Basiese passe is maklik slegs indien voetwerk stadig is.

Because it comes before a noun. In Afrikaans, attributive adjectives — adjectives placed before a noun — usually take an -e ending.

• basies = basic
• basiese passe = basic passes

So basiese is the normal form of the adjective when it modifies passe.

Afrikaans forms many plurals with -e, not -s.

• pas = pass
• passe = passes

So basiese passe is simply the plural noun form. Even though it looks a bit like English, the plural spelling follows Afrikaans rules.

Because maklik is a predicate adjective here — it comes after the verb is.

In Afrikaans:

• adjective before a noun: usually takes -e
• adjective after is: usually stays in its basic form

So:

• basiese passe = basic passes
• passe is maklik = passes are easy

That is why it is maklik, not maklike.

No. In Afrikaans, the verb to be in the present tense is is for both singular and plural.

Compare:

• Dit is maklik = It is easy
• Die passe is maklik = The passes are easy

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the verb here from is to are.

Slegs means only.

It is correct and fairly common, but it can sound a bit more formal or written than net, which also often means only.

So these are similar:

• slegs indien = only if
• net as / net indien = only if

In this sentence, slegs adds the idea that the condition is limited: it is easy only under that condition.

Both can often mean if, but indien is usually more formal or more written in tone.

• indien = if, in the event that
• as = if

So:

• slegs indien voetwerk stadig is sounds slightly more formal
• slegs as voetwerk stadig is would also be understandable in many contexts

A learner should recognize indien as a standard word for if.

Because indien introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses, the verb often goes to the end.

Main clause:

• Basiese passe is maklik

Subordinate clause:

• indien voetwerk stadig is

That final is is a very important Afrikaans word-order pattern. English keeps is earlier, but Afrikaans often pushes the verb to the end after words like indien, dat, omdat, and wanneer.

Because voetwerk is treated as a singular mass or collective noun, much like English footwork.

You would say:

• Voetwerk is belangrik = Footwork is important
• Voetwerk is stadig = Footwork is slow

Even though footwork involves many movements, the noun itself is grammatically singular.

Because there are two clauses, and each clause needs its own verb.

1. Main clause: Basiese passe is maklik
2. Subordinate clause: indien voetwerk stadig is

So the first is links passe with maklik, and the second is links voetwerk with stadig.

A very close word-for-word breakdown is:

• Basiese passe = basic passes
• is = are
• maklik = easy
• slegs = only
• indien = if
• voetwerk = footwork
• stadig = slow
• is = is

So the structure is roughly:

Basic passes are easy only if footwork slow is

That final is sounds odd in English, but it is normal in Afrikaans because of the subordinate clause introduced by indien.

Not in this sentence. Here stadig is describing voetwerk, so it means slow.

• voetwerk is stadig = footwork is slow

If you wanted slowly as an adverb in another kind of sentence, Afrikaans often still uses the same form:

• Hy loop stadig = He walks slowly

So stadig can function as both slow and slowly, depending on the sentence. Here it is clearly adjective-like because it follows is.

Yes. It contains several very useful Afrikaans patterns:

• adjective before noun: basiese passe
• present-tense is for plural subjects
• predicate adjective without -e: is maklik
• formal if: indien
• subordinate clause with verb at the end: indien voetwerk stadig is

So even though the sentence is short, it is a good example of core Afrikaans grammar.