Because Afrikaans usually does not form the present continuous the way English does.
English often says:
Afrikaans normally just says:
So the simple present in Afrikaans can cover both:
The exact meaning depends on context.
Sommer is a very common Afrikaans word that is often hard to translate with just one English word.
In Sy lag sommer, it adds a sense like:
So it gives the sentence a more natural, conversational feeling. Depending on context, Sy lag sommer could suggest something like:
The exact nuance depends on the situation.
No. That is one of the tricky things about Afrikaans.
Sommer is often a little particle that adds tone, attitude, or natural flow rather than a neat dictionary meaning. In different sentences it can suggest things like:
So when you see sommer, it is often better to ask, What feeling does it add? rather than What single English word matches it?