Die afvoerslang lek effens.

Die is the definite article, so it means the.

A useful thing for English speakers to know is that Afrikaans die:

• does not change for gender
• does not change for case
• can be used with both singular and plural nouns

So die afvoerslang means the drain hose.

Also, die in Afrikaans is pronounced roughly like dee, not like English the.

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

So:

• afvoer = drainage / outflow / discharge
• slang = hose / tube

Together, afvoerslang means drain hose or outlet hose.

The last part, slang, is the main noun, and the first part, afvoer, describes what kind of hose it is.

Afvoer has the idea of carrying away, draining off, or discharging something.

In household or appliance contexts, it often refers to:

• a drain
• an outlet
• a waste-water discharge

So an afvoerslang is the hose that carries water away, such as from a washing machine or dishwasher.

Lek is the verb meaning leak.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form in the present tense the way English verbs do. So you get:

• Ek lek = I leak
• Jy lek = you leak
• Hy lek = he leaks
• Die afvoerslang lek = the drain hose leaks

So lek stays lek regardless of the subject.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English would use either:

• leaks
• is leaking

So Die afvoerslang lek can naturally mean:

• The drain hose leaks
• The drain hose is leaking

The exact English translation depends on context.

If you really want to emphasize an ongoing action, Afrikaans can use a progressive structure such as is besig om te lek, but in ordinary speech lek by itself is usually enough.

Effens means slightly, a little, or somewhat.

So lek effens means:

• leaks slightly
• is leaking a little

It softens the statement and tells you the leak is minor, not severe.

Because effens is an adverb modifying the verb lek.

The sentence has a very normal Afrikaans word order:

• Die afvoerslang = subject
• lek = verb
• effens = adverb

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + adverb

That makes Die afvoerslang lek effens a very straightforward sentence.

Yes. You could simply say:

Die afvoerslang lek.

That means The drain hose leaks / is leaking.

Adding effens gives extra information: the leak is only slight.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Die afvoerslang = the drain hose
  This refers to a specific hose that both speaker and listener can identify.

• ’n afvoerslang = a drain hose
  This refers to a drain hose in a more general or indefinite way.

So if you are talking about a particular hose on a machine, die is the natural choice.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

dee AF-foor-slang lek EF-fens

A few helpful notes:

• die sounds like dee
• lek has a short e, like e in bed
• effens starts with the same short e sound

The exact Afrikaans sounds are a bit different from English, but that guide will get you close.