Ons modelleer die kleiplaat met die rolstok.

In Afrikaans, verbs do not change according to the subject the way they often do in English.

So:

• ek modelleer = I model
• jy modelleer = you model
• ons modelleer = we model
• hulle modelleer = they model

The verb stays the same. This is one of the simpler parts of Afrikaans grammar.

In a sentence like this, the simple present form modelleer can often cover several English ideas, depending on context:

• we model
• we are modelling
• sometimes even we do model

Afrikaans usually relies on context rather than changing the verb form the way English does.

So Ons modelleer die kleiplaat met die rolstok can naturally mean We are shaping/modeling the clay slab with the rolling pin.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

In this sentence it appears twice because there are two separate nouns that are definite:

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

Unlike in some other languages, Afrikaans die does not change for gender, number, or case in normal use. It is simply die for all of these.

Yes. Afrikaans very often forms compound nouns by writing them as one word.

Here:

• klei = clay
• plaat = slab / plate / sheet

So kleiplaat is a compound noun meaning something like clay slab.

This is very normal in Afrikaans. English sometimes writes similar combinations as two words, but Afrikaans often prefers one-word compounds.

Yes, rolstok is also a compound noun:

• rol = roll
• stok = stick

So rolstok literally means something like rolling stick, and in context it means a rolling pin or similar tool used to roll out material.

Again, Afrikaans commonly joins these parts into one word.

Here met means with, but in natural English that often works out as using.

So:

• met die rolstok = with the rolling pin
• more naturally in context: using the rolling pin

It shows the instrument or tool used to do the action.

This is a very normal Afrikaans main-clause word order:

• Ons = subject
• modelleer = verb
• die kleiplaat = object
• met die rolstok = prepositional phrase showing the tool

So the pattern is basically:

Subject + Verb + Object + Other information

You can sometimes move parts around for emphasis, but this version is the most straightforward and neutral.

Yes, that is possible.

When you move Met die rolstok to the front for emphasis, Afrikaans follows the verb-second pattern in a main clause:

• Met die rolstok modelleer ons die kleiplaat.

Notice that the verb modelleer still comes early, right after the first element.

This fronted version puts more focus on the tool: With the rolling pin, we shape the clay slab.

A useful learner-level guide is something like:

mo-de-LEER

The stress is on the last part, -leer.

A rough English approximation would be something like moh-duh-LEAR, but with Afrikaans vowel quality rather than English vowel quality.

Also note that modelleer is related to the idea of modeling or shaping, and the double ee usually signals a long vowel sound.

Yes, it can be. Modelleer can mean to model, to shape, or to sculpt/form something.

With clay, it fits well if you are talking about forming or shaping the material. Depending on context, Afrikaans speakers might also use other verbs in craft or art settings, but modelleer is a perfectly understandable and appropriate choice here.

Because this sentence is talking about specific items:

• the clay slab
• the rolling pin

So Afrikaans uses die.

If the sentence were indefinite, Afrikaans could use ’n for a/an, for example:

• Ons modelleer ’n kleiplaat met ’n rolstok.

That would mean We are shaping a clay slab with a rolling pin.

In this sentence, the most natural reading is that met die rolstok tells you what tool is being used to model the clay slab.

So it functions as an instrument phrase: with the rolling pin.

In other contexts, met phrases can describe accompaniment or other relationships, but here the tool/instrument meaning is the obvious one.