Aan die een kant: aanteken; maar aan die ander kant: afneem.

Not really. It is more like a contrastive pair of expressions than a full everyday sentence.

A full sentence would normally include a clear subject and a finite verb, for example:

• Aan die een kant teken ek dit aan, maar aan die ander kant neem dit af.

What you have here looks more like a teaching example, a note, or a dictionary-style contrast:

• on the one hand: aanteken
• but on the other hand: afneem

So the structure is intentionally shortened.

Aan die een kant means on the one hand or literally on the one side.

It is a very common expression used when you are setting up a contrast between two sides of an issue:

• Aan die een kant ..., maar aan die ander kant ...

This works very much like English on the one hand ... but on the other hand ...

Aan die ander kant means on the other hand or literally on the other side.

It is the second half of the contrast:

• Aan die een kant = on the one hand
• Aan die ander kant = on the other hand

So together they form a fixed pair.

Here die is the definite article, meaning the.

Literally, the phrases are:

• aan die een kant = on the one side
• aan die ander kant = on the other side

This is just how the idiom is built in Afrikaans. English learners sometimes want to translate word-for-word too mechanically, but it is best to learn these as set expressions.

Yes, een normally means one, and here it still does, but in a fixed expression.

In aan die een kant, een contrasts with ander:

• the one side
• the other side

So it is not just counting; it is helping create the contrast.

Both are separable verbs in Afrikaans.

They are built from:

• a verb stem
• plus a prefix-like particle

For example:

• aanteken = aan
  • teken
• afneem = af
  • neem

In the infinitive, they are written as one word:

• aanteken
• afneem

But in many main clauses, the first part separates:

• Ek teken dit aan.
• Die getal neem af.

This is very important for English speakers, because the dictionary form is one word, but actual sentence word order may split it.

Here are simple examples:

For aanteken:

• Ek teken die antwoord aan. = I write down the answer.
• Sy het alles aangeteken. = She wrote everything down.

For afneem:

• Die verkope neem af. = Sales are decreasing.
• Die pyn het afgeneem. = The pain decreased.

Notice:

• in the present/main clause: teken ... aan, neem af
• in the past participle: aangeteken, afgeneem

That punctuation is mostly stylistic here. It helps present the two sides neatly:

• Aan die een kant: aanteken;
• maar aan die ander kant: afneem.

This is not the only possible punctuation. You could also see something simpler, such as:

• Aan die een kant aanteken, maar aan die ander kant afneem.

So the punctuation is not the main grammar point; it is just organizing the contrast.

Maar means but.

It signals contrast between the first side and the second side:

• Aan die een kant ...
• maar aan die ander kant ...

This is very natural, because the whole expression is about balancing or contrasting two ideas.

Yes, if you turn this into a full sentence, Afrikaans word order follows its normal rules.

When a phrase like Aan die een kant comes first, the finite verb usually comes next, before the subject. For example:

• Aan die een kant teken ek alles aan.
• Aan die ander kant neem die getal af.

That is the normal verb-second pattern of main clauses.

So even though the short example only shows infinitives, in a real sentence you would need to pay attention to inversion.

No. Afneem can have several meanings depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• decrease
• take off / remove
• administer (for example, a test or an oath)

Examples:

• Die wind neem af. = The wind is decreasing.
• Hy neem sy hoed af. = He takes off his hat.
• Die onderwyser neem die toets af. = The teacher administers the test.

So context matters a lot.

Yes. Aanteken often means:

• write down
• note
• record
• sometimes register or enter officially, depending on context

Examples:

• Teken dit aan. = Write it down.
• Die sekretaris het die besluit aangeteken. = The secretary recorded the decision.

So if you already know the general meaning, it is still useful to remember that the exact English translation can vary by context.

Yes, that is a very good idea.

For learners, it is easiest to memorize the pair as a set phrase:

• Aan die een kant ...
• maar aan die ander kant ...

That way, you will be able to use it naturally in your own sentences without rebuilding it from scratch each time. It is one of those expressions that works best when learned as a whole pattern.