Dit is 'n feit.

In this sentence, dit is best understood as it: Dit is 'n feit = It is a fact.

Afrikaans dit can sometimes feel a bit broader than English it, especially in simple identifying statements, so learners may also see it translated as this in some contexts. But if you want a clear basic rule, here dit = it.

If you specifically want to say this as a demonstrative, Afrikaans more often uses hierdie:

• Hierdie is 'n feit = This is a fact

Yes, this is normal Afrikaans word order for a simple statement:

• Dit = subject
• is = verb
• 'n feit = complement

So the structure is:

subject + verb + complement

This is very similar to English:

• It is a fact

Afrikaans often looks very familiar to English speakers in short present-tense sentences like this.

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

So:

• 'n feit = a fact

Afrikaans does not usually change the article depending on the next sound the way English does with a/an. It is simply 'n.

Examples:

• 'n man = a man
• 'n appel = an apple
• 'n feit = a fact

That is just the standard spelling of the Afrikaans indefinite article: 'n.

A few important points:

• It is always written with an apostrophe.
• The n stays lowercase, even if the sentence begins with 'n.

For example:

• 'n Feit is belangrik.

Notice that Feit gets the capital letter, not 'n.

This is one of the most distinctive spelling features in Afrikaans.

'n is usually pronounced as a very short neutral vowel, like the a in English about or sofa.

So Dit is 'n feit sounds roughly like:

• dit is uh feit

The n is usually not strongly pronounced on its own in careful everyday speech. The main thing is not to pronounce it like the English letter name en.

Is is the present tense form of to be in this sentence.

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs because they usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

Compare English:

• I am
• you are
• it is

Afrikaans:

• ek is
• jy is
• dit is

So is stays the same.

Examples:

• Ek is moeg = I am tired
• Jy is reg = You are right
• Dit is 'n feit = It is a fact

Feit means fact.

It is a noun, and in this sentence it is singular:

• 'n feit = a fact

It is also a cognate, so it is easy for English speakers to recognize.

You may also see:

• feite = facts

Example:

• Dit is feite would not normally be used here, because that would mean These are facts or It is facts, which does not fit this sentence.

Feit is pronounced roughly like English fate, though not exactly the same.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

• fayt

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• Dit is uh fayt

If you already know Dutch or German, the vowel may feel familiar, but for an English speaker fate is a useful first approximation.

Afrikaans does not make that distinction with the indefinite article.

English changes the form:

• a fact
• an apple

Afrikaans uses 'n for both:

• 'n feit
• 'n appel

So you do not need to learn two versions.

Yes. Dis 'n feit is a very common spoken and informal written contraction of Dit is 'n feit.

So:

• Dit is 'n feit = full form
• Dis 'n feit = contracted form

Both mean the same thing:

• It is a fact

Learners should recognize dis very early, because native speakers use it a lot in everyday Afrikaans.

Because 'n means a/an, while een means one when you want to emphasize the number.

So normally:

• Dit is 'n feit = It is a fact

But if you really wanted to stress one fact, you could use een in the right context:

• Dit is een feit wat ons nie kan ignoreer nie = That is one fact we cannot ignore

For basic indefinite meaning, use 'n, not een.

No. Afrikaans does not use grammatical gender the way many European languages do.

So feit does not need a special article based on gender. You simply use:

• 'n feit = a fact
• die feit = the fact

This makes Afrikaans much easier for English speakers than languages where every noun has to be learned with a gender.

If you want to say It is the fact, you would use die:

• Dit is die feit

However, in natural English, It is the fact is less common than It is a fact or That is the fact depending on context. The Afrikaans sentence with 'n is the normal general statement.

Useful contrast:

• Dit is 'n feit = It is a fact
• Dit is die feit = It is the fact

You keep 'n lowercase and capitalize the next word.

So:

• correct: 'n Feit is belangrik
• not standard: 'N feit is belangrik

This often surprises English speakers, but it is the normal Afrikaans rule.

It is neutral and completely standard.

• Dit is 'n feit is a normal, correct sentence in both speech and writing.
• Dis 'n feit is more conversational, though still very common and acceptable in many contexts.

So if you are learning textbook Afrikaans, Dit is 'n feit is the safe full form to remember.