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

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.

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.

In Afrikaans, 'n rekening oopmaak is the normal idiomatic way to say open an account.

Literally, it looks like make open, but you should learn it as a fixed expression:

• 'n bankrekening oopmaak = to open a bank account

Languages often do this differently. English says open an account, while Afrikaans commonly says maak ... oop.

Yes. Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns as a single word.

So:

• bank
  • rekening → bankrekening

Other examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• motorongeluk = car accident
• selfoonnommer = cellphone number

If English would write two separate words, Afrikaans may still prefer one compound word.

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

So:

• 'n bankrekening = a bank account
• 'n debietorder = a debit order

Pronunciation:

• It is usually pronounced as a very weak schwa sound, like uh
• You do not pronounce the written n strongly in normal speech

A useful spelling point:

• Even at the beginning of a sentence, 'n itself stays lowercase:
  • 'n Bankrekening is belangrik.

Because Afrikaans can leave out the repeated subject in a coordinated sentence when it is clearly the same subject.

So:

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

means:

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

You could also say:

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

But that sounds more repetitive unless you want extra emphasis.

This sentence follows normal main clause word order in Afrikaans:

• Sy = subject
• maak / stel = finite verb
• object in the middle
• separable particle at the end

So each part works like this:

1. Sy maak 'n bankrekening oop.
2. (Sy) stel 'n debietorder in.

A helpful rule:

• In a main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, often in second position
• If the verb is separable, the second part goes to the end

In this sentence, Sy means she.

But sy can also mean her, depending on how it is used.

Examples:

• Sy maak 'n rekening oop. = She opens an account.
• Ek sien sy motor. = I see her car.

So the form is the same, but the role in the sentence tells you whether it means she or her.

It is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence.

Afrikaans does not capitalize pronouns just because they are pronouns. So inside a sentence you would write:

• Ek dink sy maak 'n bankrekening oop.

Debietorder is a common South African financial term. It usually refers to a direct debit or an arrangement where money is automatically taken from a bank account.

So:

• 'n debietorder instel = to set up a direct debit / automatic debit order

If you are learning Afrikaans used in South Africa, this is a very practical everyday banking term.

In some contexts, open exists as a verb in Afrikaans, but for many everyday situations, especially things like doors, windows, shops, and accounts, oopmaak is often the more natural choice.

For a bank account, 'n bankrekening oopmaak is the phrase learners should remember.

So even if another form may sometimes be understood, maak ... oop is the safest and most idiomatic option here.

In a subordinate clause, separable verbs usually become unsplit and move together to the end.

Main clause:

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

Subordinate-style examples:

• Ek weet dat sy 'n bankrekening oopmaak.
• Ek weet dat sy 'n debietorder instel.

So this is a very important contrast:

• Main clause: maak ... oop, stel ... in
• Subordinate clause: oopmaak, instel

No. instel is broader than that.

It can mean:

• set up
• configure
• arrange
• establish

So it works for technology:

• Hy stel die rekenaar in. = He sets up the computer.

But it also works for arrangements and systems:

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

The exact English translation depends on context.