Eers nadat die lugdiens die aanspraak verwerp het, begin die bemiddeling.

Only after the airline has rejected the claim does the mediation begin.

Breakdown of Eers nadat die lugdiens die aanspraak verwerp het, begin die bemiddeling.

• hê: to have
• begin: to begin
• verwerp: to reject formally (an appeal or application)
• eers nadat ...: only after; not until

Questions & Answers about Eers nadat die lugdiens die aanspraak verwerp het, begin die bemiddeling.

What does eers nadat mean in this sentence?

Eers nadat means only after.

• nadat = after
• eers adds the idea of not before then / only then

So Eers nadat die lugdiens die aanspraak verwerp het means Only after the airline has rejected the claim.

Without eers, nadat would just mean after, but eers makes the timing more restrictive.

Why is begin die bemiddeling not die bemiddeling begin?

Because Afrikaans uses verb-first inversion when something other than the subject comes at the start of the sentence.

The sentence begins with the time clause:

Eers nadat die lugdiens die aanspraak verwerp het, ...

After that opening element, the finite verb of the main clause comes next:

• begin = finite verb
• die bemiddeling = subject

So the main clause is:

begin die bemiddeling

This is very common in Afrikaans. Compare:

• Die bemiddeling begin. = The mediation begins.
• Môre begin die bemiddeling. = Tomorrow the mediation begins.
• Eers daarna begin die bemiddeling. = Only after that does the mediation begin.