Die kind slaap in die motor.

Because there are two nouns that are definite: kind and motor.
In Afrikaans, die means the, so:

• die kind = the child
• die motor = the car

So the sentence literally follows the same pattern as English: The child sleeps in the car.

No. Afrikaans does not have different forms of the for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

The same word die is used:

• for singular nouns: die kind
• for plural nouns: die kinders

That makes Afrikaans simpler than languages that change the article.

Kind means child. Depending on context, it can also feel like kid in natural English.

Its plural is kinders:

• die kind = the child
• die kinders = the children

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form in the present tense the way they do in English.

So you get:

• ek slaap = I sleep / am sleeping
• jy slaap = you sleep / are sleeping
• die kind slaap = the child sleeps / is sleeping

That is one of the nice simplifications in Afrikaans grammar.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• The child sleeps
• The child is sleeping

So Die kind slaap can cover both ideas. Context usually makes it clear.

The basic order here is:

subject + verb + rest of the sentence

So:

• Die kind = subject
• slaap = verb
• in die motor = prepositional phrase

This is very similar to normal English word order in a simple statement.

Yes. In everyday Afrikaans, motor commonly means car.

And in means in or inside. So in die motor means in the car.

You may also hear kar for car, which is a more informal everyday word.

In Afrikaans, die is pronounced roughly like dee.

It is not pronounced like the English word die.

So the sentence starts more like:

dee kind ...

Also, the final d in kind is often pronounced more like a t sound, so it may sound close to kint.

A rough English-style pronunciation is:

dee kint slahp in dee moh-tor

That is only an approximation, but it is good enough for a beginner.

A few helpful points:

• die sounds like dee
• kind may sound like kint
• slaap rhymes roughly with sharp without the r
• motor has clear syllables: mo-tor

You would use 'n for a/an:

'n kind slaap in 'n motor.

So:

• 'n kind = a child
• 'n motor = a car

Remember that 'n is usually not stressed much in speech.

Afrikaans usually uses a double nie pattern for negation:

Die kind slaap nie in die motor nie.

So the sentence becomes The child is not sleeping in the car.

A simple way to think of it is:

• first nie comes after the verb or the part being negated
• second nie comes at the end of the clause

For a yes/no question, Afrikaans usually moves the verb to the front:

Slaap die kind in die motor?

That means Is the child sleeping in the car? or Does the child sleep in the car?

So the difference is:

• statement: Die kind slaap in die motor.
• question: Slaap die kind in die motor?