Ek gaan die verbruik na.

No. In this sentence, gaan ... na is not the future construction. It is the separable verb nagaan, which means things like check, verify, inspect, or go over.

So:

• Ek gaan die verbruik na. = I check / examine / verify the consumption.

Even though gaan by itself often means go and can also be used in the future sense (is going to), that is not what is happening here.

A learner can easily confuse:

• Ek gaan die verbruik na. = I check the consumption.
• Ek gaan die verbruik meet. = I am going to measure the consumption.

In the first sentence, gaan ... na belongs together as one verb: nagaan.

Because nagaan is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

Its two parts are:

• gaan
• na

In a normal main clause, the verb is split:

• Ek gaan die verbruik na.

The object die verbruik goes between the two parts.

This is similar to how separable verbs work in Dutch and somewhat like phrasal verbs in English, although the grammar is not exactly the same.

A useful comparison:

• Dictionary form: nagaan
• Main clause: Ek gaan dit na.
• Infinitive: om dit na te gaan
• Past participle: nagegaan

So na is at the end because it is the separated particle of nagaan.

The dictionary form is nagaan.

That is the full verb you would normally look up in a dictionary, not just gaan.

Important forms:

• nagaan = to check / verify / inspect
• Ek gaan dit na. = I check it.
• om dit na te gaan = to check it
• Ek het dit nagegaan. = I checked it / I have checked it.

So if you want to learn the verb properly, learn it as:

• nagaan → separable in many sentence patterns

Yes. It is a present-tense sentence.

Because gaan ... na is the separable verb nagaan, the sentence means something like:

• I check the consumption
• I am checking the consumption
• I look into the consumption

The exact English translation depends on context, but grammatically the Afrikaans sentence is present tense.

It is not automatically future just because you see gaan.

Verbruik is a noun meaning consumption, usage, or amount used, depending on context.

For example, it can refer to:

• electricity consumption
• fuel consumption
• water usage
• resource use in general

So die verbruik means:

• the consumption
• the usage
• the amount used

The exact English choice depends on the situation.

Because die is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• die verbruik = the consumption

Afrikaans often uses the article where English might also use the, depending on context. If the speaker is talking about a specific known consumption figure or usage amount, die verbruik is natural.

Compare:

• Ek gaan die verbruik na. = I’m checking the consumption.
• Verbruik is hoog. = Consumption is high.

So the article depends on whether the noun is being treated as specific/definite in context.

The infinitive is nagaan, but when used with om ... te, the two parts are split:

• om die verbruik na te gaan = to check the consumption

This is a very important pattern in Afrikaans separable verbs.

Examples:

• Ek wil die verbruik nagaan. = I want to check the consumption.
  
  • After another verb like wil, the infinitive often stays together as nagaan.
• Dit is belangrik om die verbruik na te gaan. = It is important to check the consumption.
  
  • In the om ... te structure, the particle separates: na te gaan.

A common past form is:

• Ek het die verbruik nagegaan.

Here the full past participle is written together:

• nagegaan

So the pattern is:

• Present: Ek gaan die verbruik na.
• Past: Ek het die verbruik nagegaan.

This is another useful clue that the real verb is nagaan.

Yes. Nagaan is a very common verb and can be used with many kinds of objects, not just verbruik.

For example:

• Ek gaan die syfers na. = I check the figures.
• Sy gaan die verslag na. = She checks the report.
• Ons gaan die besonderhede na. = We check the details.

So in your sentence, die verbruik is simply the thing being checked.

Yes: the biggest trap is thinking this means I am going to ...

An English speaker will naturally see Ek gaan and expect a future meaning. But here you must read the whole verb:

• gaan ... na = nagaan

So always check whether a word at the end of the clause completes a separable verb.

A good habit is:

1. Notice the finite verb.
2. Look for a particle at the end.
3. Ask whether they form one dictionary verb.

In this sentence:

• gaan
  • na = nagaan

That is the key point.