Hol die pot uit, hoe sag dit ook al is.

Because the full verb is uithol, which is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

In a main clause or a command, the verb splits:

• Hol die pot uit.

So:

• hol = the verb stem
• uit = the separable particle/prefix

This is very common in Afrikaans and works a lot like separable verbs in Dutch and German.

No. In this sentence, hol is a verb form, not an adjective.

Here it is the imperative (command form) of uithol. So Hol die pot uit means Hollow out the pot / Scoop out the pot, depending on context.

Afrikaans does also have hol as an adjective meaning hollow, so the form can look confusing at first. But the structure hol ... uit shows that this is verbal.

Because Afrikaans normally leaves out the subject in commands.

So:

• Hol die pot uit = Hollow out the pot

This is just like English:

• Open the door
• not usually You open the door

You can add a subject for emphasis, but it is not the normal neutral form.

This is a concessive clause. The pattern:

• hoe + adjective/adverb + subject + ook al + verb

means something like:

• however ...
• no matter how ...

So:

• hoe sag dit ook al is = however soft it is / no matter how soft it is

The idea is that the instruction in the main clause still applies despite that condition.

ook al is important here because it helps create the meaning however or no matter how.

Compare:

• hoe sag dit is = how soft it is
• hoe sag dit ook al is = however soft it is / no matter how soft it is

So if you remove ook al, the sentence loses the concessive meaning.

Because this is a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans the finite verb often goes to the end in subordinate clauses.

Compare:

• Main clause: Dit is sag.
• Subordinate clause: ... hoe sag dit ook al is

This is a very normal Afrikaans word order pattern.

Because Afrikaans often uses a pronoun to refer back to something already mentioned.

So dit here refers back to the thing already known from context, probably die pot.

Using dit makes the sentence sound lighter and more natural. Repeating the noun is possible, but usually less smooth:

• hoe sag die pot ook al is

That version is not wrong, but dit is often preferred when the referent is already clear.

The comma separates the main clause from the following subordinate clause:

• Hol die pot uit = main clause / command
• hoe sag dit ook al is = subordinate concessive clause

So the comma helps show the structure:

• command first
• qualifying however/no matter how clause second

Yes. You could also say:

• Hoe sag dit ook al is, hol die pot uit.

That is fully natural. The meaning stays basically the same, but putting the hoe ... ook al clause first gives slightly more emphasis to the condition.

Here sag is an adjective used predicatively.

It describes dit:

• dit is sag = it is soft

So in hoe sag dit ook al is, sag is still describing the subject, not modifying an action.