Vandag leer ek om die fout reg te stel.

Today I am learning how to correct the mistake.

Breakdown of Vandag leer ek om die fout reg te stel.

• ek: I
• vandag: today
• om: to
• leer: to learn
• die fout: the mistake
• reg te stel: to correct

Questions & Answers about Vandag leer ek om die fout reg te stel.

Why does the sentence start with Vandag and then have leer ek instead of ek leer?

Afrikaans follows a V2 (verb‐second) word order. When you front an adverbial like Vandag, the finite verb must occupy the second position, so the subject ek comes after the verb:
• Vandag leer ek rather than Vandag ek leer.

What is the function of om and te in leer om die fout reg te stel?

Afrikaans uses the om … te construction to introduce infinitives (equivalent to English “to …”). After verbs like leer that are followed by another verb, you need:
• om before the object/infinitival clause
• te immediately before the verb root
So leer om die fout reg te stel literally means “learn to correct the mistake.”

Why do reg and stel appear separately, with te in between?

regstel (“to correct”) is a separable verb. In the om … te infinitive you split the prefix and verb root:
• Prefix reg stays before te
• Verb root stel follows te
Hence reg te stel inside the infinitival clause.

How can I tell if leer means “to learn” or “to teach”?

In Afrikaans leer can mean both “learn” and “teach.” Context and construction disambiguate:
• With leer om + infinitive, it always means “to learn to ….”
• With a direct object (e.g. hy leer my Engels) it means “he teaches me English.”

Is leer here simple present or present progressive? How do I say “I am learning” if I want to stress it’s ongoing?

Afrikaans has no separate progressive tense—the simple present covers both “I learn” and “I am learning.” To emphasize the ongoing action, you can say:
• Ek is besig om die fout reg te stel (“I am busy correcting the mistake”).

Why is it die fout (“the mistake”)? What if I want to speak about mistakes in general?

die is the definite article for a specific, singular noun. To talk about mistakes in general (plural, indefinite), drop die and use the plural noun:
• Vandag leer ek om foute reg te stel (“Today I’m learning to correct mistakes”).