Bederfbare voorafverpakte voedsel moet 'n datummerk hê.

It has three main parts:

• Bederfbare voorafverpakte voedsel = the subject noun phrase
• moet = the modal verb, meaning must
• 'n datummerk hê = the rest of the verb phrase, meaning have a date mark/date label

So the structure is basically:

[subject] + [modal verb] + [object + main verb]

A very literal breakdown is:

• bederfbare = perishable
• voorafverpakte = prepacked / prepackaged
• voedsel = food
• moet = must
• 'n datummerk = a date marking / date label
• hê = have

Because they are adjectives placed before the noun voedsel.

In Afrikaans, adjectives used directly before a noun often take an extra -e ending. That is why you get:

• bederfbaar → bederfbare voedsel
• voorafverpak → voorafverpakte voedsel

Compare that with adjectives used after a verb, where the plain form is more common:

• Die voedsel is bederfbaar.
• Die voedsel is voorafverpak.

So the -e here is a normal attributive adjective ending.

It is built from parts:

• vooraf = beforehand / in advance
• verpak = packed / packaged
• voorafverpak = prepacked / prepackaged
• voorafverpakte = the adjectival form used before a noun

So voorafverpakte voedsel means prepacked food.

Afrikaans often likes to combine ideas into one word like this.

Because moet is a modal verb, and in a main clause with a modal verb, the other verb usually goes to the end in Afrikaans.

So:

• moet = the finite verb in second position
• hê = the main verb, sent to the end

This is very normal Afrikaans word order:

• Ek moet gaan. = I must go.
• Sy kan lees. = She can read.
• Voedsel moet 'n datummerk hê. = Food must have a date mark.

Because after modal verbs such as moet, kan, mag, wil, and sal, Afrikaans normally uses the bare infinitive, without te.

So you say:

• Ek moet werk.
• Jy kan kom.
• Hulle wil eet.
• ...moet 'n datummerk hê

Using te here would be incorrect.

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

A few important points:

• It is written 'n, with an apostrophe.
• It is usually not stressed.
• In normal speech, it sounds like a weak uh sound, similar to the unstressed vowel in English about.

So in this sentence, 'n datummerk means a date mark.

Also, if the sentence starts with 'n, the apostrophe stays and the n does not become a capital letter:

• 'n Hond blaf.

Yes. Datummerk is a compound noun, which is very common in Afrikaans.

It is made up of:

• datum = date
• merk = mark / marking / label

Together, datummerk means something like date marking, date label, or date mark.

Afrikaans often forms nouns this way:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• tafeldoek = tablecloth
• datummerk = date mark

Because voedsel is being used in a general sense here.

The sentence is talking about a category of food in general, not one specific item. Afrikaans often leaves out the article in this kind of general statement.

So:

• Bederfbare voorafverpakte voedsel moet 'n datummerk hê. = Perishable prepacked food must have a date mark.

But if you were talking about a specific food item or a specific batch, you might use an article:

• Die voorafverpakte voedsel moet 'n datummerk hê. = The prepacked food must have a date mark.

Grammatically, it is singular in form, but it works like a mass noun or uncountable noun, much like English food.

So voedsel here does not mean one food. It means food in general as a substance or category.

That is why the sentence can talk about a broad class of products without needing a plural noun.

The circumflex in hê helps distinguish it from other forms and reflects pronunciation.

• hê = to have

The vowel is pronounced differently from a plain e. The accent is part of the standard spelling, so it should be written.

For a learner, the main practical point is simple: just remember that the verb to have is spelled hê.

Sometimes adjective order can be changed, but not always without changing the feel of the phrase.

• bederfbare voorafverpakte voedsel
• voorafverpakte bederfbare voedsel

Both are understandable, but the original order sounds natural in a formal or regulatory context, where perishable is being highlighted first as the main category, and prepacked further specifies it.

So a learner should treat the original order as the safest choice here.

Often yes, but context matters.

Moet can express:

• strong obligation
• necessity
• rules or legal requirements

In a sentence like this, it sounds like a rule or regulation:

• ...moet 'n datummerk hê = must have a date marking

So here moet is definitely strong, not just a mild suggestion.