Die dansonderwyser praat met die klas.

Because die is the normal definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

In this sentence, it appears before both nouns:

• die dansonderwyser = the dance teacher
• die klas = the class

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not switch between forms like the and a/an in the same way as English articles do. Here, both nouns are definite, so both use die.

Dansonderwyser is a compound noun. Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, often joins nouns together into one word.

It breaks down as:

• dans = dance
• onderwyser = teacher

So dansonderwyser literally means dance teacher.

English usually writes this as two words, but Afrikaans commonly writes such combinations as one word.

Praat means speak or talk.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change much depending on the subject. That is much simpler than English.

For example:

• Ek praat = I speak / I am speaking
• Jy praat = you speak / are speaking
• Hy praat = he speaks / is speaking
• Ons praat = we speak / are speaking

So in Die dansonderwyser praat, the verb stays praat.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present form where English might use either:

• talks
• is talking

So Die dansonderwyser praat met die klas can mean:

• The dance teacher talks to the class
• The dance teacher is talking to the class

The exact meaning depends on context.

Met means with.

So literally, the sentence says:

• The dance teacher talks with the class

In natural English, this may also be translated as:

• The dance teacher talks to the class

So even though met literally means with, the best English translation can depend on context.

This is a basic main clause, and Afrikaans often uses the same general word order as English in simple sentences:

• Subject + verb + rest of sentence

Here:

• Die dansonderwyser = subject
• praat = verb
• met die klas = prepositional phrase

So:

• Die dansonderwyser praat met die klas.

That is why it feels quite familiar to an English speaker.

In this sentence, die klas usually means the class in the sense of the group of students.

So the teacher is speaking to the students.

If you wanted to emphasize the physical room, Afrikaans would more naturally use another word, such as klaskamer for classroom.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

DANS-ohn-der-vy-ser

A few helpful points:

• dans sounds like dahns with a clear s
• onder sounds roughly like on-der
• wy often sounds something like vay or fay to English ears, depending on accent
• ser is light and unstressed at the end

Pronunciation varies somewhat by speaker, but that rough guide will help.

Traditionally:

• onderwyser = male teacher
• onderwyseres = female teacher

However, in modern everyday Afrikaans, onderwyser is often used more generally, especially when the gender is unknown or unimportant.

So dansonderwyser may refer to a male dance teacher, but context matters.

Yes, but it changes the nuance.

• praat = speak / talk
• gesels = chat / have a conversation

So:

• Die dansonderwyser praat met die klas = the dance teacher talks/speaks with the class
• Die dansonderwyser gesels met die klas = the dance teacher chats with the class

Praat is more neutral and general.

It can, depending on the meaning.

• met die klas = with the class
• met die klas praat suggests interaction with the class
• praat met is a very common combination in Afrikaans

If you want to emphasize speaking to an audience rather than interacting with them, Afrikaans may use other wording in different contexts. But in ordinary usage, praat met is very natural here.

Yes. In Afrikaans, yes/no questions usually put the verb first.

Statement:

• Die dansonderwyser praat met die klas.

Question:

• Praat die dansonderwyser met die klas?

That means:

• Is the dance teacher talking to the class?
• Does the dance teacher talk to the class?