Die brilvoorskrif wys die lenssterkte.

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

In this sentence:

• Die brilvoorskrif = the glasses prescription / the eyeglass prescription
• die lenssterkte = the lens strength / the lens power

A useful point for English speakers: Afrikaans uses die for all definite nouns:

• singular and plural
• common and neuter nouns
• no gender changes like de, het, der, etc.

So die is much simpler than articles in many other languages.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns as one word.

So:

• bril = glasses
• voorskrif = prescription
• brilvoorskrif = glasses prescription / eyeglass prescription

English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans usually joins them into one compound noun.

This is very normal in Afrikaans:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• motorkar = motor car
• sonbril = sunglasses

So brilvoorskrif may look long, but it is built in a very regular way.

Here wys means shows.

The sentence structure is:

• Die brilvoorskrif = subject
• wys = verb
• die lenssterkte = object

So the pattern is simply:

The prescription shows the lens strength.

Afrikaans present-tense verbs are much simpler than English verbs. The verb does not change depending on the subject:

• Ek wys = I show
• jy wys = you show
• hy wys = he shows
• ons wys = we show

Unlike English, there is no special -s form for he/she/it in the present tense.

Because lenssterkte is also a definite noun phrase: the lens strength.

So the sentence has:

• Die brilvoorskrif = The prescription
• die lenssterkte = the lens strength

Afrikaans uses die each time you need the.

That means the repetition is completely normal:

• Die dokter lees die verslag.
• The doctor reads the report.

English does the same thing; it just feels less noticeable because English articles are very familiar.

It is another compound noun:

• lens = lens
• sterkte = strength

So lenssterkte literally means lens strength.

In context, it usually refers to the power of the lens in an optical prescription. English speakers might naturally say:

• lens strength
• lens power
• sometimes just prescription strength

So the Afrikaans word is quite transparent once you split it up.

Yes, in this simple main clause the word order is very similar to English:

Die brilvoorskrif | wys | die lenssterkte
subject | verb | object

That is the normal basic order in Afrikaans main clauses.

So for an English speaker, this sentence is structurally quite friendly.

Just remember that Afrikaans word order can change in other sentence types, especially when another element comes first:

• Vandag wys die brilvoorskrif die lenssterkte.

But in the sentence you were given, it is straightforward subject–verb–object.

Wys is usually pronounced roughly like English vace or vice, depending on accent and how closely you approximate Afrikaans sounds.

A few helpful points:

• w in Afrikaans is often closer to English v than to English w
• y in Afrikaans often sounds like the ei/ay sound in words like say or sometimes closer to ice depending on the word and accent
• s is just s

So wys is not pronounced like English whys with a normal English w.

If you want a practical learner approximation, vace/vice is a better guide than wise with an English w.

Not only. Voorskrif can mean prescription, but also more generally a rule, regulation, or prescribed instruction, depending on context.

In this sentence, because it is attached to bril and the context is lenses, brilvoorskrif clearly means an optical prescription.

So context is very important:

• mediese voorskrif = medical prescription
• wettige voorskrifte = legal regulations
• brilvoorskrif = eyeglass prescription

Yes, often you could.

• wys = show
• toon = show / indicate / demonstrate

In many contexts both work, but wys is extremely common and natural in everyday Afrikaans.

So:

• Die brilvoorskrif wys die lenssterkte.
• Die brilvoorskrif toon die lenssterkte.

Both are understandable, though wys may sound a bit more everyday and direct.

Because Afrikaans verbs are much less inflected than English verbs.

In the present tense, the same form is usually used for all subjects:

• ek wys
• jy wys
• hy wys
• ons wys

English changes:

• I show
• he shows

Afrikaans does not make that change, which is one of the reasons many learners find its verb system easier.

A close word-for-word version is:

The glasses-prescription shows the lens-strength.

That is understandable, but not the most natural English.

More natural English would be something like:

• The prescription shows the lens strength.
• The eyeglass prescription shows the lens power.

So the Afrikaans sentence is very direct and compact, especially because of the compound nouns.