Hulle verkondig die nuus.

This is the normal main-clause word order in Afrikaans:

• Hulle = subject
• verkondig = verb
• die nuus = object

So it follows the common Subject–Verb–Object pattern, just like English:

• They proclaim the news.

Afrikaans word order often feels familiar to English speakers in simple statements like this.

Hulle can be used for both they and them, depending on the sentence.

Examples:

• Hulle verkondig die nuus. = They proclaim the news.
• Ek sien hulle. = I see them.

Afrikaans does not always change the pronoun form the way English does.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek verkondig
• Jy verkondig
• Hy verkondig
• Ons verkondig
• Hulle verkondig

This is much simpler than English, where you have I proclaim but he proclaims.

It is present tense.

So Hulle verkondig die nuus means they proclaim / are proclaiming the news, depending on context.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• They proclaim the news
• They are proclaiming the news

The broader situation usually makes the timing clear.

Verkondig means announce, proclaim, or declare publicly.

It sounds a bit more formal or elevated than some everyday verbs. In religious, official, or public contexts, it is very common. In casual speech, other verbs such as sê, vertel, or aankondig might be more common depending on the meaning.

So this sentence has a slightly formal tone.

Yes, die is the definite article, usually meaning the.

So:

• die nuus = the news

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die for all genders and for singular and plural nouns. Unlike languages such as Dutch or German, you do not need to learn different forms of the for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

Grammatically, nuus is usually treated as a singular mass noun, much like English news.

So:

• die nuus = the news

Even though news looks plural in English, it behaves like a singular idea. The same is generally true of nuus in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans does not need a separate word like English are in this kind of sentence.

English can say:

• They proclaim the news.
• They are proclaiming the news.

Afrikaans often just uses the present tense verb:

• Hulle verkondig die nuus.

So the sentence can cover both a simple present and an ongoing present meaning, depending on context.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• verkondig ≈ fehr-KON-dikh
  
  • The g in Afrikaans is usually a throat sound, not a hard English g.
• nuus ≈ nüüs or roughly nyooce / noose depending on accent and how precise you want to be

A few pronunciation notes:

• v in Afrikaans often sounds close to English f
• r is usually trilled or tapped more than in English
• uu is a long vowel sound

Pronunciation varies somewhat by region and speaker.

Yes. In a normal yes/no question, Afrikaans usually puts the verb first:

• Verkondig hulle die nuus? = Are they proclaiming the news? / Do they proclaim the news?

So the statement:

• Hulle verkondig die nuus.

becomes the question:

• Verkondig hulle die nuus?

A common past-tense form in Afrikaans uses het + ge- + past participle:

• Hulle het die nuus verkondig. = They proclaimed / have proclaimed the news.

With verkondig, the past participle is often the same in form here, without an extra ge- in normal usage because verbs ending in -eer are the classic ones that definitely avoid ge-, while many other verbs do take it. However, verkondig is commonly used in contexts where the simple past construction with het ... verkondig is what learners will encounter. If you are studying participle patterns in detail, it is best to check your course materials or dictionary, since Afrikaans participle formation has some verb-class details.

For practical beginner use, this is the key pattern:

• present: Hulle verkondig die nuus.
• past: Hulle het die nuus verkondig.

Yes. This sentence pattern is very productive:

• Hulle verkondig die waarheid. = They proclaim the truth.
• Hulle verkondig die boodskap. = They proclaim the message.
• Hulle verkondig vrede. = They proclaim peace.

So once you know the pattern subject + verb + object, you can build many similar sentences.