Die boubeheerbeampte gaan die bouplanaansoek na.

Yes, gaan often means go, and it can also help form the future, but here it is part of the separable verb nagaan.

• nagaan = to check, examine, review
• In a main clause, Afrikaans often splits a separable verb:
  • the verb part goes to the normal verb position
  • the prefix goes to the end

So:

• Die boubeheerbeampte gaan die bouplanaansoek na. = The building control officer checks/reviews the building plan application.

Compare that with a real future meaning:

• Die boubeheerbeampte gaan die bouplanaansoek nagaan. = The building control officer is going to check the building plan application.

So in your sentence, gaan ... na belongs together as nagaan.

Because nagaan is a separable verb.

In a normal main clause, Afrikaans splits it like this:

• gaan in the verb position
• na at the end

So:

• nagaan → gaan ... na

This is similar to separable verbs in Dutch and German.

A useful comparison:

• Main clause: Die boubeheerbeampte gaan die bouplanaansoek na.
• After dat: ... dat die boubeheerbeampte die bouplanaansoek nagaan.

In the subordinate clause, the verb is usually not split.

The basic pattern is:

• Die boubeheerbeampte = subject
• gaan = finite verb
• die bouplanaansoek = direct object
• na = separated verb particle

So the structure is:

Subject + finite verb + object + particle

This matches the common Afrikaans verb-second pattern in main clauses: the finite verb comes early, usually in the second position.

Because die is the definite article in Afrikaans, and it is used for the.

Afrikaans does not change the article for gender the way some languages do. Very often, die is simply used for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• masculine/feminine/neuter meanings

So here:

• die boubeheerbeampte = the building control officer
• die bouplanaansoek = the building plan application

English learners often expect different forms, but Afrikaans keeps it simple here.

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

You can break them down like this:

• boubeheerbeampte
  • bou = building / construction
  • beheer = control / management
  • beampte = official / officer

So boubeheerbeampte means something like building-control officer.

• bouplanaansoek
  • bouplan = building plan
  • aansoek = application

So bouplanaansoek means building-plan application.

A good rule: in Afrikaans compounds, the last part is usually the main noun, and the earlier parts describe it.

Beampte means official or officer, usually someone in an official role.

So:

• boubeheerbeampte is not just any worker
• it suggests an official responsible for building control or building regulation

Depending on context, English translations could include:

• building control officer
• building inspector
• official in charge of building control

The exact English choice depends on the system being described.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present tense where English might use either:

• checks
• is checking

So:

• Die boubeheerbeampte gaan die bouplanaansoek na.

could mean:

• The building control officer checks the building plan application
• The building control officer is checking the building plan application

Context tells you which one sounds best in English.

Not in this sentence.

Although na by itself can mean to / toward / after in some contexts, here it is not functioning independently. It is the particle belonging to the verb nagaan.

So you should understand:

• gaan ... na here = nagaan = check / examine / review

not:

• go after
• go toward

This is exactly why learners need to recognize separable verbs as single dictionary items.

You would look it up under nagaan, not under gaan and not under na.

That is important because the sentence splits the verb apart:

• sentence form: gaan ... na
• dictionary form: nagaan

So when you meet an Afrikaans sentence with a familiar verb at the front and a short word at the end, it is often worth asking whether you are looking at a separable verb.

Not very naturally.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• Die = the
• boubeheerbeampte = building-control officer
• gaan ... na = checks / examines
• die bouplanaansoek = the building-plan application

But if you translate too literally, you may miss the fact that gaan ... na is one verb.

A natural English translation would be something like:

• The building control officer reviews the building plan application.
• The building control officer checks the building plan application.

So it is better to translate by meaning, not word-for-word.