Wat ook al gebeur, beskerm ons die herstelsleutel.

Wat ook al is a fixed expression meaning whatever or no matter what.

So:

• wat = what
• ook al adds the sense of ever / no matter

In this sentence, Wat ook al gebeur means Whatever happens.

You will often see similar patterns in Afrikaans, such as:

• Wie ook al kom = Whoever comes
• Waar ook al hy gaan = Wherever he goes

So it is best to learn wat ook al as one useful phrase.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form depending on the subject the way they do in English.

So Afrikaans uses:

• ek gebeur (not common in meaning, but grammatically the verb stays the same)
• jy gebeur
• ons gebeur
• dit gebeur

The verb form stays gebeur.

That is why Wat ook al gebeur uses the plain infinitive/base form gebeur, not something like English happens.

This is one of the simpler parts of Afrikaans grammar compared with English.

This is because Afrikaans is a verb-second language in main clauses.

The first part of the sentence is:

• Wat ook al gebeur = Whatever happens

That whole phrase comes first. After that, in the main clause, the finite verb must come next:

• beskerm

Then comes the subject:

• ons

So:

• Wat ook al gebeur, beskerm ons die herstelsleutel.

This is similar to patterns like:

• Vandag gaan ek huis toe. = Today I am going home.
• In die winter dra sy ‘n jas. = In winter she wears a coat.

If there were no fronted phrase, you would normally say:

• Ons beskerm die herstelsleutel.

But once Wat ook al gebeur is placed first, the verb moves ahead of the subject:

• Wat ook al gebeur, beskerm ons ...

It functions like a clause meaning whatever happens, but learners often mainly need to notice its practical effect: it comes before the main clause and is followed by a comma.

The important grammar point is that after this opening clause or phrase, the main clause still follows the normal Afrikaans verb-second rule:

• opening element: Wat ook al gebeur
• finite verb of the main clause: beskerm
• subject: ons

So even if you think of the first part as an introductory clause, the key takeaway is: the verb comes before the subject in the main clause because something else has been placed first.

Beskerm means protect.

It is a common verb in Afrikaans. For example:

• Ons beskerm die data. = We protect the data.
• Sy beskerm haar kinders. = She protects her children.

Again, the verb itself does not change form for different subjects in the present tense.

Related words include:

• beskerming = protection
• beskermd = protected

Herstelsleutel is a compound noun, which is very common in Afrikaans.

It is made up of:

• herstel = recovery / restore / repair
• sleutel = key

Together, herstelsleutel means recovery key.

Afrikaans often combines nouns into one word, just like German and often like Dutch. English sometimes writes these as two words, where Afrikaans prefers one compound word.

Other examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• rekenaarskerm = computer screen

So die herstelsleutel = the recovery key.

Die here means the.

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for all nouns:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kind = the child
• die sleutels = the keys

Unlike some languages, Afrikaans does not change the word for the according to gender.

So:

• die herstelsleutel = the recovery key

Yes. That is a very natural translation.

Wat ook al gebeur can often be translated as:

• whatever happens
• no matter what happens

Both capture the same idea.

The exact English wording depends on style, but the Afrikaans meaning stays the same.

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause:

• Wat ook al gebeur, = introductory part
• beskerm ons die herstelsleutel. = main statement

This helps show the structure clearly and is very normal in written Afrikaans.

It works much like English:

• Whatever happens, we protect the recovery key.

Yes, that would also be possible, though it is a different structure.

• Wat ook al gebeur = Whatever happens
• Maak nie saak wat gebeur nie = No matter what happens

Both are natural ways to express the idea.

The sentence you were given is more compact and elegant:

• Wat ook al gebeur, beskerm ons die herstelsleutel.

The alternative is a bit more explicit:

• Maak nie saak wat gebeur nie, ons beskerm die herstelsleutel.

Both are useful patterns to know.