Sy inspekteer die olie nadat sy die waarskuwingslig sien.

Here sy means she.

It appears twice because there are two clauses:

• Sy inspekteer die olie = main clause
• nadat sy die waarskuwingslig sien = subordinate clause

Each clause needs its own subject, so Afrikaans repeats sy just as English repeats she in She inspects the oil after she sees the warning light.

A helpful extra note: sy can mean different things in other contexts, but here, because it is the subject before a verb, it clearly means she.

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek inspekteer
• Jy inspekteer
• Sy inspekteer
• Ons inspekteer

and:

• Ek sien
• Sy sien
• Hulle sien

This is much simpler than English, where you have I see but she sees.

Die means the.

So:

• die olie = the oil
• die waarskuwingslig = the warning light

Afrikaans uses die for all genders, and also for both singular and plural definite nouns. So it is much less complicated than languages that change the article depending on gender or case.

Nadat means after.

It introduces a subordinate clause, so:

• nadat sy die waarskuwingslig sien = after she sees the warning light

It is a very common word for linking one action to another in time.

Because nadat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses usually send the verb to the end.

So:

• nadat sy die waarskuwingslig sien

has the order:

• nadat
  • subject + object + verb

This is a very important Afrikaans pattern. You see the same thing with words like dat, omdat, as, terwyl, and wanneer.

For example:

• Ek weet dat sy die waarskuwingslig sien.
• Hy stop omdat hy die lig sien.

In both cases, the verb comes at the end of the subordinate clause.

Yes. Afrikaans very often writes compound nouns as a single word.

So:

• waarskuwing = warning
• lig = light
• waarskuwingslig = warning light

The -s- in the middle is a linking sound that often appears in compounds. You do not translate it separately.

This is very normal in Afrikaans. Compare:

• motorolie = motor oil / engine oil
• veiligheidsgordel = seat belt
• huisdeur = house door / front door

Usually it can mean either, depending on context.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• she inspects
• she is inspecting

So Sy inspekteer die olie can mean both, depending on what the speaker wants to say.

Likewise, sy sien can mean she sees. In many contexts, Afrikaans does not force the same present simple vs. present continuous distinction that English does.

Yes.

You can say:

• Nadat sy die waarskuwingslig sien, inspekteer sy die olie.

That means the same thing.

But notice what happens in the main clause after the subordinate clause comes first:

• inspekteer sy
• not sy inspekteer

That is because Afrikaans keeps the finite verb in the second position in the main clause.

So this is a very useful pattern:

• Nadat ... sien, inspekteer sy ...

A natural past-tense version would be:

• Sy het die olie geïnspekteer nadat sy die waarskuwingslig gesien het.

Notice the perfect tense pattern:

• het ... geïnspekteer
• gesien het

In the subordinate clause, the verb cluster goes to the end, so gesien het stays together at the end of that clause.

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable, especially if you want the idea of inspect.

But in everyday speech, Afrikaans speakers might also say something like:

• Sy kontroleer die olie
• Sy gaan die olie na

Those can sound a bit more natural in ordinary conversation, depending on the situation.

So inspekteer is fine, but it may sound slightly more formal or technical than the most everyday choice.