Die kontaklens stel die bysiendheid reg.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, and it is used for the in all genders and in both singular and plural.

So unlike languages that change the depending on gender or case, Afrikaans keeps it simple:

• die kontaklens = the contact lens
• die bysiendheid = the nearsightedness

There is no separate masculine/feminine/neuter form of the in modern Afrikaans.

Kontaklens here is singular: contact lens.

• die kontaklens = the contact lens
• die kontaklense = the contact lenses

The sentence is talking about a single contact lens in a general or specific sense. Afrikaans often uses the singular when speaking about something as a type or as one item doing the action.

Bysiendheid means nearsightedness or short-sightedness.

It is built from:

• bysiend = nearsighted / short-sighted
• -heid = a suffix that turns an adjective into an abstract noun, similar to -ness in English

So:

• bysiend = near-sighted
• bysiendheid = near-sightedness

This -heid ending is very common in Afrikaans:

• moontlik = possible
• moontlikheid = possibility

Afrikaans often uses the definite article with abstract nouns in places where English may or may not use the.

So die bysiendheid is perfectly natural in Afrikaans, even though English might simply say:

• corrects nearsightedness or
• corrects the nearsightedness

Both ideas are close in meaning, but Afrikaans more readily includes die here.

This is one of the most important things to notice in the sentence.

The expression is regstel, which means to correct, to put right, or to fix. In a main clause, Afrikaans often splits this type of verb:

• Die kontaklens stel die bysiendheid reg.

Here:

• stel goes to the normal verb position
• reg moves to the end of the clause

This is called a separable verb pattern.

Compare:

• Main clause: Hy stel dit reg. = He corrects/fixes it.
• Infinitive form: om dit reg te stel = to correct/fix it

So the learner should recognize that stel ... reg belongs together semantically.

They are similar, but not always identical.

• regstel often means correct, put right, or remedy
• regmaak often means fix, repair, or make right

In many everyday contexts they overlap. But in a sentence about vision correction, regstel sounds especially suitable because it can mean correcting a condition rather than physically repairing an object.

So Die kontaklens stel die bysiendheid reg has the sense of The contact lens corrects the nearsightedness.

Afrikaans main clauses usually follow a verb-second pattern. That means the finite verb comes early in the sentence, typically in second position.

Here the structure is:

• Die kontaklens = subject
• stel = finite verb
• die bysiendheid = object
• reg = separable verb particle at the end

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + object + particle

That is why reg appears at the end instead of right next to stel.

Yes, that is possible and understandable.

Korrigeer is a more direct equivalent of correct. It is less colloquial than regstel in some contexts, but still perfectly acceptable.

Compare:

• Die kontaklens stel die bysiendheid reg.
• Die kontaklens korrigeer die bysiendheid.

Both can mean The contact lens corrects the nearsightedness.

The version with stel ... reg feels very natural Afrikaans.

Bysiendheid is a standard and common word. It is not too technical, though it is still a fairly formal-looking noun.

People may also talk more simply around the adjective:

• Hy is bysiend. = He is nearsighted.

So:

• bysiend = the descriptive adjective
• bysiendheid = the condition itself

If you are learning Afrikaans, it is useful to know both.

Not normally. Stel on its own has several meanings depending on context, such as put, set, or place, and it appears in many fixed combinations.

In this sentence, the meaning correct comes from the whole expression regstel, not from stel alone.

So it is better to learn:

• regstel = to correct / to fix

rather than trying to translate stel by itself as correct.

That is a very useful question, because separable verbs change shape depending on the sentence.

In a subordinate clause, the parts usually come back together at the end:

• ... dat die kontaklens die bysiendheid regstel
  = ... that the contact lens corrects the nearsightedness

In an infinitive construction:

• om die bysiendheid reg te stel
  = to correct the nearsightedness

So:

• main clause: stel ... reg
• infinitive/subordinate structures: regstel or reg te stel pattern

This is a core feature of Afrikaans verb grammar.

Yes, possibly. An English speaker might first think reg looks like right in the sense of direction or correctness. In fact, that is connected to its meaning: reg often means right, straight, or correct.

In stel ... reg, the idea is basically set right or put right. That is why the whole phrase means correct or fix.

So recognizing reg as part of the separable verb is important; it is not just an extra adverb floating around.

Yes. Afrikaans, like English, can use the singular with the definite article to talk about something generically.

So Die kontaklens stel die bysiendheid reg can be understood as:

• a statement about a particular lens, depending on context or
• a general statement about what a contact lens does

Context tells you which meaning is intended.