Die hoofstuk is kort en dus maklik.

Die is the definite article, meaning the.

In Afrikaans, die is much simpler than English articles in one way: it is used for:

• singular nouns: die hoofstuk = the chapter
• plural nouns: die hoofstukke = the chapters

Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender like Dutch or German, so you do not need different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

Hoofstuk means chapter. Yes, it is a normal, common word, especially in books, schoolwork, and formal writing.

Its plural is usually hoofstukke:

• die hoofstuk = the chapter
• die hoofstukke = the chapters

Is is the present tense of wees (to be), just like English is.

So:

• Die hoofstuk is kort = The chapter is short
• Die hoofstuk is maklik = The chapter is easy

In this sentence, is links the subject die hoofstuk to the descriptions kort and maklik.

Because they are being used after the verb is. In that position, Afrikaans adjectives usually do not take extra endings.

So you say:

• Die hoofstuk is kort
• Die hoofstuk is maklik

This is called predicative use of the adjective.

Compare that with adjectives before a noun, where Afrikaans often does add -e:

• ’n kort hoofstuk = a short chapter
• ’n maklike hoofstuk = an easy chapter

So the short version is:

• after is → usually no ending
• before a noun → often an -e ending

Dus means therefore, thus, or so.

In this sentence, it shows a logical result:

• Die hoofstuk is kort en dus maklik
  = The chapter is short and therefore easy.

The idea is that the chapter is easy because it is short, or at least that the speaker sees shortness as leading to easiness.

Here, dus is closely connected to maklik: thus/therefore easy.

The sentence structure is basically:

• Die hoofstuk = subject
• is = verb
• kort en dus maklik = linked description

So dus helps modify the second adjective phrase, not the whole sentence on its own. It signals that maklik is a conclusion from kort.

That is why kort en dus maklik feels natural:
short and therefore easy

Because Afrikaans, like English, can link two descriptions with en (and) after a single verb.

So:

• Die hoofstuk is kort en maklik = The chapter is short and easy

You do not need to repeat is unless you want a more separate or emphatic structure.

Here, kort and dus maklik are both linked to the same is.

Yes. In this sentence, en simply links two parts:

• kort
• dus maklik

So the structure is:

• short and therefore easy

It works very much like English and in this kind of sentence.

It can be both, depending on the sentence.

Here it is an adjective:

• Die hoofstuk is maklik = The chapter is easy

But it can also function adverbially:

• Hy leer maklik = He learns easily

Afrikaans often uses the same form for both adjective and adverb, unlike English, which often has a special -ly adverb form.

Yes. That would simply mean:

• The chapter is short and easy

Adding dus makes the relationship more explicit:

• kort en dus maklik = short and therefore easy

So:

• without dus: just two descriptions
• with dus: the second description sounds like a result of the first one

Yes, but the emphasis changes.

• Die hoofstuk is kort en dus maklik
  This strongly suggests: because it is short, it is easy.

• Die hoofstuk is dus kort en maklik
  This sounds more like: therefore, the chapter is short and easy in a broader context, as if you are drawing a conclusion from something said earlier.

So both are possible, but they do not feel exactly the same.

A simple approximate guide for an English speaker is:

• die ≈ dee
• hoofstuk ≈ HOAF-stuk or HOOF-stuk
• is ≈ iss
• kort ≈ kort
• en ≈ en or a reduced uhn in fast speech
• dus ≈ duss
• maklik ≈ MUK-lik or MAHK-lik, depending on accent

A few useful notes:

• g is often a harsh throat sound in Afrikaans, but there is no g in this sentence.
• aa, oo, and similar vowel combinations can vary by accent.
• Stress is usually clear and fairly strong in words like hoofstuk and maklik.

Yes. It is grammatical and natural.

It sounds slightly neat or textbook-like because of dus, which is a bit more formal than very casual everyday speech. But it is still perfectly normal Afrikaans.

In very casual speech, someone might also express the same idea in other ways, but this sentence itself is completely fine.