Die vloerplan wys die boulyn.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the. In Afrikaans, die is used for both singular and plural nouns, so it is much simpler than English in that way.

In this sentence:

• Die vloerplan = The floor plan
• die boulyn = the building line / the setback line

Unlike in some other languages, Afrikaans articles do not change for grammatical gender.

Vloerplan is a compound noun:

• vloer = floor
• plan = plan

Together, vloerplan means floor plan.

Afrikaans often writes compound nouns as one word, even where English might use two words. This is very common, so learners should get used to seeing long nouns formed this way.

Other examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• skooltas = school bag
• eetkamer = dining room

Wys means shows in this sentence.

So:

• Die vloerplan wys die boulyn = The floor plan shows the building line

Be careful: wys can also be related to showing in other contexts, and in different situations it may appear in forms like:

• wys = show / shows
• gewys = shown

In this sentence, it is the present tense verb.

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs. In the present tense, the verb usually stays the same regardless of the subject.

Compare:

• Ek wys = I show
• Jy wys = you show
• Hy wys = he shows
• Die vloerplan wys = the floor plan shows

English adds -s in he shows, but Afrikaans does not usually change the verb that way.

Boulyn is another compound noun:

• bou = build / building
• lyn = line

So boulyn literally means building line. Depending on context, it may refer to the line on a plan that marks where building is allowed, often what English speakers call a building line or setback line.

As with vloerplan, Afrikaans writes it as one word because it is a compound noun.

This is the normal basic Afrikaans word order for a simple statement:

subject + verb + object

So here:

• Die vloerplan = subject
• wys = verb
• die boulyn = object

This is very similar to normal English word order:

• The floor plan shows the building line

Afrikaans word order can become more complicated in longer sentences, especially with time expressions, subordinate clauses, or extra verbs, but this sentence is straightforward.

You know from the word order.

In a normal Afrikaans main clause:

• the noun phrase before the verb is usually the subject
• the noun phrase after the verb is usually the object

So:

• Die vloerplan comes before wys, so it is the subject
• die boulyn comes after wys, so it is the object

Because die is used for both, the article itself does not tell you subject versus object.

Normally, no. In Afrikaans, die is only capitalized if it begins the sentence or is part of a title.

So:

• Die vloerplan wys die boulyn. ✓
• Ek sien die vloerplan. ✓

The second die is lowercase because it is in the middle of the sentence.

A rough guide for English speakers is:

• vloerplan ≈ flewer-plahn or flooir-plahn, depending on accent
• boulyn ≈ bow-lane or boh-uh-layn

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• oe in Afrikaans often sounds like the vowel in English book or food, depending on the word and accent
• ou often sounds like ow in cow
• y in Afrikaans often sounds something like ei/ay to English ears

Pronunciation varies by speaker, so a native audio example is best if available.

Usually, yes: vloerplan is the normal word for floor plan.

In practical use, it refers to a drawing that shows the layout of a building or room arrangement. In architecture, construction, or property contexts, this is the standard meaning.

So in most cases, vloerplan = floor plan is exactly right.

Because the sentence is direct and simple: The floor plan shows the building line.

There is no idea of possession like the line of the building here. Instead, die boulyn is simply the direct object of the verb wys.

So Afrikaans says:

• Die vloerplan wys die boulyn

not something more complicated with a preposition.

Yes. That is one of the nice things about Afrikaans articles.

Examples:

• die vloerplan = the floor plan
• die vloerplanne = the floor plans
• die boulyn = the building line
• die boulyne = the building lines

So die works for both singular and plural.

Afrikaans usually uses a double negative with nie ... nie.

So:

• Die vloerplan wys die boulyn nie. is not the standard full form.
• The normal Afrikaans negative would be: Die vloerplan wys nie die boulyn nie.

This means: The floor plan does not show the building line.

The basic pattern is:

• subject + verb + nie
  • object + nie

This double-negative structure is a very important feature of Afrikaans.