Die besluit word oorweeg.

Die is the normal definite article in Afrikaans, so here it means the.

A useful thing for English speakers: Afrikaans does not change the definite article for gender the way languages like German or Dutch do. You use die very broadly.

• die besluit = the decision
• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kinders = the children

So in this sentence, die simply marks besluit as a specific, known decision.

Here, besluit is a noun.

You can tell because it comes right after the article die:

• die besluit = the decision

But besluit can also be a verb in other sentences:

• Ek besluit môre. = I decide tomorrow.

So this is one of those Afrikaans words where context tells you the part of speech.

In this sentence, word is an auxiliary verb used to form the passive.

Afrikaans often uses:

• word + past participle for a present passive

So:

• Die besluit word oorweeg.

means the subject is receiving the action, not doing it.

Important: this word is not the English noun word. It is the Afrikaans verb word, which can mean become in other contexts, and it is also used as a passive helper verb.

For example:

• Hy word moeg. = He becomes tired.
• Die besluit word oorweeg. = passive construction

Because Afrikaans usually puts the finite verb in second position in a main clause, and the other verb form goes later, often at the end.

In this sentence:

• Die besluit = subject
• word = finite verb
• oorweeg = main verb form at the end

So the pattern is:

• Subject + finite verb + ... + main verb

This is very common in Afrikaans.

That is a very common learner question.

Many Afrikaans past participles do take ge-:

• bou → gebou
• maak → gemaak

But some verbs do not take ge-, especially verbs with certain prefixes. Oorweeg is one of those verbs.

So the form stays:

• oorweeg

rather than something like geoorweeg.

That is why the passive is:

• word oorweeg

not word geoorweeg.

It is the present passive.

In English, depending on context, it often matches something like:

• is being considered
• sometimes is considered

The important grammar point is that it is a present-time passive construction.

If you want a completed passive idea, Afrikaans often uses is instead:

• Die besluit is oorweeg.

That gives a more completed/result sense, like has been considered or was considered, depending on context.

To make it active, you need someone doing the action.

For example:

• Die komitee oorweeg die besluit. = The committee is considering the decision.
• Hulle oorweeg die besluit. = They are considering the decision.

So the passive sentence keeps the focus on the decision, while the active sentence names the doer.

You use the usual Afrikaans double nie pattern:

• Die besluit word nie oorweeg nie.

A simple way to see it:

• first nie comes after the finite verb: word nie
• second nie comes at the end of the clause

This double negative pattern is one of the most important sentence patterns in Afrikaans.

Yes.

In a subordinate clause, the verb pattern changes, and the verbs move toward the end.

For example:

• Ek dink dat die besluit oorweeg word.

Notice the difference:

• Main clause: Die besluit word oorweeg.
• Subordinate clause: ... dat die besluit oorweeg word.

So if you already know the main-clause version, this is a very useful comparison to learn early.

Yes. The passive is often used when the speaker wants to focus on the action or the thing affected, rather than on who is doing it.

So Die besluit word oorweeg sounds natural if:

• the decision itself is the topic
• the doer is unknown
• the doer is obvious
• the speaker wants a more formal or neutral tone

That is very similar to how English often uses the passive in formal writing.