Praat is the verb meaning speak or talk.
In this sentence it is the present tense form:
Afrikaans verbs do not usually change form depending on the subject the way English verbs do. So the same praat is used with ek, jy, hy, ons, hulle, and so on.
No. Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs in this way.
With most verbs, the present tense form stays the same regardless of the subject:
So Die dokter praat is correct. Afrikaans does not add -s here the way English does in the doctor speaks.
Met means with.
So:
The phrase praat met means talk to / talk with someone.
That is important because English often says talk to someone, while Afrikaans commonly uses met in this kind of sentence.
So a very natural translation of praat met die kind is:
depending on context.
Because here kalm describes how the doctor speaks, not what kind of doctor the doctor is.
Compare:
Die kalm dokter praat met die kind.
= The calm doctor talks to the child.
Here kalm describes the doctor.
Die dokter praat kalm met die kind.
= The doctor talks calmly to the child.
Here kalm describes the manner of speaking.
So its position helps show its function.
A rough English-friendly guide:
A few useful notes:
If you are learning pronunciation, it is best to hear native audio, because Afrikaans spelling is fairly regular but not always obvious from English habits.
It can mean both, depending on context.
Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either speaks or is speaking. Context tells you which meaning is intended.
You would use ’n for a/an:
A useful detail:
Also, ’n is written with an apostrophe and is normally not stressed in pronunciation.