Dit verminder besoedeling.

Afrikaans verbs do not conjugate for person the way English verbs do. That means the verb usually stays the same whether the subject is ek (I), jy (you), hy/sy/dit (he/she/it), or hulle (they).

For example:

• Ek verminder besoedeling = I reduce pollution
• Dit verminder besoedeling = It reduces pollution
• Hulle verminder besoedeling = They reduce pollution

So unlike English, Afrikaans does not add an -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

Yes, verminder is a verb. It means reduce, decrease, or lessen, depending on context.

In this sentence, verminder means reduces.
So the structure is:

• Dit = it
• verminder = reduces
• besoedeling = pollution

Besoedeling means pollution. Yes, it is a normal and useful word, especially in discussions about the environment, waste, climate, factories, transport, and recycling.

It comes from the idea of making something dirty or contaminated.

You might also see it in phrases like:

• lugbesoedeling = air pollution
• waterbesoedeling = water pollution
• omgewingsbesoedeling = environmental pollution

Afrikaans does have a definite article, die, which can mean the. But abstract or uncountable nouns often appear without an article when speaking generally.

So:

• Dit verminder besoedeling = It reduces pollution

This sounds natural when talking about pollution in general.

If you said die besoedeling, that would sound more like the pollution, meaning specific pollution already known from the context.

Compare:

• Dit verminder besoedeling = It reduces pollution in general
• Dit verminder die besoedeling in die stad = It reduces the pollution in the city

The sentence follows the normal basic Afrikaans word order:

Subject + Verb + Object

So:

• Dit = subject
• verminder = verb
• besoedeling = object

This is very similar to English:

• It reduces pollution

Afrikaans word order becomes more different from English in longer sentences, questions, subordinate clauses, or sentences with modal verbs, but this short sentence is straightforward.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

• Dit ≈ dit
• verminder ≈ fur-MIN-der
• besoedeling ≈ buh-SOO-duh-ling

A few helpful points:

• v in Afrikaans is often pronounced a bit like English f
• r is usually rolled or tapped more than in most English accents
• the g sound in Afrikaans can be harsh, but there is no g here that causes trouble in pronunciation the way it does in words like goed

You do not need perfect pronunciation at first; being understood is more important.

Yes. Dit is very flexible, just like English it. It can refer to:

• an object
• a plan
• a system
• an action
• a situation
• even a whole previous statement

For example, in context, Dit verminder besoedeling could mean:

• This machine reduces pollution
• This law reduces pollution
• Recycling reduces pollution
• Using public transport reduces pollution

So the exact reference of dit depends on what was mentioned before.

In Afrikaans, negation usually uses nie ... nie.

So:

• Dit verminder besoedeling = It reduces pollution
• Dit verminder nie besoedeling nie = It does not reduce pollution

This double nie structure is a very important feature of Afrikaans.

In a yes/no question, Afrikaans usually puts the verb first:

• Verminder dit besoedeling? = Does it reduce pollution?

This is different from English, which uses does. Afrikaans normally does not need a separate helping verb here.

So you can compare:

• Statement: Dit verminder besoedeling.
• Question: Verminder dit besoedeling?