Hier is die rak waarop die tandepasta langs die seep staan.

Hier is is a very common Afrikaans way to present or point something out: Here is ...

So Hier is die rak ... means Here is the shelf ...

A few helpful notes:

• hier = here
• is = is
• Afrikaans often uses this structure very naturally when showing someone something.

It is similar to English Here is the shelf rather than This is the shelf, although both may be possible depending on context.

In Afrikaans, die is the definite article, meaning the.

So in this sentence:

• die rak = the shelf
• die tandepasta = the toothpaste
• die seep = the soap

Afrikaans does not change the article for gender, and die is used very widely. Unlike languages such as German or French, you do not have to learn different forms of the for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

waarop means on which.

It is made from:

• waar = a relative element like which/where
• op = on

So:

• waarop = on which

Afrikaans often combines a preposition with waar- in this way. This is very common.

Examples:

• waarop = on which
• waarin = in which
• waarvoor = for which
• waarmee = with which

So die rak waarop ... means the shelf on which ...

Because in a relative clause like this, Afrikaans normally uses waar + preposition rather than preposition + wat.

So for the shelf on which the toothpaste stands, Afrikaans naturally says:

• die rak waarop die tandepasta ... staan

Using op wat here would sound unnatural in standard Afrikaans.

A useful pattern to remember is:

• the table on which ... → die tafel waarop ...
• the box in which ... → die boks waarin ...

Because waarop die tandepasta langs die seep staan is a subordinate clause.

In Afrikaans, subordinate clauses usually send the finite verb to the end.

Main clause:

• Hier is die rak ...

Subordinate clause:

• waarop die tandepasta langs die seep staan

So the order is:

• waarop
• die tandepasta
• langs die seep
• staan

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Afrikaans.

This is a very common learner question.

In Afrikaans, staan is often used for objects that are in an upright position or are located somewhere in a way conceptualized as standing.

So:

• Die bottel staan op die tafel. = The bottle is standing on the table.
• Die tandepasta staan langs die seep. = The toothpaste is next to the soap.

In natural English, we often just say is, but Afrikaans often prefers a position verb such as:

• staan = stand
• lê = lie
• sit = sit / be situated
• hang = hang

These verbs are used more often in Afrikaans than their literal English equivalents would be.

Sometimes is would be understood, but staan is more idiomatic here if the toothpaste is upright on the shelf.

Compare:

• Die tandepasta is langs die seep.
  = The toothpaste is next to the soap.
  This is understandable and grammatically fine.

• Die tandepasta staan langs die seep.
  = The toothpaste stands / is standing next to the soap.
  This sounds more natural if you are describing its physical position.

So staan gives a more vivid and typically Afrikaans description of location.

Here langs means next to or beside.

So:

• langs die seep = next to the soap

Depending on context, langs can also mean along in other sentences, but in this sentence the meaning is clearly beside/next to.

Examples:

• Die stoel staan langs die tafel. = The chair is next to the table.
• Ons loop langs die rivier. = We walk along the river.

Yes. Afrikaans very often writes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• tande = teeth
• pasta = paste
• tandepasta = toothpaste

This is similar to how many compounds are formed in Dutch and German. English sometimes writes similar ideas as one word, two words, or hyphenated words, but Afrikaans usually prefers a single written compound.

Other examples:

• handdoek = towel
• boekrak = bookshelf
• tandeborsel = toothbrush

Because tandepasta here is singular: the toothpaste.

Even though tande inside the compound historically relates to teeth, the whole compound tandepasta functions as a single noun meaning toothpaste.

So you should think of it as one vocabulary item, not as a free combination of separate words inside the sentence.

A more English-like gloss would be something like:

• Here is the shelf that the toothpaste is standing on next to the soap.

But Afrikaans naturally uses waarop for on which, so the original sentence is perfectly normal and elegant:

• Hier is die rak waarop die tandepasta langs die seep staan.

If you want to understand its structure, break it up like this:

• Hier is die rak = Here is the shelf
• waarop = on which
• die tandepasta = the toothpaste
• langs die seep = next to the soap
• staan = stands / is standing

A very useful pattern is:

Hier is die [noun] waarop die [noun] [place phrase] staan.

For example:

• Hier is die tafel waarop die boek lê.
  = Here is the table on which the book lies.

• Hier is die stoel waarop die jas hang.
  = Here is the chair on which the coat hangs.

• Hier is die rak waarop die tandepasta langs die seep staan.
  = Here is the shelf on which the toothpaste stands next to the soap.

This sentence teaches you three important Afrikaans patterns at once:

1. Hier is ... for presenting something
2. waar + preposition for relative clauses
3. verb-at-the-end word order in subordinate clauses