Die film begin vandag.

Here, die means the.

It is not the English verb die. In Afrikaans, die is the definite article used with nouns, like the in English.

It is usually pronounced roughly like dee, not like English die.

So:

• die film = the film / the movie

Afrikaans verbs do not usually change form the way English verbs do in the present tense.

In English, you say:

• I begin
• the film begins

But in Afrikaans, the verb stays the same:

• Ek begin = I begin
• Die film begin = The film begins

So begin is the correct present-tense form here.

It can mean both, depending on context.

In everyday Afrikaans, film is commonly used for film or movie. So in this sentence, it can naturally mean the film or the movie.

You may also hear fliek, which is a very common informal word for movie.

So these are both possible in many situations:

• Die film begin vandag.
• Die fliek begin vandag.

The first sounds a bit more neutral or standard; the second is more conversational.

That is a normal Afrikaans word order.

In a basic main clause, Afrikaans often follows this pattern:

• subject + verb + time expression

So:

• Die film = subject
• begin = verb
• vandag = time expression

That gives:

• Die film begin vandag.

But vandag can also come first for emphasis:

• Vandag begin die film.

When that happens, Afrikaans keeps the verb in the second position. This is a very important pattern in Afrikaans.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Die film begin vandag.
• Vandag begin die film.

The difference is mainly emphasis:

• Die film begin vandag = neutral statement
• Vandag begin die film = puts more focus on today

This is similar to English:

• The film starts today
• Today the film starts

Afrikaans does not use grammatical gender the way languages like German do, and it does not have different forms of the for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

So die is the normal definite article for nouns, whether they are singular or plural.

Examples:

• die film = the film
• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die films = the films

This makes Afrikaans simpler than many other Germanic languages in this area.

A rough English-style guide is:

dee film buh-KHIN fun-DAKH

A few notes:

• die sounds like dee
• begin has a guttural g sound, not an English g
• vandag also has that guttural sound at the end

If you cannot make the guttural sound yet, that is very normal for English speakers. A softer version will still usually be understood.

You would usually say:

Die film begin nie vandag nie.

Afrikaans commonly uses a double nie structure in negative sentences:

• first nie after the verb or the part being negated
• second nie near the end of the clause

So:

• Die film begin vandag. = The film starts today.
• Die film begin nie vandag nie. = The film does not start today.

This double negative pattern is one of the most important features of Afrikaans grammar.

Yes. Begin is also the basic dictionary form of the verb.

So Afrikaans often uses the same form where English has:

• begin
• begins
• to begin

Examples:

• Ek begin. = I begin.
• Die film begin. = The film begins.
• om te begin = to begin

So in your sentence, begin is the finite verb, but it is also the base form of the verb.

Usually it means the film starts today in the sense of a scheduled event.

Afrikaans, like English, can use the simple present for timetables, schedules, and planned events.

So Die film begin vandag is most naturally understood as something like:

• the film starts today
• the film opens today
• the film begins today

If you wanted to make the meaning more immediate or progressive, Afrikaans would normally use a different structure.