Vanmiddag wil ek eintlik by die huis bly, maar my vriendin vra of ek saam dorp toe gaan.

Vanmiddag means this afternoon. Even though it contains middag (midday/noon), the full word vanmiddag normally refers to the afternoon part of the day, not noon itself.

For example:

• Vanmiddag werk ek. = I’m working this afternoon.
• Vanmiddag rus ek. = I’m resting this afternoon.

This is because Afrikaans main clauses usually follow the verb-second rule.

In this sentence, Vanmiddag is placed first for emphasis or topic, so the finite verb wil must come second:

• Vanmiddag wil ek eintlik...

If the subject came first, then you would get:

• Ek wil vanmiddag eintlik...

So both patterns are possible, but once Vanmiddag is in first position, wil has to come before ek.

After modal verbs like wil, kan, moet, mag, sal, Afrikaans uses the infinitive without te.

So you say:

• Ek wil bly
• Sy kan gaan
• Ons moet werk

Not:

• Ek wil te bly

That is why wil ... bly is correct here.

Eintlik often means actually, really, or in fact.

In this sentence, it shows the speaker’s real preference:

• Vanmiddag wil ek eintlik by die huis bly...

So the idea is something like: I’d actually / really prefer to stay at home this afternoon.

A useful point: Afrikaans eintlik is often softer and more natural than English actually, which can sometimes sound corrective or argumentative.

Bly can mean different things depending on context, especially:

• stay / remain
• live
• sometimes become in older or fixed expressions

Here it means stay:

• by die huis bly = stay at home

So it does not mean live here.

Yes, by often means by or near, but in Afrikaans it is also commonly used where English would use at.

So:

• by die huis = at home / at the house

This is a very normal Afrikaans expression. It does not necessarily mean standing next to the house.

Also compare:

• Ek is by die werk. = I’m at work.
• Ons is by die skool. = We’re at school.

It can mean either, depending on context.

• vriendin = female friend
• vriendin can also mean girlfriend

In everyday use, my vriendin is often understood as my girlfriend, but context matters. If the situation is clearly platonic, it can still mean my female friend.

Here of means if or whether.

Afrikaans uses of to introduce an indirect yes/no question:

• My vriendin vra of ek saam dorp toe gaan.
• My girlfriend asks if/whether I’m going along to town.

So:

• vra = ask
• of = if / whether

This is different from asking a direct question.

Direct question:

• Gaan jy saam dorp toe?

Indirect version:

• Sy vra of ek saam dorp toe gaan.

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

So:

• of ek saam dorp toe gaan

That word order is normal after conjunctions like dat, omdat, terwyl, and of.

Compare:

• Ek weet dat hy kom.
• Sy vra of jy verstaan.

In a main clause, the verb would come earlier:

• Ek gaan saam dorp toe.

But after of, it moves to the end:

• ... of ek saam dorp toe gaan

Saam means together or along.

With verbs like gaan and kom, it often has the sense of go along or come along:

• saam gaan = go along / go with
• saam kom = come along / come with

In this sentence, saam shows that the speaker would be going with someone else, not going alone.

If you want to name the person explicitly, Afrikaans often uses saam met:

• Ek gaan saam met my vriendin. = I’m going with my girlfriend.

Toe is used after a place word to show movement toward that place.

So:

• dorp toe gaan = go to town
• huis toe gaan = go home
• skool toe gaan = go to school

This is a very common Afrikaans pattern.

In your sentence:

• saam dorp toe gaan = go along to town

A learner often notices that there is no die here. That is normal in many set destination phrases. Dorp toe sounds natural and idiomatic, a bit like English into town.

Yes, you can say na die dorp gaan, and it also means go to the town.

But dorp toe gaan is especially idiomatic and common when talking about going into town as a destination. It often sounds a little more natural in everyday speech.

So:

• Ek gaan dorp toe. = I’m going into town.
• Ek gaan na die dorp. = I’m going to the town.

Both are possible, but dorp toe is the more fixed, everyday-style expression here.