Wanneer ons metaal herwin, spaar ons energie en grondstowwe.

Wanneer means when. It introduces a time clause: Wanneer ons metaal herwin = When we recycle metal.

In Afrikaans, wanneer can often mean either when or whenever, depending on context. In a general statement like this one, English might also naturally say Whenever we recycle metal, we save energy and raw materials.

Because Wanneer ons metaal herwin is a subordinate clause introduced by wanneer.

In Afrikaans, subordinate clauses usually put the verb at the end. So:

• main clause style: Ons herwin metaal
• subordinate clause style: wanneer ons metaal herwin

That final verb position is very common after words like wanneer, omdat, dat, and as.

The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause:

• Wanneer ons metaal herwin, = subordinate clause
• spaar ons energie en grondstowwe. = main clause

This is normal Afrikaans punctuation, and it also helps the reader see the sentence structure clearly.

Because the sentence begins with the subordinate clause Wanneer ons metaal herwin. After that, the main clause follows the normal Afrikaans verb-second pattern.

So the first element of the main clause is the whole time clause, and then the verb comes next:

• Wanneer ons metaal herwin, spaar ons energie...

If the sentence started directly with the subject, you would get:

• Ons spaar energie en grondstowwe wanneer ons metaal herwin.

Both are correct, but the word order changes depending on what comes first.

Herwin literally means recover or win back again, but in context it is commonly used for recycle.

So metaal herwin means to recycle metal.

You may also see related forms such as:

• herwinning = recycling / recovery
• om te herwin = to recycle

Because metaal is being used in a general, material sense, like metal in English.

Afrikaans often leaves out the article when talking about something in general:

• ons herwin metaal = we recycle metal
• ons bespaar water = we save water

If you said die metaal, it would usually mean the metal, referring to a specific metal or a specific piece/batch of metal.

Metaal here is a mass noun, like English metal. It refers to the material in general, not to separate individual metals.

• metaal = metal, metal as a substance
• metale = metals, different kinds of metals

So in this sentence, metaal is the natural choice because the idea is recycling metal material in general.

Yes. Ons can mean both we and us, depending on its role in the sentence.

In this sentence:

• Wanneer ons metaal herwin = When we recycle metal
• spaar ons energie = we save energy

So here ons is the subject, meaning we.

Yes. Spaar means save, spare, or conserve.

In this sentence, spaar ons energie en grondstowwe means we save/conserve energy and raw materials.

It is a very natural verb here. Afrikaans also has bespaar, which often means save in the sense of save on or avoid using so much, but spaar is simple and idiomatic in environmental contexts.

Grondstowwe means raw materials.

It is the plural of grondstof:

• grond = ground / base
• stof = substance / material
• grondstof = raw material
• grondstowwe = raw materials

So the sentence is saying that recycling metal saves both energy and the raw materials that would otherwise be needed to produce new metal.

This is an irregular plural pattern that some Afrikaans nouns have.

• singular: stof
• plural: stowwe

So:

• grondstof → grondstowwe

You cannot always predict this from English, so it is best to learn it as a vocabulary item. Similar changes happen in some other Afrikaans words too.

It is singular in form, but it refers to energy in a general sense, just like English energy.

So:

• energie = energy
• not normally energieë in a sentence like this

The sentence means that recycling metal saves energy as a resource in general.

Sometimes, yes, but not always with exactly the same nuance.

• wanneer = when / whenever
• as = if / when

In general statements, Afrikaans often uses as where English might use when:

• As ons metaal herwin, spaar ons energie...

That would also be understandable and natural. But wanneer makes the time meaning especially clear.

Again, this is because of subordinate clause word order.

Inside Wanneer ons metaal herwin:

• ons = subject
• metaal = object
• herwin = verb at the end

So the pattern is basically:

wanneer + subject + object + verb

This is very typical Afrikaans subordinate clause structure.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

Ons spaar energie en grondstowwe wanneer ons metaal herwin.

This means the same thing. The difference is mainly emphasis and style:

• Wanneer ons metaal herwin, spaar ons energie en grondstowwe.
  Starts with the time condition.

• Ons spaar energie en grondstowwe wanneer ons metaal herwin.
  Starts with the main point.

Both are correct.

Yes, several are helpful cognates or near-cognates:

• metaal ≈ metal
• energie ≈ energy
• materiaal would also look familiar, though it is not in this sentence

Others are less obvious:

• herwin = recycle / recover
• spaar = save
• grondstowwe = raw materials

So this sentence is a mix of familiar-looking vocabulary and words that need to be learned more directly.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• Wanneer ≈ vuh-NEER
• ons ≈ ons / awns depending on accent
• metaal ≈ meh-TAHL
• herwin ≈ hair-VIN
• spaar ≈ spahr
• energie ≈ en-air-GEE
• grondstowwe ≈ GHRONT-stof-uh or GHRONT-stoff-uh

These are only approximations. The g in Afrikaans is much harsher than English g, and the vowels can vary by accent.