaans is much simpler than many European languages here.

die is used for:

• singular nouns: die man = the man
• plural nouns: die mans = the men
• nouns of any gender: masculine, feminine, and neuter all use die

So unlike Dutch or German, you do not have to learn different forms like de/het or der/die/das.

Afrikaans and English are related Germanic languages, so some words look very similar.

In Afrikaans, is is the present tense form of to be used with singular subjects here:

• Die parkeermeter is ... = The parking meter is ...

Afrikaans verbs are generally much simpler than English verbs. In the present tense, the verb usually does not change depending on the subject:

• Ek is = I am
• Jy is = You are
• Hy is = He is
• Hulle is = They are

Here by means something like at, by, or near, depending on context.

In this sentence, it shows location:

• is by die parkeervak = is by / at the parking space

It does not necessarily mean the meter is physically attached to the space. It just means it is located there or next to it.

No. By in Afrikaans can correspond to several English prepositions depending on context, such as:

• by die huis = at the house
• by my = with me / at my place
• sit by die tafel = sit at the table
• staan by die deur = stand by the door

So you should learn by as a general location/association word, not as a one-to-one translation.

Yes. Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, often forms compounds by joining words together.

• parkeer = park
• meter = meter
• parkeermeter = parking meter

And:

• parkeer = park
• vak = compartment / space / bay
• parkeervak = parking space / parking bay

English sometimes writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans often writes them as one word.

Parkeervak usually means a marked parking space, parking bay, or parking slot.

The word vak can mean a section, compartment, or marked area. So parkeervak is not just parking in general; it usually refers to a specific designated space.

Because this is a simple main clause, and Afrikaans often has English-like word order in basic statements:

• Die parkeermeter = subject
• is = verb
• by die parkeervak = prepositional phrase showing location

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + place

That is very normal in Afrikaans.

Yes. Afrikaans does not change the verb is in the present tense the way English changes am / is / are.

For example:

• Die parkeermeter is by die parkeervak.
• Die parkeermeters is by die parkeervakke.

This is one reason many learners find Afrikaans verb forms easier than English ones.

Usually:

• parkeermeter → parkeermeters
• parkeervak → parkeervakke

So you could say:

• Die parkeermeters is by die parkeervakke.

Afrikaans plurals are often made with -e or -s, depending on the word.

This sentence uses the definite article die, meaning the. If you wanted an indefinite article, Afrikaans uses ’n, which means a/an.

Compare:

• Die parkeermeter is by die parkeervak. = The parking meter is by the parking space.
• ’n Parkeermeter is by ’n parkeervak. = A parking meter is by a parking space.

Note that ’n is written with an apostrophe and is never capitalized, even at the beginning of a sentence in standard writing.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

dee PAR-keer-may-ter is bay dee PAR-keer-fukh

A few pronunciation notes:

• die sounds like dee, not like English die
• parkeer has a long ee sound
• by sounds more like bay
• v in Afrikaans is often pronounced close to English f
• vak has a broad a, and the final k is crisp

This is only an approximation, but it helps avoid one common mistake: saying die like the English verb to die.

Sometimes, yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• by = at / by
• naby = near

So:

• Die parkeermeter is by die parkeervak. = The meter is at/by the parking space.
• Die parkeermeter is naby die parkeervak. = The meter is near the parking space.

By often suggests a more direct location, while naby emphasizes nearness.

Yes, it is natural and grammatically correct.

It is a straightforward descriptive sentence using:

• a definite noun phrase
• the verb is
• a location phrase with by

A native speaker would understand it easily. Depending on context, they might also say langs or naby if they specifically wanted to mean next to or near, but by is perfectly normal.