Die werktuigkundige is hier.

Here die means the.

So Die werktuigkundige = the mechanic.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans die is very common and is used much more simply than English articles in some ways.

No. Afrikaans does not use grammatical gender the way languages like German or Dutch do.

So you use die for:

• the mechanic
• the woman
• the child
• the car

You do not have to learn different forms like the for masculine/feminine/neuter. That makes Afrikaans articles much easier for English speakers.

Afrikaans often builds long compound words by joining smaller parts together.

werktuigkundige can be broken down roughly like this:

• werk = work
• tuig = tool / equipment / apparatus
• -kundige = someone knowledgeable or skilled in something

So the whole word refers to a technically skilled person working with machinery or mechanical equipment. In everyday English, mechanic is often the best translation.

Depending on context, it can sometimes feel a bit broader or more formal than simple everyday mechanic.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

VAIRK-tate-khun-duh-khuh

That is only approximate, but it helps.

A few pronunciation notes:

• w in Afrikaans sounds like English v
• g is usually a throaty sound, not an English hard g
• ui is a distinctive Afrikaans/Dutch vowel sound that does not match English exactly
• stress is often heard around werk and kund

If you are learning pronunciation, it is best to listen to native audio for this word, because the ui and g sounds are difficult to guess from spelling alone.

Yes, very much so.

In this sentence, is is the present-tense form of to be:

• Die werktuigkundige is hier.
• The mechanic is here.

Afrikaans verbs are simpler than English verbs in many cases because they do not change much for person:

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

So is stays the same across different subjects.

This is the normal word order for a simple statement in Afrikaans:

subject + verb + rest

So:

• Die werktuigkundige = subject
• is = verb
• hier = place/complement

That makes it very close to English:

• The mechanic is here.

Afrikaans word order becomes more different from English in subordinate clauses or when another element is moved to the front, but this sentence is straightforward.

hier means here.

A rough pronunciation guide is: heer

It is shorter and cleaner than many English pronunciations of here. In Afrikaans, the vowel is usually more steady, without the strong glide many English speakers use.

Yes, sometimes.

Depending on context, werktuigkundige can refer to someone connected with mechanics, machinery, or mechanical engineering. In some situations it may be closer to:

• mechanic
• mechanical technician
• mechanical specialist

But if the meaning shown to the learner is the mechanic is here, then mechanic is the right practical translation for this sentence.

No. Common nouns in Afrikaans are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.

So:

• die werktuigkundige = lowercase in the middle of a sentence
• Die werktuigkundige is hier. = capital D only because it starts the sentence

This is different from German, where all nouns are capitalized.

Yes, depending on context.

Die werktuigkundige is hier is perfectly correct and natural. But in conversation, speakers might also say things like:

• Die werktuigkundige's hier. = a spoken contraction of is hier
• Hy is hier. = He is here, if everyone already knows who is being discussed

Still, the full sentence is a completely normal standard Afrikaans sentence and a good model for learners.