Gebruik die rolstok vir die kleiplaat, in teenstelling met die kleirol.

Yes. Gebruik is the imperative form here, so the sentence is giving an instruction: Use ...

Afrikaans often forms the imperative with the plain verb stem, without a subject pronoun. So:

• Gebruik die rolstok ... = Use the rolling pin ...
• You do not need to add jy.

This is very similar to English imperatives like Use this tool or Take the book.

In Afrikaans, die is the definite article for all nouns, whether singular or plural. It corresponds to English the.

So in this sentence:

• die rolstok = the rolling pin
• die kleiplaat = the clay slab
• die kleirol = the clay roller

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the article for gender, and unlike Dutch or German, there is no separate form like masculine/feminine/neuter definite articles. It is just die.

Because Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often writes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• rol + stok becomes rolstok
• klei + plaat becomes kleiplaat
• klei + rol becomes kleirol

This is very normal in Afrikaans. English sometimes writes similar ideas as two words, hyphenated words, or one word, but Afrikaans strongly prefers a single written compound.

A useful rule is that the last part is usually the main noun, and the earlier part modifies it:

• rolstok = a kind of stok
• kleiplaat = a kind of plaat
• kleirol = a kind of rol

They are two different tools or objects.

• rolstok literally means something like rolling stick, and in practice it means a rolling pin
• kleirol means a clay roller or a roller associated with clay work

The sentence is contrasting them, so it is saying that for the clay slab, you should use the rolling pin, not the clay roller.

This contrast is reinforced by in teenstelling met.

Here vir means for.

So Gebruik die rolstok vir die kleiplaat means that the rolling pin is to be used for the clay slab.

English speakers sometimes expect a different preposition depending on context, but vir is very common in Afrikaans for intended use, purpose, or beneficiary.

In this sentence, vir die kleiplaat tells you what the tool is being used for.

In teenstelling met means in contrast to, as opposed to, or rather than, depending on context.

In this sentence, it introduces a contrast:

• ... in teenstelling met die kleirol
• ... as opposed to the clay roller

It is a fairly standard, somewhat formal expression. In more everyday language, people might sometimes choose a simpler wording, but in teenstelling met is perfectly correct.

The comma separates the main instruction from the added contrast phrase.

Main instruction:

• Gebruik die rolstok vir die kleiplaat

Added contrast:

• in teenstelling met die kleirol

So the comma helps signal that the second part is not the core action, but an extra contrast or clarification.

In practice, punctuation can vary a little depending on style, but the comma here is natural and helpful.

This follows a very normal Afrikaans pattern for an imperative sentence:

• Verb
  • object
    • prepositional phrase

So:

• Gebruik = verb
• die rolstok = direct object
• vir die kleiplaat = prepositional phrase

That structure is straightforward and idiomatic.

You could sometimes move phrases around for emphasis, but this order is the most neutral and natural for an instruction.

Yes, that would also make sense, though it is slightly different in structure and emphasis.

• in teenstelling met = in contrast to / as opposed to
• eerder as = rather than

So:

• Gebruik die rolstok eerder as die kleirol = Use the rolling pin rather than the clay roller

If you want to keep the idea for the clay slab, you could say something like:

• Gebruik die rolstok vir die kleiplaat eerder as die kleirol

That said, the original sentence is perfectly correct and a bit more formal in tone.

Broadly, yes, but kleiplaat is the natural compact compound form.

• kleiplaat = clay slab / clay plate
• plaat van klei = slab/plate of clay

Afrikaans usually prefers the compound noun when that is an established expression. So kleiplaat sounds more natural and more concise than plaat van klei in most contexts.

Yes, it is the same word met, but inside this fixed expression it is best learned as part of the whole phrase.

Word-for-word, you can think of it as something like:

• in = in
• teenstelling = opposition / contrast
• met = with

But in practice, learners should treat in teenstelling met as one chunk meaning:

• in contrast to
• as opposed to

That is the most useful way to remember it.