Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Ek soek nou die storie wat my ouers vroeër vertel het. - I now search for the story that my parents told earlier.

Afrikaans subordinate clauses (those introduced by a relative pronoun like wat) follow a verb-final word order. That means all verbs—including the main verb stem (vertel) and the auxiliary (het)—go to the very end of the clause. The general structure is: relative pronoun (wat) – subject (my ouers) – adverbs/objects (vroeër) – verb stem (vertel) – auxiliary (het).
In contrast, main clauses use a V2 (verb-second) order.

Why is there no preposition such as aan before my in my ouers vroeër vertel het?

In Afrikaans, vertel is a transitive verb that can take two objects directly. You say hy het my iets vertel (“he told me something”) without a preposition. You could optionally add aan for emphasis—hy het dit aan my vertel—but it’s not required. English uses “told me” with no extra preposition, and Afrikaans works the same way.

What is the role and correct placement of nou in Ek soek nou die storie?

nou is an adverb of time meaning “now” or “just now.” In main clauses Afrikaans typically follows Subject – Verb – Time – Object order. So you get: Ek (S) – soek (V) – nou (T) – die storie (O).
For emphasis, you could also say Ek soek die storie nou, moving nou to the end.

Why is wat used as the relative pronoun here instead of something like wie or watse?

In Afrikaans, wat is the default relative pronoun for both people and things when no preposition is involved. It corresponds to English that/which.
– wie is only used after a preposition when referring to people (e.g., die mense aan wie).
– watse doesn’t exist in standard usage.
So for die storie (a thing), you always use wat: die storie wat....

Why does the sentence start with Ek soek nou die storie instead of something like Nou soek ek die storie?

Afrikaans main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. You can front different elements (subject, time adverb), but the verb stays second.
– Ek soek nou die storie: subject first, verb second, then time and object.
– Nou soek ek die storie is also grammatical: time adverb first, verb second, then subject and object. It simply shifts emphasis onto nou (“now”).

What tense or aspect is vertel het, and why isn’t there a separate simple past form?

Afrikaans uses the perfect construction (het + past participle) for most past contexts. vertel het covers both English simple past (“told”) and present perfect (“have told”). There is no distinct simple-past inflection as in English. You always use the perfect form to talk about past actions.

Where does the adverb vroeër (earlier) fit in the sentence, and why is it placed before vertel instead of at the end?

Within subordinate clauses, time adverbs typically come after the subject but before the verb stem. In wat my ouers vroeër vertel het, the order is:

wat (relative pronoun)
my ouers (subject)
vroeër (time adverb)
vertel (verb stem)
het (auxiliary)
This placement clearly indicates when the telling took place.