Ek kyk in die spieël en kam my hare stadig.

Kyk means look or watch, not see.

In this sentence, Ek kyk in die spieël means I look in the mirror.

A useful contrast is:

• kyk = look/watch
• sien = see

So:

• Ek kyk in die spieël = I look in the mirror
• Ek sien myself in die spieël = I see myself in the mirror

Afrikaans often uses kyk where English uses look.

This is a very common learner question.

• kyk na usually means look at
• kyk in is used for look in/into, especially with mirrors, windows, or something you look into

So:

• Ek kyk na die spieël = I look at the mirror
  (you are looking at the object itself)
• Ek kyk in die spieël = I look in the mirror
  (you are using it as a mirror and seeing your reflection)

In this sentence, in is the natural choice.

Die means the.

So:

• die spieël = the mirror

Unlike English, Afrikaans uses die for all genders and for both singular and plural definite nouns.

Examples:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kind = the child
• die spieëls = the mirrors

So you do not have to learn different words like the, a, an, or gendered articles for this part.

The ë shows that the vowels are pronounced in separate syllables.

So spieël is not pronounced as one smooth vowel sound. It is more like:

• spie-el

The two dots are called a diaeresis. In Afrikaans, they often help show that vowels should be pronounced separately.

Without the ë, a learner might try to pronounce it as one combined vowel, which would be incorrect.

Yes.

In Afrikaans, kam can be:

• a noun: a comb
• a verb: to comb

In this sentence, it is a verb:

• Ek kam my hare = I comb my hair

As a noun:

• Die kam is op die tafel = The comb is on the table

This is very normal in Afrikaans and English alike.

In Afrikaans, hare is the usual word when talking about someone’s hair in general.

• haar can mean a hair or her
• hare means hairs, but it is also commonly used where English simply says hair

So:

• Ek kam my hare = I comb my hair

Even though English often treats hair as an uncountable noun, Afrikaans commonly uses the plural hare for the hair on someone’s head.

This is one of those places where you should learn the phrase as a natural unit:

• my hare kam = comb my hair

Yes, my means my.

So:

• my hare = my hair

One thing to remember is that although it is spelled the same as the English word, the pronunciation is different in Afrikaans. It is usually pronounced more like may than English my.

Also, Afrikaans does not change it for gender or number:

• my boek = my book
• my hare = my hair
• my vriende = my friends

Because the subject is the same for both verbs.

• Ek kyk in die spieël en kam my hare stadig.

This means:

• I look in the mirror and comb my hair slowly.

In Afrikaans, just like in English, you do not need to repeat the subject if it is understood:

• I look in the mirror and comb my hair
• not necessarily I look in the mirror and I comb my hair

You could repeat Ek in some contexts for emphasis, but it is not needed here.

Stadig means slowly, and its position is natural in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans often places adverbs like this toward the end of the clause, especially after the object:

• Ek kam my hare stadig. = I comb my hair slowly.

This word order sounds normal and idiomatic.

You may also see other adverbs in similar positions:

• Hy lees die boek vinnig. = He reads the book quickly.
• Sy maak die deur stadig oop. = She opens the door slowly.

So stadig at the end is not unusual.

No. One of the simplest features of Afrikaans is that verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

So:

• Ek kyk = I look
• Jy kyk = you look
• Hy kyk = he looks
• Ons kyk = we look

The verb stays the same.

The same is true for kam:

• Ek kam
• Jy kam
• Sy kam
• Hulle kam

This is much simpler than English, which still has a special form like he looks.

Yes, it is in the present tense.

• Ek kyk = I look / I am looking
• Ek kam = I comb / I am combing

Afrikaans simple present can often cover both the English simple present and present continuous, depending on context.

So this sentence could mean:

• I look in the mirror and comb my hair slowly
• or, in a suitable context, I am looking in the mirror and combing my hair slowly

If you want to make the ongoing action more explicit, Afrikaans can also use forms like is besig om te, but that is not necessary here.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• Ek ≈ eck
• kyk ≈ something like cake with a different vowel, often taught roughly as kayk
• in ≈ in
• die ≈ dee
• spieël ≈ spee-ul / spee-el
• en ≈ en
• kam ≈ kahm
• my ≈ may
• hare ≈ haa-ruh
• stadig ≈ stah-dikh or stah-dukh depending on accent

A few notes:

• g in Afrikaans is usually a throat sound, not an English g
• y in kyk and my does not sound like English y
• ë in spieël makes the word two clear syllables

If you want, a good strategy is to break the sentence into chunks:

• Ek kyk in die spieël
• en kam my hare stadig

That makes it easier to say naturally.