Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Winter kom nader, en die reën verander soms in sneeu; die paaie bly nat. - Winter is coming closer, and the rain sometimes turns into snow; the roads stay wet.

naby means “close” (e.g. naby my huis = “close to my house”).
nader is the comparative form (“closer”) and often used adverbially in the phrase kom nader (“come closer” or “approach”).
In Winter kom nader we use nader to show that winter is drawing nearer. Saying Winter kom naby would be unidiomatic; you need the comparative nader with kom to express “approach.”

Why is soms placed after the verb in verander soms in sneeu rather than at the beginning or end of the clause?

Afrikaans follows a V2 (verb‐second) word order: the finite verb must be the second element. Here the subject die reën comes first, the verb verander is second, and the adverb soms follows. You could start with Soms (“Sometimes …”), but then you must invert the subject and verb:

Soms verander die reën in sneeu.

Why is the verb verander followed by in sneeu? Could you use tot sneeu, na sneeu or some other preposition?

The standard collocation for “turn into” or “change into” in Afrikaans is verander in.
verander tot is very rare, and verander na often conveys direction or a shift in topic, not physical transformation.
Therefore verander in sneeu = “changes into snow.”

Why isn’t there an article before sneeu in verander soms in sneeu?

Sneeu is an uncountable mass noun (like “water” or “sand”). In Afrikaans, these nouns generally do not take an indefinite article ’n. We simply say in sneeu (“into snow”), not in ’n sneeu.

What does the semicolon (;) do in this sentence? Why not just a comma or a period?

A semicolon links two closely related independent clauses when you want a stronger separation than a comma but a looser one than a full stop. Here:

Clause 1: Winter kom nader, en die reën verander soms in sneeu
Clause 2: die paaie bly nat
The semicolon tells the reader “these thoughts are linked—winter brings snow sometimes, and as a result, the roads stay wet.”

Why is the plural of pad written paaie instead of pade or pads?

In Afrikaans, many monosyllabic nouns with a short vowel lengthen the vowel and add -e in the plural. So pad (with a short a) becomes paad (lengthened) and is spelled paaie to represent /aː.iə/. Pade or pads would violate standard plural rules.

What does bly mean in bly nat, and why not just say is nat?

bly means “stay” or “remain.”
bly nat emphasizes a continuing state: “the roads remain/stay wet.”
Saying die paaie is nat simply states “the roads are wet,” without highlighting that they continue to be wet as winter approaches.

Why is the definite article die used before reën and paaie? Could you omit it?

Afrikaans uses die to refer to something specific or already known in context. Here:

die reën refers to the current rain being discussed.
die paaie refers to “the roads” in the general area.
Omitting die would make the nouns indefinite or overly general, and would sound odd in this context.

What’s the purpose of the diaeresis on reën, and how is it pronounced? Why isn’t there one on sneeu?

The diaeresis (¨) on ë in reën shows that the two vowels form separate syllables: re-ën /ˈri.ən/. Without it, one might read it as a single diphthong /reɪn/.
In sneeu, the sequence eeu is treated as one syllable /snəʉ/, so no diaeresis is needed.

Why is the present tense kom nader used to talk about a future event? Is there a future tense in Afrikaans?

Afrikaans does not have a distinct future tense. The present tense often conveys future meaning when the context is clear. Thus Winter kom nader is understood as “Winter is approaching” or “Winter is coming soon.” For emphasis, you could use sal + infinitive (Winter sal nader kom), but the simple present is more idiomatic here.