Sy maak 'n bankrekening oop en stel 'n debietorder in.

She opens a bank account and sets up a debit order.

Breakdown of Sy maak 'n bankrekening oop en stel 'n debietorder in.

• sy: she
• en: and
• 'n bankrekening oopmaak: to open a bank account
• 'n debietorder instel: to set up a debit order

Questions & Answers about Sy maak 'n bankrekening oop en stel 'n debietorder in.

Why is maak ... oop split into two parts?

Because oopmaak is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

• The full dictionary form is oopmaak = to open
• In a normal main clause, the verb splits:
  • Sy maak 'n bankrekening oop.
• The finite verb maak goes to the usual verb position near the front, and the particle oop moves to the end.

This is very common in Afrikaans:

• Hy sit die lig aan. = He switches the light on.
• Ek skryf die woord neer. = I write the word down.

So here, maak ... oop works as one unit meaning open.

Why is stel ... in also split?

For the same reason: instel is another separable verb.

• Dictionary form: instel = to set up / to configure / to arrange
• In the sentence it becomes:
  • stel ... in

So:

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

This pattern is very important in Afrikaans. Many verbs with particles such as in-, aan-, af-, op-, uit-, and oor- can behave like this.