Ek het ervaring.

Because Afrikaans expresses this idea with the verb hê / het (to have), just like English does in I have experience.

• Ek = I
• het = have
• ervaring = experience

So the structure is simply:

subject + verb + noun

Using is would not be correct here.

Hê is the dictionary form, meaning to have.
Het is the form you actually use in a normal present-tense sentence.

So:

• hê = to have
• Ek het = I have

This is something learners often notice because the forms look different.

No. One helpful feature of Afrikaans is that verbs usually do not change much for different subjects in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek het = I have
• Jy het = you have
• Hy het = he has
• Ons het = we have

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not switch to a special form like has.

Because in this sentence ervaring is being used in a general, uncountable sense, like experience in English.

Compare English:

• I have experience ✅
• I have an experience ❌ in this meaning

So Afrikaans also says:

• Ek het ervaring = I have experience

If you were talking about an experience as a specific event, that would be a different meaning and structure.

Usually yes in this kind of sentence, especially when talking about knowledge or skill gained from doing something.

For example, Ek het ervaring means you have practical background or familiarity with something.

However, context matters. English experience can also mean an event you went through, and Afrikaans may phrase that differently depending on the situation.

So in this sentence, ervaring means practical experience or experience in general.

No, this is a very basic Afrikaans main-clause pattern:

Ek + het + ervaring
subject + verb + object/complement

That is similar to normal English word order.

Afrikaans word order becomes more interesting in longer sentences or subordinate clauses, but this sentence is straightforward.

You can add a prepositional phrase after ervaring.

Examples:

• Ek het ervaring in verkope. = I have experience in sales.
• Ek het ervaring met kinders. = I have experience with children.
• Ek het ervaring van projekbestuur. = I have experience of project management.
  (Though in or met is often more natural depending on context.)

Which preposition sounds best depends on what follows, but in and met are very common.

Afrikaans usually uses a double nie in negatives.

So:

Ek het nie ervaring nie. = I do not have experience.

Pattern:

subject + verb + nie + rest + nie

This double-negative structure is one of the most important things for English speakers to learn in Afrikaans.

In a simple yes/no question, Afrikaans usually puts the verb first:

Het ek ervaring? = Do I have experience?

That is similar to inversion in English:

• statement: Ek het ervaring.
• question: Het ek ervaring?

A rough guide is:

ervaring ≈ er-VAH-ring

A few notes for English speakers:

• The r is usually trilled or tapped more than in English.
• The g in Afrikaans is not like the English g in go. It is a harsher throat sound, which many learners find difficult at first.
• The stress is typically on the second syllable: er-VA-ring.

Exact pronunciation varies a bit by accent, but that rough guide is a good start.

Sometimes, yes. Another word you may see is ondervinding.

Both can mean experience, though ervaring is very common and natural here.

So these can both work:

• Ek het ervaring.
• Ek het ondervinding.

In everyday learning materials, ervaring is often the simpler word to start with.

It can stand alone perfectly well, especially as a general statement. For example, in a job-related context, saying Ek het ervaring is natural.

But very often speakers add more detail, such as:

• Ek het ervaring in administrasie.
• Ek het baie ervaring.
• Ek het jare se ervaring.

So the short sentence is correct, but in real conversation it is often expanded.