My broer maak 'n voorstel, maar ek het 'n beter idee.

In Afrikaans, my is the normal possessive adjective meaning my.

So:

• my broer = my brother
• my idee = my idea

Afrikaans possessive adjectives do not change for gender or number, so you do not need different forms like in some other languages.

Yes. Broer means brother, and it is closely related to English brother and Dutch broer.

A few family words for comparison:

• broer = brother
• suster = sister
• ma = mom / mother
• pa = dad / father

So my broer simply means my brother.

Maak usually means make, and in Afrikaans it is often used in combinations where English also uses make.

So:

• 'n voorstel maak = to make a proposal / suggestion

In this sentence:

• My broer maak 'n voorstel = My brother is making a suggestion / proposal

This is a normal, idiomatic expression.

Voorstel can mean proposal or suggestion, depending on context.

Here, because the sentence contrasts it with ek het 'n beter idee (I have a better idea), suggestion is often the most natural meaning.

So:

• 'n voorstel = a suggestion / a proposal

It is a common noun and does not have anything unusual about its grammar in this sentence.

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, meaning a or an.

So:

• 'n voorstel = a suggestion
• 'n beter idee = a better idea

It is always written as a lowercase 'n, even if it appears at the beginning of a sentence. For example:

• 'n Man loop daar.

If the sentence begins with it, the next word is usually capitalized in normal writing conventions.

'n is usually pronounced as a very weak vowel sound, like uh or ə.

So 'n voorstel is roughly like:

• uhn for-STEL

In natural speech, it is very unstressed. The important thing is that it is not pronounced like the English letter name en.

Yes. Maar means but.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• My broer maak 'n voorstel
• maar ek het 'n beter idee

So the whole sentence is:

• My brother makes a suggestion, but I have a better idea

Maar is a very common coordinating conjunction, and after it the word order usually stays normal.

Het means have.

So:

• ek het = I have

In this sentence:

• ek het 'n beter idee = I have a better idea

This is a straightforward present-tense use of het.

Beter means better.

Afrikaans adjectives often do not change much the way they do in some other languages. In a phrase like:

• 'n beter idee = a better idea

beter stays the same.

Compare:

• 'n goeie idee = a good idea
• 'n beter idee = a better idea
• die beste idee = the best idea

So beter is the comparative form of goed in the same way that better is the comparative of good in English.

Yes, very much so.

The sentence follows normal main-clause word order:

• My broer = subject
• maak = verb
• 'n voorstel = object
• maar = but
• ek = subject
• het = verb
• 'n beter idee = object

So Afrikaans here is very close to English:

• My brother makes a suggestion, but I have a better idea.

That is one reason this sentence feels quite accessible to English speakers.

It can often be understood either way, depending on context.

Afrikaans does not always mark the progressive the same way English does. So:

• maak 'n voorstel can be translated as
  
  • makes a suggestion
  • is making a suggestion

If you are just learning the sentence structure, the key point is that maak is the present tense form here.

Idee is pronounced roughly like ee-dee-UH or ee-DAY-uh, depending on accent and how narrowly you approximate it.

The important thing for learners is:

• it has three syllables
• the ending is not silent
• it is related to English idea

So:

• 'n beter idee sounds roughly like uhn BAY-ter ee-DEE-uh

Exact pronunciation varies, but that approximation is good enough for a beginner.

Yes, it could.

Both proposal and suggestion are possible translations of voorstel. Which one sounds best depends on context:

• If the situation is formal, proposal may fit better.
• If it is everyday conversation, suggestion is often more natural.

So both of these are reasonable:

• My brother makes a suggestion, but I have a better idea.
• My brother makes a proposal, but I have a better idea.

The Afrikaans itself stays the same.