Ek staan gewoonlik vroeg op.

Because the verb here is opstaan, which is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

• The full verb is opstaan = to get up / to rise
• In a main clause, the verb splits:
  • staan goes to the normal verb position
  • op moves to the end

So:

• Ek staan vroeg op. = I get up early.

This is similar to separable verbs in Dutch and a bit like English phrasal verbs, though Afrikaans uses it more systematically.

The basic pattern is:

Subject + finite verb + adverbs + separated particle

So here:

• Ek = subject
• staan = finite verb
• gewoonlik = adverb of frequency
• vroeg = adverb of time
• op = particle from opstaan

That gives:

Ek + staan + gewoonlik + vroeg + op

A key rule in Afrikaans is that in a normal main clause, the finite verb usually comes second.

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form for different subjects in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek staan = I stand / I get up
• Jy staan = you stand / you get up
• Hy staan = he stands / he gets up
• Ons staan = we stand / we get up

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not normally add a special -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

Gewoonlik means usually.

In a simple sentence like this, it commonly comes after the finite verb:

• Ek staan gewoonlik vroeg op. = I usually get up early.

That placement is very natural in Afrikaans.

You may also see adverbs moved for emphasis in other sentence structures, but for learners, after the verb is a very good default position.

Vroeg means early.

It functions as an adverb describing when the action happens:

• Ek staan vroeg op. = I get up early.

It can also appear in other expressions, such as:

• Dis vroeg. = It is early.
• Ek kom vroeg. = I am coming early.

Because op is not acting like a normal adverb here. It is the separated particle of the verb opstaan.

In a main clause, that particle usually goes to the end of the clause, while other sentence elements come before it.

So:

• Ek staan vroeg op. ✔
• Ek staan op vroeg. ✘

The same applies with gewoonlik:

• Ek staan gewoonlik vroeg op. ✔

Usually opstaan means to get up, to rise, or to get out of bed.

If you specifically mean to wake up, Afrikaans often uses:

• wakker word = to wake up

So there is a useful distinction:

• Ek word vroeg wakker. = I wake up early.
• Ek staan vroeg op. = I get up early.

In everyday speech, people may sometimes use them in related situations, but they are not exactly the same.

No, that is not the normal word order in Afrikaans.

In a main clause, the finite verb should usually be in the second position. That is why:

• Ek staan gewoonlik vroeg op. ✔
• Ek gewoonlik staan vroeg op. ✘

So once the sentence starts with Ek, the verb staan should come right after it.

You usually put the finite verb first:

• Staan jy gewoonlik vroeg op? = Do you usually get up early?

This is a very common pattern in Afrikaans yes/no questions:

• Werk jy vandag? = Are you working today?
• Kom hy môre? = Is he coming tomorrow?
• Staan jy vroeg op? = Do you get up early?

Then Afrikaans still keeps the finite verb in the second position, so the subject moves after the verb.

For example:

• Gewoonlik staan ek vroeg op.
• Vandag staan ek vroeg op.

Notice what happens:

• first element: Gewoonlik / Vandag
• second position: staan
• then subject: ek

This is an important Afrikaans word-order rule.

It is in the present tense, but in Afrikaans, just like in English, the present tense can also describe a habit or something that happens regularly.

So this sentence naturally means a habitual action:

• Ek staan gewoonlik vroeg op. = I usually get up early.

It does not mean only right now. It means this is generally your routine.

The infinitive is opstaan.

In dictionaries, you would normally look it up under opstaan, not staan op.

So:

• dictionary form: opstaan
• main-clause form: staan ... op

Example:

• Ek wil vroeg opstaan. = I want to get up early.

Here the verb is not split, because it stays in the infinitive after wil.

A common way is:

• Ek het gewoonlik vroeg opgestaan. = I usually got up early.

Notice two things:

1. Afrikaans often forms the past with het + past participle
2. The separable verb becomes one word again in the participle: opgestaan

So compare:

• present: Ek staan vroeg op.
• past: Ek het vroeg opgestaan.

Ek means I.

Its pronunciation is roughly like eck in English, though the vowel is not exactly the same as in standard English words. The k is clearly pronounced.

For a learner, eck is a reasonable approximation.

Not always.

On its own, staan often does mean stand:

• Ek staan hier. = I am standing here.

But in opstaan, the meaning changes to get up / rise.

So you should learn opstaan as a whole verb, not just as staan plus a random op. The combined meaning is important.