Die bestemming is by die see.

Because die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

So in this sentence:

• die bestemming = the destination
• die see = the sea

Afrikaans uses die for singular and plural nouns, so unlike languages such as German, you do not have to learn different forms for grammatical gender.

No. Afrikaans does not use grammatical gender the way some other European languages do.

That means:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kind = the child

They all use die. This is one reason Afrikaans grammar is often easier for English speakers than Dutch or German grammar.

Bestemming usually means destination.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a place you are going to
• the end point of a journey
• sometimes a figurative destination or destiny, depending on the sentence

In Die bestemming is by die see, the most natural meaning is the physical destination or place being referred to.

Here, by means something like:

• by
• at
• near

So by die see means by the sea, at the seaside, or near the sea, depending on context.

It does not necessarily mean directly touching the water. It often simply suggests a location close to the sea.

Because Afrikaans normally uses the definite article die with see in this kind of expression.

So:

• by die see = by the sea

Leaving out die would usually sound wrong in standard Afrikaans here.

No, the word order is very straightforward.

The sentence follows the common pattern:

• Subject + verb + rest

So:

• Die bestemming = subject
• is = verb
• by die see = prepositional phrase describing location

This is very similar to English: The destination is by the sea.

Because Afrikaans and English are related Germanic languages, and some very common words look similar.

is is the present tense form of to be in Afrikaans, just as in English:

• Dit is mooi. = It is beautiful.
• Hy is hier. = He is here.

So in this sentence, is works exactly as you would expect.

Not exactly.

Afrikaans see meaning sea is usually pronounced roughly like SEE-uh in English approximation, not exactly like the English verb see.

So even though it is spelled the same as the English verb see, it is a noun and its pronunciation is different.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

be-STEM-ing

Notes:

• the stress is on STEM
• the g at the end is not a hard English g
• the final -ing is not exactly like English singing, but this approximation is good enough for beginners

Yes, sometimes, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• by die see = by the sea / at the seaside / near the sea
• naby die see = near the sea

naby is more explicitly near.
by can sound a bit broader and often feels very natural for locations.

So both can work, but by die see is a very normal and idiomatic phrase.

Yes. It is a full, correct sentence.

It has:

• a subject: Die bestemming
• a verb: is
• a location phrase: by die see

So even without more context, it is grammatically complete.