Die gesin volg die tradisie.

Yes. In Die gesin volg die tradisie, both instances of die mean the.

Afrikaans does not have different forms like English the vs a/an based on gender or case. So die is the normal definite article for singular and plural nouns.

In this sentence:

• die gesin = the family
• die tradisie = the tradition

Yes, gesin means family, especially in the sense of a household or family unit.

So die gesin means the family.

A learner may also see familie, which can refer more broadly to relatives or family in general. In many contexts, gesin is the more specific word for the immediate family group.

Volg means follow in this sentence.

So Die gesin volg die tradisie literally matches English word-for-word:

• Die gesin = The family
• volg = follows
• die tradisie = the tradition

Depending on context, volg can also mean:

• to come after
• to follow along
• to obey or keep to something
• to attend, as in following a course

Here it means something like follows or observes a tradition.

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form according to the subject the way English verbs do.

In English:

• I follow
• you follow
• he follows
• the family follows

In Afrikaans, the present tense verb usually stays the same:

• ek volg = I follow
• jy volg = you follow
• hy volg = he follows
• die gesin volg = the family follows

So volg is the correct form with die gesin.

Yes, in this simple sentence the word order is the same as standard English:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Die gesin = subject
• volg = verb
• die tradisie = object

So: Die gesin volg die tradisie = The family follows the tradition

This is one reason many basic Afrikaans sentences feel familiar to English speakers.

You tell from the word order.

In a normal main clause, the noun before the verb is usually the subject, and the noun after the verb is usually the object.

So in: Die gesin volg die tradisie

the order shows:

• Die gesin = the one doing the action
• die tradisie = the thing being followed

Afrikaans does not mark subject and object with different articles the way some other languages do, so word order is very important.

Yes. Tradisie means tradition, and it is clearly related to the English word.

This kind of similarity is very common in Afrikaans, especially with words of European origin. That can make vocabulary easier for English speakers to recognize.

In this sentence:

• die tradisie = the tradition

A practical English-speaker approximation is:

khuh-SIN

A few notes:

• The g in Afrikaans is not like the English g in go. It is a harsher throat sound.
• The stress is usually on the second syllable: ge-SIN
• The sin part sounds close to English seen or sin, depending on accent and carefulness, but sin with a short vowel is a useful learner approximation.

If you are just starting, it is enough to remember that the g is a guttural sound, not a hard English g.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

folkh or folg with a clear final guttural/consonant sound

Helpful points:

• The v in Afrikaans is often pronounced close to an English f
• The o is a short vowel
• The final g is again not like the English g in go; it is more throaty

A beginner-friendly approximation is folkh.

Yes, depending on context, English may translate it as either:

• The family follows the tradition
• The family is following the tradition

Afrikaans simple present often covers both a general present and an ongoing present, where English sometimes chooses between follows and is following.

If you want to know which one sounds best, context decides:

• general habit: The family follows the tradition
• current action or situation: The family is following the tradition

Yes, it could be possible, but it may carry a slightly different nuance.

• gesin usually points to the immediate family or household
• familie can refer more broadly to family or relatives

So:

• Die gesin volg die tradisie = the household/immediate family follows the tradition
• Die familie volg die tradisie = the family/relatives follow the tradition

In many contexts both can work, but gesin is often the more precise choice for the family as one home unit.

Because Afrikaans does not need an extra helping verb like English do/does in ordinary positive statements.

English:

• The family follows the tradition

Afrikaans:

• Die gesin volg die tradisie

Afrikaans typically expresses the action directly with the main verb, without adding a separate word equivalent to English does.

Usually, if you mean the tradition, you need die:

• die tradisie = the tradition

So the sentence as given is the natural one: Die gesin volg die tradisie

If you removed the second die, it would sound more like an indefinite or more general idea, but Afrikaans normally would not express that exact meaning this way in a standard sentence. If you wanted a tradition, you would usually say:

• ’n tradisie = a tradition

So:

• Die gesin volg die tradisie = The family follows the tradition
• Die gesin volg ’n tradisie = The family follows a tradition

Yes. It is a complete, grammatical, and natural simple sentence in Afrikaans.

It has everything needed:

• a subject: Die gesin
• a verb: volg
• an object: die tradisie

It sounds like a straightforward textbook example, but it is perfectly normal Afrikaans.