Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af.

Because afskakel is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

The full verb is afskakel = to switch off / turn off.
But in a normal main clause, the verb is split:

• skakel goes into the usual verb position
• af moves to the end

So:

• Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af. = She switches the Wi-Fi off.

Compare:

• Ek skakel die lig af.
• Hulle skakel die TV af.

But in forms like the infinitive or past participle, it is often written together again:

• om die Wi-Fi af te skakel = to switch off the Wi-Fi
• Sy het die Wi-Fi afgeskakel. = She switched off the Wi-Fi

Here, skakel means switches or turns.

On its own, skakel can have a few related meanings depending on context, such as switch, connect, or link. In this sentence, together with af, it means:

• skakel ... af = switch off / turn off

So the meaning comes from the combination skakel ... af, not just skakel by itself.

In this sentence, Sy means she.

A useful point for learners:

• sy = she / her?
  Not exactly. As a subject, sy means she.
• haar is used for her as an object or possessive in many contexts.

Examples:

• Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af. = She switches off the Wi-Fi.
• Ek sien haar. = I see her.
• Haar foon is nuut. = Her phone is new.

Because Sy is the subject here, the natural English equivalent is she.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all grammatical genders

So unlike languages that have different words for the depending on gender or number, Afrikaans usually just uses die.

Here:

• die Wi-Fi = the Wi-Fi

Examples:

• die boek = the book
• die huis = the house
• die kinders = the children

No, not in the way many European languages do.

Afrikaans nouns do not have grammatical gender like German or Dutch. That means the article does not change based on masculine, feminine, or neuter gender.

So:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die huis = the house

All use die.

That is why die Wi-Fi is straightforward: you do not need to learn a special gender for the noun.

Afrikaans usually uses the simple present tense where English might use either:

• switches off
• is switching off

So Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af can often mean:

• She switches off the Wi-Fi
• She is switching off the Wi-Fi

The exact meaning depends on context.

Afrikaans does have ways to show ongoing action, but very often the simple present is enough.

In a normal Afrikaans main clause, the finite verb usually comes early in the sentence, typically in the second position.

So the structure here is:

• Sy = subject
• skakel = finite verb
• die Wi-Fi = object
• af = separable particle at the end

That gives:

• Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af.

This is one of the most important patterns in Afrikaans word order when separable verbs are involved.

Yes. Even though Wi-Fi is a borrowed word, Afrikaans treats it like a noun in the sentence.

That means it can take:

• die as an article
• normal word order
• normal verb-object patterns

So die Wi-Fi works just like other nouns in the sentence.

Borrowed modern technology words are very common in Afrikaans, and they are often used with standard Afrikaans grammar.

Not in this exact sentence.

In a main clause with a conjugated verb, the separable verb is split:

• Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af. ✅

Writing Sy afskakel die Wi-Fi or Sy afskakel die Wi-Fi af would be wrong.

But you do write it together in other forms, such as:

• om die Wi-Fi af te skakel
• die Wi-Fi is afgeskakel
• Sy het die Wi-Fi afgeskakel

So the key idea is:

• main clause finite verb → split
• infinitive / participle-type forms → often together

A common past-tense version is:

• Sy het die Wi-Fi afgeskakel. = She switched off the Wi-Fi.

Notice what changed:

• het is added as the auxiliary
• afskakel becomes afgeskakel
• the verb is no longer split in the same way as in the present-tense main clause

So:

• Present: Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af.
• Past: Sy het die Wi-Fi afgeskakel.

You would usually invert the subject and the finite verb:

• Skakel sy die Wi-Fi af? = Is she switching off the Wi-Fi? / Does she switch off the Wi-Fi?

This is a common Afrikaans pattern for yes/no questions:

• statement: Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af.
• question: Skakel sy die Wi-Fi af?

The particle af still stays at the end.

A rough learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• skakel ≈ SKAA-kel

A few helpful notes:

• ska- sounds a bit like skaa
• the a is broad, not like the short a in English cat
• the second syllable is lighter: -kel

You do not need a perfect accent right away; the most important thing is recognizing it as the verb part of afskakel.

Usually, die Wi-Fi is more natural if you mean a specific Wi-Fi connection.

So:

• Sy skakel die Wi-Fi af. = the Wi-Fi

Leaving out die may sound less standard unless the context strongly allows it, such as very informal or technical speech.

For a learner, the safest choice is:

• use die when you mean the Wi-Fi

It is the direct object of the verb.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Sy = subject
• skakel ... af = verb
• die Wi-Fi = direct object

So she is doing the action, and the Wi-Fi is the thing being switched off.