Die katjie spring van die tafeltjie af en kyk na die hondjie.

The suffix -tjie is the diminutive ending in Afrikaans. It expresses smallness or affection:

• kat → katjie (kitten or little cat)
• tafel → tafeltjie (small table)
• hond → hondjie (puppy or little dog)
  Depending on the noun’s ending, you may see slight spelling changes, but -tjie is the standard for forming diminutives.

die is the definite article in Afrikaans (equivalent to the in English). It doesn’t change for singular/plural:

• die katjie = the kitten
• die tafeltjie = the little table
• die hondjie = the puppy
  Use ’n (pronounced uhn) for an indefinite article (a or an).

spring af is a two-part verb meaning to jump off. When specifying off of something, you use van ... af:

• van = from
• af = off
  So spring van die tafeltjie af literally means jumps off of the little table.

Both word orders are acceptable:

• spring van die tafeltjie af (more common)
• spring af van die tafeltjie
  Afrikaans allows you to place af either immediately after the verb or at the very end, but grouping van ... af is the usual pattern.

In Afrikaans, the verb kyk (to look) requires the preposition na to mean to look at:

• kyk na = look at
  Without na, the sentence is incomplete:
• kyk na die hondjie = looks at the puppy

You can, but there’s a subtle difference:

• kyk na = look at (directing your gaze)
• kyk vir = look for or watch someone (implies searching or caution)
  For a simple observation (he’s looking at the puppy), kyk na die hondjie is more natural.

Use the indefinite article ’n (pronounced uhn) before the noun:

• ’n tafeltjie = a small table
  Similarly:
• ’n katjie = a kitten
• ’n hondjie = a puppy

The tj is pronounced like the English ch in church, and the -ie is a short uh sound (schwa):

• katjie ≈ KAH-chuh
• hondjie ≈ HON-chuh