Daarby is die vorm kort.

Daarby usually means besides that, in addition, or moreover.

In this sentence, it links the idea to something mentioned earlier. So it is not really part of die vorm itself; it is a connector for the whole sentence.

Compare:

• Daarby is die vorm kort. = Besides that / In addition, the form is short.

You will often see daarby used to add another point in an argument or description.

This is because Afrikaans follows the verb-second pattern in main clauses.

If something other than the subject comes first — here, daarby — then the finite verb usually comes next.

So:

• normal order: Die vorm is kort.
• with daarby moved to the front: Daarby is die vorm kort.

This is very common in Afrikaans and is similar to Dutch and German word order.

Die is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• die vorm = the form

A useful thing for English speakers is that Afrikaans does not change die for gender. It is used for all nouns:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die huis = the house

So die is much simpler than articles in many other European languages.

Vorm usually means form or shape, depending on context.

Possible uses include:

• a form as a structure or type
• a shape
• sometimes something like layout or format, depending on the context

Since you already know the meaning intended in your example, the main thing to remember is that vorm is a common noun and often looks very similar to English form.

Because kort is the complement of the verb is.

The basic structure is:

• die vorm = subject
• is = verb
• kort = adjective describing the subject

So Die vorm is kort literally follows the pattern The form is short.

When daarby is added at the front, the structure becomes:

• Daarby
  • is
    • die vorm
      • kort

That final position for the adjective is completely normal.

Here kort is used after the verb is, so it is a predicative adjective. In that position, Afrikaans adjectives normally stay in their basic form.

So:

• Die vorm is kort. = The form is short.

This is different from adjectives placed before a noun, where spelling can sometimes vary depending on the adjective:

• ’n kort vorm = a short form

For this sentence, the important point is simple: after is, just use kort.

Yes. Is is the present-tense form of wees, which means to be.

So:

• ek is = I am
• jy is = you are
• hy/sy/dit is = he/she/it is

In this sentence:

• die vorm is kort = the form is short

It is one of the most common verbs in Afrikaans.

Usually, no — not in the same natural way.

Daarby normally works best as a connector near the beginning of the clause when it means besides that or moreover.

Natural:

• Daarby is die vorm kort.

Less natural for this meaning:

• Die vorm is kort, daarby.

If you want to keep the normal subject-first order, you would more naturally use another word such as ook in some contexts:

• Die vorm is ook kort. = The form is also short.

But that is not always exactly the same meaning as daarby.

Ook usually means also.

Daarby usually means besides that, in addition, or moreover.

So the difference is:

• ook adds one item more directly
• daarby adds another point to the discussion

Compare:

• Die vorm is ook kort. = The form is also short.
• Daarby is die vorm kort. = Besides that, the form is short.

The second one sounds more like you are giving an extra reason or extra piece of information.

Yes, grammatically it is complete.

It has:

• a connector: Daarby
• a verb: is
• a subject: die vorm
• an adjective/complement: kort

So it is a full sentence.

However, daarby usually refers back to something already mentioned, so in real conversation or writing it often feels most natural when it comes after an earlier statement.

A rough guide is:

• Daarby ≈ daar-bay
• is ≈ iss
• die ≈ often like dee
• vorm ≈ similar to English form, but with an Afrikaans v/f-like sound depending on accent
• kort ≈ like court, but shorter and crisper

A rough English-style approximation could be:

DAAR-bay iss dee form kort

That said, exact pronunciation depends on accent, and Afrikaans vowels are not always the same as English ones.