Hoe lank is die reistyd?

In this sentence, hoe lank means how long in the sense of duration.

• hoe = how
• lank = long

So Hoe lank is die reistyd? asks about the amount of time a journey takes.

A useful thing to remember is that lank often refers to time or length, depending on context.

Afrikaans keeps normal verb-second word order in main questions when there is a question word at the front.

So the structure is:

• Hoe lank = question phrase
• is = verb
• die reistyd = subject

This is very similar to English How long is the travel time?

Afrikaans does not use do-support like English does, so you do not need anything like does or do.

die means the.

So:

• die reistyd = the travel time

Unlike English, Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for all nouns, regardless of gender. You do not have to learn separate words like de and het in Dutch, or der/die/das in German.

reistyd is a compound noun:

• reis = travel / journey / trip
• tyd = time

Together, reistyd means travel time or journey time.

Compound nouns are very common in Afrikaans, just as they are in English and especially in Germanic languages generally. Instead of saying something like time of travel, Afrikaans often joins the words into one noun.

Usually in questions like this, yes, it refers to duration. But lank can also describe physical length in other contexts.

For example:

• Hoe lank is die reis? = How long is the journey?
• Hoe lank is die tou? = How long is the rope?

So the exact meaning depends on the noun and context. In Hoe lank is die reistyd?, it clearly refers to time.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Hoe lank duur die reis? = How long does the journey take?
• Wat is die reistyd? = What is the travel time?
• Hoeveel tyd neem die reis? = How much time does the journey take?

Your original sentence is perfectly correct and natural, but these alternatives may sound more common in some situations, especially Hoe lank duur die reis?

A rough English-friendly guide is:

hoo lahngk iss dee rays-tate

A few notes:

• hoe sounds like hoo
• lank has an a like in father, not like English lane
• die in Afrikaans is usually pronounced like dee
• reis sounds roughly like race or rays
• tyd has the Afrikaans y, which does not match English perfectly; a rough approximation is something between tade and tight, depending on accent

If you want to sound more natural, listening to native audio is very helpful, especially for ui, y, and diphthongs.

Afrikaans does not form questions the way English often does.

In English, we say:

• How long does the trip take?

But in Afrikaans, you usually just move the verb into the normal question position:

• Hoe lank duur die reis?

Likewise:

• Hoe lank is die reistyd?

There is no extra helper verb like do/does needed here.

Here it is singular: the travel time.

If you wanted a plural form, it would depend on context, but in this sentence you are asking about one journey or one route’s duration.

The verb is also shows that the subject is singular:

• die reistyd is = the travel time is

Yes.

• reis = the journey/trip itself
• reistyd = the time the journey takes

So compare:

• Hoe lank is die reis? = How long is the journey?
  
  • This can sometimes mean duration, but it could feel a little broader.
• Hoe lank is die reistyd? = How long is the travel time?
  
  • This specifically asks about duration.

So reistyd is more precise if you want to focus on the amount of time.

It is perfectly acceptable in everyday speech, especially in contexts like:

• travel planning
• public transport
• directions
• route discussions
• websites or travel apps

That said, in casual conversation many speakers might more naturally say:

• Hoe lank duur die reis?

Your sentence is still clear, correct, and useful.