Ek maak dit self.

Word by word:

• Ek = I
• maak = make
• dit = it / this (depending on context)
• self = myself / personally

So the structure is very direct: I make it myself.

Yes, maak usually means make.

So if the idea is literally I make it myself, this sentence is fine.

If the intended meaning is more general, like I do it myself, Afrikaans often prefers:

• Ek doen dit self.

That is a very useful distinction:

• maak = make, create, prepare, produce
• doen = do, carry out

So Ek maak dit self sounds most natural when something is being made.

Dit usually means it.

In some contexts it can also be understood as this, but in a sentence like Ek maak dit self, English will usually translate it as it.

It refers to whatever thing is already known from the context:

• Ek maak die kos. Ek maak dit self.
  = I’m making the food. I’m making it myself.

In Afrikaans, self is the normal word used for emphasis like English myself, yourself, himself, and so on.

Examples:

• Ek doen dit self. = I do it myself.
• Hy het dit self gesien. = He saw it himself.
• Sy bak die brood self. = She bakes the bread herself.

So Afrikaans does not need a separate form like English myself here. Self does that job.

In a simple sentence like this, self often comes near the end:

• Ek maak dit self.

That sounds natural and idiomatic.

You may also see self placed differently for emphasis, for example:

• Ek self maak dit. = I myself make it.

That version puts more focus on I rather than on the action as a whole.

So:

• Ek maak dit self = neutral, common
• Ek self maak dit = stronger emphasis on I personally

No. This is a very important difference.

• self = self / myself / personally
• selfs = even

Examples:

• Ek doen dit self. = I do it myself.
• Selfs ek verstaan dit. = Even I understand it.

So in your sentence, self is correct.

Usually, no, not if you mean I make it myself.

Dit is the object, so it tells us what is being made. Without it, the sentence feels incomplete unless the context makes the object very obvious.

Compare:

• Ek maak dit self. = I make it myself.
• Ek maak self. = sounds incomplete in most situations

If you want to say I make [things] myself in a more general sense, you might say something like:

• Ek maak alles self. = I make everything myself.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• Ek ≈ eck
• maak ≈ mahk
• dit ≈ dut or dit with a short vowel
• self ≈ self

So roughly:

eck mahk dut self

A few notes:

• aa in maak is a long vowel.
• Afrikaans r is not in this sentence, so that part is easy.
• The sentence is usually spoken with stress on self if you want to emphasize myself.

It is neutral and natural.

You can use it in everyday speech and writing. It is not especially formal, but it is not slang either.

So it works well in normal conversation:

• Wie maak die koek?
• Ek maak dit self.

Afrikaans normally uses a double negative:

• Ek maak dit nie self nie.

That means I do not make it myself.

Pattern:

• nie after the main part of the clause
• another nie at the end

This double-negative pattern is one of the key features of Afrikaans grammar.

Yes, depending on context, English might translate it as either:

• I make it myself
• I make it by myself

But there is a slight nuance:

• myself emphasizes that I personally do it
• by myself emphasizes that I do it alone

Afrikaans self mainly gives the personally / myself meaning. If you specifically want to stress alone, Afrikaans might use other wording depending on context.