Die voedselstalletjie mag oopmaak, met dien verstande dat die handewasstasie werk.

Here mag means may or is allowed to. It expresses permission.

So:

• Die voedselstalletjie mag oopmaak = the food stall may open / is allowed to open

By contrast, kan usually means can in the sense of ability or possibility:

• Die voedselstalletjie kan oopmaak = the food stall can open / is able to open

In this sentence, the idea is not ability, but official permission, so mag is the natural choice.

That is because oopmaak is being used with the modal verb mag.

In Afrikaans, when a modal such as mag, kan, moet, or wil is used, the other verb usually appears as an infinitive at the end, and separable verbs are normally written as one word there.

So:

• Die voedselstalletjie maak oop. = The food stall opens.
• Die voedselstalletjie mag oopmaak. = The food stall may open.

This is similar to how English uses may open.

Met dien verstande dat is a fairly formal expression meaning:

• on the understanding that
• provided that
• on condition that

So the sentence means that the stall is allowed to open, but only if the handwashing station works.

This phrase is more formal and official-sounding than everyday speech. In more casual Afrikaans, people might say something like solank or as ... depending on context.

In this sentence, dien is part of a fixed formal expression, so it is best learned as a whole:

• met dien verstande dat = provided that / on condition that

Trying to translate dien word-for-word here is usually not very helpful for learners. The whole phrase functions like one legal or administrative expression.

So it is better to treat it as a chunk, not as a phrase you build freely every time.

Because dat is a subordinating conjunction, and in Afrikaans subordinating clauses usually send the finite verb to the end.

So:

• main clause: Die handewasstasie werk.
• subordinate clause: ... dat die handewasstasie werk.

This is a very common Afrikaans pattern:

• Ek weet dat hy kom.
• Sy sê dat dit reën.

English does not usually move the verb like this, so it often feels unusual to English speakers at first.

No. Here werk means to function or to be in working order.

So:

• die handewasstasie werk = the handwashing station works / functions

Afrikaans werk can mean both:

• to work at a job
• to work / function for a machine, device, system, or facility

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns by writing the parts together as one word.

So:

• voedsel + stalletjie → voedselstalletjie
• hande + was + stasie → handewasstasie

English often writes similar ideas as separate words, such as food stall or handwashing station, but Afrikaans usually prefers one combined word.

This is completely normal in Afrikaans and is something learners see a lot.

The ending -tjie is a diminutive ending. It often gives the sense of something smaller, cuter, or more specific.

So:

• stal = stall
• stalletjie = little stall / stall

In practice, many diminutives in Afrikaans are just the normal everyday way to refer to something, and they do not always sound especially cute in context.

The spelling change is also normal:

• stal → stalletjie

Afrikaans diminutives often involve small spelling adjustments.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

Afrikaans does not have different forms like English the versus gendered articles in some other languages. So die is used for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all genders

In this sentence:

• Die voedselstalletjie = The food stall
• die handewasstasie = the handwashing station

So English speakers often find this part easier than in languages with more article forms.

It is understandable, but it sounds a bit formal or official.

In everyday speech, many speakers might be more likely to say:

• kosstalletjie = food stall

Similarly, met dien verstande dat is also formal. So the whole sentence has an official, rule-like tone, as if it comes from regulations, health rules, or a notice.

A more everyday version might be:

• Die kosstalletjie mag oopmaak, solank die handewasstasie werk.

That keeps the meaning but sounds less formal.

The comma helps separate the main statement from the added condition.

Here the structure is:

• Die voedselstalletjie mag oopmaak
• met dien verstande dat die handewasstasie werk

Because the second part adds an important qualifying condition, the comma is natural and helps readability.

In formal written Afrikaans, punctuation is often used this way to make the structure of the sentence clear, especially in administrative or legal-style writing.