Die wenner sê die verloorder het regverdig gespeel.

Because die is the definite article the in Afrikaans.

So:

• die wenner = the winner
• die verloorder = the loser

Afrikaans does not change die for gender, number, or case in the way some other languages do. It is the normal word for the in all these cases.

They are nouns meaning winner and loser.

• wen = to win

• wenner = winner

• verloor = to lose
• verloorder = loser

The ending -er or -der often makes a person noun, similar to English win → winner or lose → loser.

The circumflex in sê helps show pronunciation and distinguishes it clearly in writing.

• sê = say / says

In pronunciation, it has a vowel somewhat like the e in English bed, but longer and clearer depending on accent. The mark is part of the normal spelling, so learners should write sê, not just se.

Het is the auxiliary verb used to form the perfect tense in Afrikaans, much like English has/have in many contexts.

So:

• het ... gespeel = played / has played

In Afrikaans, the perfect tense is very common, often even where English might simply use a past tense.
Here die verloorder het regverdig gespeel means the loser played fairly.

In a normal Afrikaans main clause with the perfect tense, the structure is usually:

subject + het + other information + past participle

So here:

• die verloorder = subject
• het = auxiliary
• regverdig = adverb
• gespeel = past participle

That gives:

die verloorder het regverdig gespeel

This end position for the participle is very typical in Afrikaans.

Yes. Gespeel is the past participle of speel.

• speel = play
• gespeel = played

Many Afrikaans past participles are formed with ge-:

• maak → gemaak
• werk → gewerk
• speel → gespeel

So het gespeel is the normal perfect-tense form.

Here regverdig is an adverb, describing how the loser played.

• regverdig gespeel = played fairly

The word regverdig can also be related to fair / just / justly, depending on context. In this sentence, it tells us the manner of playing, so fairly is the natural English translation.

Afrikaans can leave out dat (that) in sentences like this.

So both are possible:

• Die wenner sê die verloorder het regverdig gespeel.
• Die wenner sê dat die verloorder regverdig gespeel het.

Both mean the same thing.

When dat is omitted, the following clause often keeps normal main-clause word order:

• die verloorder het regverdig gespeel

When dat is included, the clause becomes a subordinate clause, and the verb order changes:

• dat die verloorder regverdig gespeel het

This is a very useful contrast for learners.

Because Afrikaans subordinate clauses usually send the finite verb to the end.

Compare:

Main-clause style after sê without dat:

• Die wenner sê die verloorder het regverdig gespeel.

Subordinate clause with dat:

• Die wenner sê dat die verloorder regverdig gespeel het.

So the change is not about meaning; it is about clause structure.

Afrikaans verbs do not change much for person the way English verbs do.

In English:

• I say
• he says

In Afrikaans, the verb usually stays the same:

• ek sê
• hy sê
• die wenner sê

This is one reason many learners find Afrikaans verb forms simpler than English verb forms.

A rough guide is:

Die wenner sê die verloorder het regverdig gespeel.

Approximate pronunciation: dee VENN-er say dee ver-LOOR-der het REKH-fer-dikh khuh-SPAYL

A few notes:

• die sounds like dee
• wenner has stress on the first syllable
• verloorder has stress around loor
• g in regverdig is the guttural Afrikaans g/ch sound
• speel sounds like spale without the final l being too heavy

This is only approximate, but it helps as a starting point.

In many contexts, yes. Afrikaans simple present can cover meanings that English expresses as either simple present or present progressive, depending on context.

So Die wenner sê ... usually means:

• The winner says ...
• or in some contexts The winner is saying ...

But the most natural general translation here is The winner says ....

Yes, it is a simple example of indirect or reported speech.

The structure is:

• someone reports something: Die wenner sê ...
• then comes what is being reported: die verloorder het regverdig gespeel

Afrikaans often handles this very simply, especially when dat is omitted. That makes sentences like this quite common and natural.