Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Hy het 'n kat.

In Afrikaans, 'n is the indefinite article. The apostrophe indicates that an e used to be there historically (it came from the Dutch word een meaning "a/an"). Over time, it was shortened and lost its vowel in Afrikaans.

What part of speech is het here, and how is it used?

Het is the simple present tense form of the verb that translates as "to have." In Afrikaans, we use het followed by the object or thing owned (in this case a cat).

Why does Hy het 'n kat word-order look similar to English?

Afrikaans often uses a subject–verb–object structure, just like English. In this sentence, Hy (he) is the subject, het (has) is the verb, and 'n kat (a cat) is the object.

Is the h in het pronounced like an English h-sound?

Yes, the h in Afrikaans is pronounced similarly to the English h. The rest of het is similar to the English word "hit" but with a subtly shorter vowel sound.

Could I say Hy besit 'n kat instead?

Technically you could, as besit means "owns," but it's not very common in everyday conversation. In everyday speech, is the typical verb to use when talking about possession.