Sy stel 'n debietorder in.

Because instel is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

The full verb is instel = to set up / to put in place / to configure, depending on context. In a main clause, Afrikaans often splits separable verbs:

• Sy stel 'n debietorder in.
• literally: She sets a debit order up

So:

• stel = the verb stem in second position
• in = the separable particle, moved to the end

This is very similar to English phrasal verbs like set up.

By itself, stel can have several meanings depending on context, such as:

• put
• place
• set
• pose (as in a question)
• sometimes part of fixed expressions

In this sentence, though, you should read stel ... in together as one unit: instel.

So it is better not to translate stel alone here. The meaning comes from the full separable verb:

• instel = set up

Yes. 'n is the indefinite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to English a/an.

So:

• 'n debietorder = a debit order

A few useful notes:

• It is always written as 'n
• It is not capitalized, even at the beginning of a sentence in normal writing; the following word is capitalized instead
• In pronunciation, it is usually very weak, like a schwa sound

Example:

• 'n boek = a book
• 'n debietorder = a debit order

Debietorder is a financial term, especially common in South African usage. It means a debit order, that is, an automatic payment instruction allowing money to be taken from a bank account regularly.

So in practical English, the sentence means something like:

• She sets up a debit order
• She arranges a direct debit
• She puts a debit order in place

Depending on the variety of English, direct debit may sound more familiar than debit order.

Afrikaans main clauses usually follow a verb-second pattern. That means the conjugated verb comes early in the sentence, usually in second position.

Here the structure is:

• Sy = subject
• stel = finite/conjugated verb
• 'n debietorder = object
• in = separable particle at the end

So the order is normal Afrikaans word order for a main clause with a separable verb.

In Afrikaans, sy can mean both she and her, depending on the sentence.

Here it is the subject, so it means:

• she

Examples:

• Sy lees. = She reads.
• Ek sien sy boek. = I see her book.
  (Here sy means her.)

So in Sy stel 'n debietorder in, it clearly means she.

Yes. Sy stel 'n debietorder in is in the present tense.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change much for person:

• Ek stel
• Jy stel
• Sy stel
• Ons stel

So stel here simply means sets up / is setting up, depending on context.

If you wanted a past meaning, Afrikaans often uses het + past participle:

• Sy het 'n debietorder ingestel. = She set up a debit order.

Notice that in the past participle, the verb is usually written together again as ingestel.

Because separable verbs in Afrikaans often behave like this:

• In a main clause present tense, they split:
  • Sy stel ... in
• In the participle, they usually join back together:
  • ingestel

So:

• instel = dictionary form
• Sy stel dit in. = present/main clause
• Sy het dit ingestel. = past participle form

This is an important pattern to learn for many Afrikaans verbs.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• 'n debietorder = a debit order
  (not specific, or being introduced for the first time)
• die debietorder = the debit order
  (specific, already known in context)

So:

• Sy stel 'n debietorder in. = She sets up a debit order.
• Sy stel die debietorder in. = She sets up the debit order.

Both are grammatical.

No. Instel is a broader verb.

It can mean things like:

• set up
• configure
• adjust
• tune
• establish, depending on context

Examples:

• Hy stel die alarm in. = He sets the alarm.
• Sy stel die radio in. = She tunes the radio.
• Ons stel die stelsel in. = We configure the system.

So with debietorder, it means set up a debit order, but the verb itself is more general.

A learner-friendly approximation would be:

• 'n → a very weak uh sound
• debietorder → roughly duh-BEET-or-der

A few tips:

• 'n is usually unstressed
• The stress in debietorder falls around biet
• Afrikaans pronunciation is generally more phonetic than English spelling

So the whole phrase sounds roughly like:

• Sy stel uh duh-BEET-or-der in

The exact pronunciation will vary by speaker and accent, but that approximation is useful for beginners.

Possibly in some contexts, yes. Instel can sometimes mean adjust or configure. But with debietorder, the most natural meaning is usually:

• set up a debit order
• arrange a debit order

If the context were about changing an existing debit order, Afrikaans might use additional wording to make that clearer.

So for a learner, the safest interpretation here is:

• She sets up a debit order.