Die vlugvertraging veroorsaak 'n gemiste aansluitingsvlug.

Die means the, and 'n means a/an.

A few useful points:

• die is used for the in both singular and plural
• Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender like German or Dutch, so you do not need different forms for the
• 'n is the normal indefinite article, equivalent to English a/an

So:

• die vlugvertraging = the flight delay
• 'n gemiste aansluitingsvlug = a missed connecting flight

Because Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns by writing them as one word.

So:

• vlug
  • vertraging → vlugvertraging
• aansluiting
  • vlug → aansluitingsvlug

This is very normal in Afrikaans. English often writes these as separate words, but Afrikaans usually combines them.

A helpful rule:

• the last part tells you the main thing
• the earlier part(s) describe it

So:

• vlugvertraging is a kind of vertraging = a kind of delay
• aansluitingsvlug is a kind of vlug = a kind of flight

Veroorsaak means cause or causes.

In this sentence it is the present tense verb:

• Die vlugvertraging veroorsaak ...
• The flight delay causes ...

Afrikaans verbs are simpler than English verbs in many ways. In the present tense, the verb usually does not change depending on the subject:

• ek veroorsaak
• jy veroorsaak
• hy/sy veroorsaak
• ons veroorsaak

So veroorsaak stays the same.

Because gemiste is the form used before a noun here.

In Afrikaans, adjectives and adjective-like participle forms often change when they come in front of a noun. In this sentence:

• gemiste aansluitingsvlug = missed connecting flight

So gemiste is the correct attributive form here.

This is something English speakers often notice because English usually keeps the adjective unchanged, while Afrikaans often adds an ending.

The -s- is a linking letter inside the compound.

So the word is built like this:

• aansluiting
  • s
    • vlug → aansluitingsvlug

That -s- does not mean possession here. It is just part of how compounds are often formed in Afrikaans.

You will see this kind of linking sound in many compound nouns. Sometimes it appears, sometimes it does not, and it often has to be learned with the word.

In this sentence, yes, it is very similar to English:

• Die vlugvertraging = subject
• veroorsaak = verb
• 'n gemiste aansluitingsvlug = object

So the pattern is:

• Subject + Verb + Object

That said, Afrikaans has an important general rule that the finite verb usually comes second in a main clause. This sentence follows that rule perfectly.

'n is simply the standard written form of the Afrikaans indefinite article.

It is pronounced very weakly, roughly like the a in about. It is not stressed.

A useful spelling note:

• 'n is normally written with a lower-case n
• even if it comes at the beginning of a sentence, the next word is capitalized instead

For example:

• 'n Vlugvertraging kan probleme veroorsaak.

That looks unusual to English speakers, but it is correct in Afrikaans.

No. That is one of the nice things about Afrikaans.

Unlike some other European languages:

• there is no grammatical gender system you need to memorize for articles like the
• there is very little case marking

So in this sentence, you do not have to worry about masculine/feminine/neuter or case endings. You can focus more on word order, compounds, and vocabulary.

Yes, that is grammatical and understandable.

It means the same basic thing, but it is a bit less compact. Afrikaans often prefers the compound noun:

• die vlugvertraging

rather than the longer phrase:

• die vertraging van die vlug

So the version with the compound is usually the more natural, tidy way to say it.

It is grammatical and clear, but in everyday speech Afrikaans speakers might also use slightly different phrasing depending on context.

For example, people might say something like:

• Die vlugvertraging veroorsaak dat passasiers hul aansluitingsvlug mis.
• Die vlugvertraging maak dat jy jou aansluitingsvlug mis.

Those versions focus more directly on the people missing the connecting flight.

Also, if the context is already clear, speakers may sometimes shorten aansluitingsvlug to aansluiting in informal use.

So your sentence is correct, but it is good to know there are other natural ways to express the same idea.