Die testateur bemaak die roerende eiendom.

Testateur is a formal legal word meaning testator in English — the person who makes a will.

It is not a common everyday word. In normal conversation, many speakers would avoid it unless they are talking about law, wills, inheritance, or legal documents. So this sentence sounds quite formal and legal in tone.

Bemaak means to bequeath, to leave something to someone in a will, or to leave by testament.

It is specifically used in the context of inheritance and wills, so it is more precise than a general verb like gee (give). In other words:

• gee = give
• bemaak = leave/bequeath in a will

So this verb tells you that the action is happening as part of a testament or inheritance context.

Roerende eiendom is a legal term meaning movable property or personal property.

It refers to things that can be moved, unlike land or buildings. For example, it can include things like:

• furniture
• vehicles
• jewellery
• money
• equipment

In legal language, this contrasts with onroerende eiendom, which means immovable property or real estate, such as land and houses.

In Afrikaans, adjectives normally come before the noun, just as they often do in English.

So:

• eiendom = property
• roerende eiendom = movable property

Here, roerende is the adjective describing the noun eiendom.

Die here is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• Die testateur = The testator
• die roerende eiendom = the movable property

Afrikaans uses die for the regardless of gender, so unlike languages such as German or Dutch, you do not have to change the article for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

Yes. This is standard Afrikaans main-clause word order:

• Die testateur = subject
• bemaak = verb
• die roerende eiendom = object

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is the normal pattern for a simple statement in Afrikaans.

This is because Afrikaans adjectives often take an -e ending when they come before a noun.

So the base form is related to roerend, but before eiendom it becomes roerende.

This -e ending is very common in attributive adjective use in Afrikaans. Compare:

• die roerende eiendom = the movable property
• a predicate use would often look different in other contexts

For learners, the main thing to remember is that adjectives before nouns frequently appear with -e.

Here eiendom is singular in form, but it can refer to property in a broad or collective sense, much like English property.

So even though it looks singular, it may refer to a category of assets rather than just one single item.

If you needed a plural idea in another context, Afrikaans often uses different wording depending on the exact legal meaning, but in legal style eiendom often works as a collective noun.

This exact sentence sounds formal and legal. In more everyday language, people might choose simpler words, depending on context.

For example, instead of testateur, they might refer to:

• die persoon wat die testament opstel
• die oorledene if the person has died
• another simpler phrase depending on the situation

And instead of bemaak, some speakers might explain the idea more plainly, though in legal contexts bemaak is still the correct precise word.

So the sentence is grammatically normal, but stylistically it belongs to legal or formal written Afrikaans.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

Die testateur bemaak die roerende eiendom

Approximate help:

• Die ≈ dee
• testateur ≈ tes-ta-TOOR
• bemaak ≈ bih-MAHK
• roerende ≈ ROO-run-duh
• eiendom ≈ AY-un-dom

A few notes:

• Afrikaans r may be rolled or tapped depending on the speaker
• aa in bemaak is a long vowel
• ei often sounds like ay

This is only an approximation, but it should help you get started.