Nadat die wasmasjien klaar is, hang sy die nat klere op om droog te word.

Because nadat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses normally send the finite verb to the end.

So:

• die wasmasjien is klaar = the washing machine is finished
• Nadat die wasmasjien klaar is = after the washing machine is finished

That end-position of is is very normal after words like nadat, omdat, terwyl, as, and dat.

Here klaar means finished, done, or ready.

So die wasmasjien klaar is means the washing machine is done/finished.
It is a very common Afrikaans word and is used in everyday speech a lot:

• Ek is klaar. = I am finished / I’m done.
• Is jy klaar? = Are you finished?

In this sentence, it does not mean something like clear in English.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause.

So the structure is:

• Nadat die wasmasjien klaar is, = subordinate clause
• hang sy die nat klere op ... = main clause

This is similar to English punctuation when a time clause comes first:

• After the washing machine is done, she hangs the wet clothes up ...

This is because Afrikaans is a verb-second language in main clauses.

The first position in the sentence is already taken by the whole subordinate clause:

• Nadat die wasmasjien klaar is

So in the main clause, the finite verb must come next:

• hang sy die nat klere op

That is why the subject sy comes after hang.

Compare:

• Sy hang die nat klere op. = She hangs up the wet clothes.
• Nadat die wasmasjien klaar is, hang sy die nat klere op. = After the washing machine is done, she hangs up the wet clothes.

Here sy means she.

Afrikaans sy can also mean his in other contexts, so learners often notice that and get confused. But in this sentence, sy is clearly the subject pronoun she, because it follows the finite verb hang in the main clause.

Because the verb is the separable verb ophang, meaning to hang up.

In a main clause, separable verbs split:

• Sy hang die klere op.

Here:

• hang = the verb part
• op = the particle

So hang ... op together means hang up.

This is very common in Afrikaans:

• maak ... oop = open
• tel ... op = pick up
• trek ... aan = put on

Yes. Afrikaans normally writes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• was = wash
• masjien = machine
• wasmasjien = washing machine

This is very normal in Afrikaans and often feels different from English, where the same idea is often written as two words.

Other examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• skooltas = school bag
• kombuistafel = kitchen table

Because die is the definite article the in Afrikaans, and it is used for both singular and plural nouns.

So:

• die wasmasjien = the washing machine
• die nat klere = the wet clothes

Afrikaans does not change the definite article the way some other languages do.

Literally, it means to become dry.

Breakdown:

• om ... te = to / in order to
• droog = dry
• word = become

So om droog te word is literally to become dry, but in natural English we usually say to dry.

In this sentence, it expresses purpose:

• she hangs up the wet clothes so that they can dry

Because after om, Afrikaans normally uses te before the infinitive.

So:

• om droog te word = to become dry
• om te eet = to eat
• om te slaap = to sleep

The te is a normal part of this infinitive structure.

Yes. In Afrikaans, word is a verb, and here it means become.

So droog word = become dry.

This is a very common Afrikaans verb:

• Hy word moeg. = He becomes tired.
• Dit word koud. = It is getting cold / It becomes cold.

So in this sentence, the clothes are being hung up to become dry.

Because klere is the normal everyday word for clothes.

So die nat klere is the natural way to say the wet clothes.
It is simple and idiomatic, just like everyday English.

You can think of the main clause as:

• hang = hangs up
• sy = she
• die nat klere = the wet clothes
• op = up

Yes. That is a very natural way to understand it.

Even though the wording is slightly different from English, the sense is:

• first the washing machine finishes
• then she hangs the clothes up
• the purpose is for them to dry

So a learner should understand this as a normal sequence of actions, not as anything unusual or highly formal.