Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die kind spring oor die muur.

Afrikaans verbs are not conjugated for person or number in the present tense. You use the same base form for ek (I), jy (you), hy/sy (he/she), ons (we), julle (you pl.) and hulle (they). So ek spring, jy spring, hy spring, ons spring, etc.

Why is the definite article die used for both kind and muur? Does Afrikaans have grammatical gender?

No. Afrikaans has a single definite article die for all nouns—singular or plural, and regardless of “gender.” Both die kind (“the child”) and die muur (“the wall”) simply take die.

How would I say “A child jumps over a wall” using the indefinite article?

Use 'n (short for een, “one/a”) before each noun:
'n kind spring oor 'n muur.

How do I pronounce die, kind, spring, oor and muur?

• die – /diː/ (“dee”)
• kind – /kɪnt/ (“kint,” short i)
• spring – /sprɪŋ/ (like English “spring,” short i)
• oor – /uːr/ (rhymes with English “oar” or “more” without the m)
• muur – /myːr/ (uu = a long rounded u, like German ü; approx. “mure” in English)

What does the preposition oor mean here, and can it mean something else?

In die kind spring oor die muur it means “over” (movement from one side to the other). Oor can also mean “about” when talking of a topic:
Ons praat oor die boek. (“We talk about the book.”)

How do you form the plural of kind and muur?

• kind → kinders (“children”)
• muur → mure (“walls”)

How do you turn this into a yes/no question—“Does the child jump over the wall?”

Place the verb first for a yes/no question:
Spring die kind oor die muur?

What happens to word order if I start with another element (e.g. a time word)?

Afrikaans follows a “verb-second” pattern. If you front an adverbial, the verb remains in second position:
Vanaand spring die kind oor die muur. (“Tonight the child jumps over the wall.”)