Ek kyk na my horlosie wanneer ek dink ek is laat.

In this sentence, kyk na means look at.

• kyk on its own = look/watch
• kyk na iets = look at something

So Ek kyk na my horlosie is literally I look at my watch.

The preposition na is very important here. English also needs a preposition in look at, and Afrikaans uses na in the same kind of way.

Horlosie can mean watch or clock, depending on context.

In my horlosie, the most natural reading is my watch, because people commonly look at their own watch when checking the time. But in some contexts, horlosie could also refer to a clock.

My is the normal possessive adjective meaning my.

So:

• my horlosie = my watch
• jou horlosie = your watch
• sy horlosie = his watch
• haar horlosie = her watch

This works very much like English. You just put the possessive word before the noun.

Wanneer means when. In a sentence like this, it can also feel like whenever, because the sentence describes a repeated or typical action.

So this sentence can suggest:

• when I think I’m late
• or more generally whenever I think I’m late

Context tells you which is meant more strongly.

Sometimes yes, but wanneer is the clearer word for when in a time sense.

• wanneer = when
• as can often mean if, and in some contexts also when

Because as can be ambiguous, wanneer is often the safer choice when you clearly mean time.

Because there are really two clauses inside that part:

1. ek dink = I think
2. ek is laat = I am late

Each clause needs its own subject, so ek appears twice.

That is completely normal in Afrikaans, just as it is in English:

• when I think I am late

English also repeats I.

Afrikaans often leaves out dat when it means that in sentences like this.

So both of these are possible:

• Ek dink ek is laat
• Ek dink dat ek laat is

Both mean the same thing. Leaving out dat is very common and natural.

Because here the clause after dink is being used without dat, and normal word order is very natural:

• ek is laat

If you include dat, you would usually say:

• Ek dink dat ek laat is

So:

• without dat: ek is laat
• with dat: dat ek laat is

That is a very useful pattern to remember in Afrikaans.

Here laat means late.

• ek is laat = I am late
• ek is te laat = I am too late

So this sentence means the speaker thinks they are late, not necessarily that it is already impossible or hopeless.

Afrikaans often uses the present tense for habitual or repeated actions, just like English.

So Ek kyk na my horlosie wanneer ek dink ek is laat describes something the speaker generally does:

• I look at my watch when/whenever I think I’m late

It is not necessarily happening only right now; it can describe a usual reaction.

Usually no. When the main clause comes first and the wanneer clause comes after it, Afrikaans normally does not need a comma:

• Ek kyk na my horlosie wanneer ek dink ek is laat.

But if the wanneer clause comes first, a comma is normally used after it:

• Wanneer ek dink ek is laat, kyk ek na my horlosie.

Yes.

The main clause is:

• Ek kyk na my horlosie

This has normal Afrikaans main-clause order: subject + verb + rest.

Then the time clause is:

• wanneer ek dink ek is laat

That is also natural. The part ek is laat is the thought content of dink.

So the sentence structure is completely normal and idiomatic.