Ons hernoem die lêer na gelang van die vouerstruktuur.

Her- is a common Afrikaans prefix meaning re- or again. So hernoem means rename or name again.

It is written as one word because in Afrikaans, many verbs with her- are formed as single words:

• herbou = rebuild
• hersien = revise
• herlees = reread

So hernoem is the normal dictionary form of the verb.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form according to the subject in the present tense. That is much simpler than English.

So you get:

• ek hernoem
• jy hernoem
• ons hernoem
• hulle hernoem

The verb stays the same. Afrikaans has very little verb conjugation compared with English.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, equivalent to the in English.

In this sentence it appears before both nouns:

• die lêer = the file
• die vouerstruktuur = the folder structure

Afrikaans does not change the definite article for gender, and the same form die is used very widely for singular and plural nouns.

Na gelang van is a fixed expression meaning something like:

• according to
• depending on
• in accordance with

In this sentence, it tells you the basis or criterion for the renaming: the file is renamed according to / depending on the folder structure.

It is best learned as a set phrase, not word by word.

It is perfectly good Afrikaans, but it can sound a bit formal or written, especially in technical or administrative contexts.

Depending on context, speakers might also use other expressions such as:

• volgens = according to
• afhangend van = depending on

But na gelang van is idiomatic and natural here, especially in a sentence about systems, files, or structure.

Lêer means file. In modern usage, it can refer to a computer file, and in other contexts it can also mean a file or dossier more generally.

The ê shows a particular vowel sound and helps distinguish pronunciation and spelling. For learners, the main thing is:

• do not ignore the accent
• treat lêer as a two-syllable word

Afrikaans uses these accent marks as part of normal spelling in many words.

Yes. Afrikaans very often forms compound nouns by writing them as one word.

So:

• vouer = folder
• struktuur = structure
• vouerstruktuur = folder structure

This is extremely common in Afrikaans. Where English often writes noun combinations as two words, Afrikaans often combines them into one.

This is the normal word order for a main clause in Afrikaans:

• Ons = subject
• hernoem = verb
• die lêer = object
• na gelang van die vouerstruktuur = prepositional phrase / adverbial phrase

So the structure is basically:

Subject + Verb + Object + Other information

That is the most straightforward order in a simple statement.

Yes. Afrikaans allows other elements to come first for emphasis, but then the subject and verb usually invert.

For example: Na gelang van die vouerstruktuur hernoem ons die lêer.

That still means the same thing, but now the phrase na gelang van die vouerstruktuur is placed first for emphasis or style.

This is a very important Afrikaans pattern:

• if something other than the subject comes first,
• the verb still stays in the second position.

No, because the sentence is talking about a specific file and the folder structure, so the definite article die is used.

If you wanted an indefinite sense, you could say:

• Ons hernoem 'n lêer ... = We rename a file ...

But in the original sentence, die lêer suggests a particular file being discussed.

Most likely, yes, especially because of the phrase die vouerstruktuur. A folder structure strongly suggests a computer or digital context.

So even though lêer can have a broader meaning in some situations, in this sentence the technical meaning file is the natural one.