Kan jy vir my sê watter tafel nog leeg is?

Kan jy means Can you.

• kan = can
• jy = you (singular or informal/general you)

So the sentence begins as a normal yes/no question in Afrikaans, just like English: Can you ...?

vir my literally means for me or to me, and with sê it helps show who the information is being told to.

So:

• sê = say / tell
• vir my sê = tell me / say to me

In natural English, we usually just say tell me, but Afrikaans often uses vir before the person affected:

• Sê vir my = Tell me
• Gee vir my = Give me

In everyday speech, vir my is very common and natural here.

watter means which.

It is used when choosing from a known set or group:

• watter tafel = which table

By contrast, wat usually means what.

So:

• wat tafel would be wrong here
• watter tafel is correct because the speaker is asking for identification among tables

This happens because watter tafel nog leeg is is an embedded question, not a main question.

Compare:

• Main question: Watter tafel is nog leeg? = Which table is still empty?
• Embedded after sê: ... watter tafel nog leeg is = ... which table is still empty

In Afrikaans, when a question is embedded inside another clause, the verb often moves to the end. That is why is comes last.

So the structure is:

• Kan jy vir my sê = main clause
• watter tafel nog leeg is = embedded question

Here nog means still.

So:

• nog leeg = still empty

It suggests that some tables may already be occupied, but at least one may remain empty.

Be careful: nog can mean different things in different contexts, such as still, yet, or another/more, but in this sentence still is the best translation.

Yes, leeg literally means empty.

• leeg = empty

For a table in a restaurant or café, empty is understandable, but in English we often say free or available instead. Afrikaans can still naturally use leeg in this context to mean that no one is sitting there.

So watter tafel nog leeg is means something like:

• which table is still empty
• which table is still free
• which table is still available

depending on the situation.

Yes, you could, but it changes the feel slightly.

• Kan jy vir my sê ...? = Can you tell me ...?
• Kan jy sê ...? = more like Can you say/state ...?

Without vir my, the sentence is still understandable, but vir my sê sounds more natural if you are asking someone to give you the information personally.

So in this context, vir my is the more idiomatic choice.

Yes, it is already polite. Kan jy ...? is a normal, friendly way to ask.

If you want to make it more polite, you could add asseblief:

• Kan jy asseblief vir my sê watter tafel nog leeg is?

That means Can you please tell me which table is still empty?

You could also use u instead of jy when speaking formally:

• Kan u asseblief vir my sê watter tafel nog leeg is?

That would be more respectful or formal.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Kan = finite verb in first position because this is a question
• jy = subject
• vir my sê = infinitive phrase / verbal idea
• watter tafel nog leeg is = embedded clause

So the pattern is roughly:

• Can you tell me
  • which table is still empty

A useful way to see it is:

1. Main question: Kan jy vir my sê ...?
2. Information being asked for: watter tafel nog leeg is

This is very similar to English, except Afrikaans puts the is at the end of the embedded clause.

The direct version would be:

• Watter tafel is nog leeg?

That means Which table is still empty?

So compare the two:

• Watter tafel is nog leeg? = direct question
• Kan jy vir my sê watter tafel nog leeg is? = indirect/embedded question

This contrast is very useful, because it shows why is moves to the end in the longer sentence.