Die deur is aan hierdie kant.

Die means the.

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not normally change the definite article for grammatical gender. So you use die for all nouns:

• die deur = the door
• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die huise = the houses

So in this sentence, die deur simply means the door.

Yes. Deur is the Afrikaans noun for door.

Be careful, though: deur can also be a preposition meaning through in other sentences. In this sentence, it is clearly a noun because it comes after die:

• die deur = the door

So here there is no ambiguity.

Aan hierdie kant means on this side or at this side.

Word by word:

• aan = at / on / by
• hierdie = this
• kant = side

Together, aan hierdie kant is a natural Afrikaans phrase meaning on this side.

Because Afrikaans normally needs the preposition here.

English also usually says:

• The door is on this side

not just

• The door is this side

So aan works like the preposition that makes the phrase complete.
Die deur is hierdie kant would sound unnatural or incomplete in standard Afrikaans.

Die means the, while hierdie means this or these.

So:

• die deur = the door
• hierdie deur = this door

In your sentence, hierdie is not describing deur directly. It belongs with kant:

• hierdie kant = this side

So the structure is:

• Die deur = the door
• is aan hierdie kant = is on this side

Usually, no. Hierdie can be used for both singular and plural.

For example:

• hierdie deur = this door
• hierdie deure = these doors

That is often easier for English speakers, because Afrikaans does not force as many changes here as some other languages do.

Because this is the normal word order in a simple Afrikaans main clause:

• Subject + verb + rest

So:

• Die deur = subject
• is = verb
• aan hierdie kant = rest of the sentence

This is very similar to English:

• The door is on this side.

Yes, very often Afrikaans verbs do not change much according to the subject.

For the verb wees (to be), you get forms like:

• Ek is = I am
• Jy is = you are
• Hy is = he is
• Ons is = we are
• Hulle is = they are

So is is used very widely, unlike English, which has am / is / are.

A rough English-friendly guide is something like HEER-dee or HEER-dee-uh, depending on accent and speed.

A few points:

• hier sounds a bit like here
• the d is pronounced clearly
• the final -ie often sounds like ee

So hierdie kant is roughly HEER-dee kahnt.

That said, exact pronunciation varies by speaker, and English spelling is only an approximation.

Deur is not pronounced exactly like English door, although it may sound somewhat similar to beginners.

A rough approximation is something like duhr with a rounded vowel. The eu sound is a typical Afrikaans vowel that does not match English perfectly.

If you already know Dutch, it is similar to Dutch deur.

Kant means side.

In this sentence, it is physical:

• hierdie kant = this side

But kant can also be used more broadly, depending on context, such as a side in an argument or a direction. Still, for beginners, thinking of it as side is the best starting point.

You use the Afrikaans double negative:

• Die deur is nie aan hierdie kant nie.

This means The door is not on this side.

Notice the two nie words:

1. the first nie goes after the verb
2. the second nie goes at the end of the clause

That double negative pattern is a very important feature of standard Afrikaans.

Yes. That would mean The door is on that side.

Compare:

• aan hierdie kant = on this side
• aan daardie kant = on that side

So if you want to change the location contrast, you can swap hierdie for daardie.