Die kredietmeter is foutief, maar die voorafbetaalmeter wys die elektrisiteitskrediet.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

It appears before kredietmeter and again before voorafbetaalmeter because each noun phrase normally has its own article:

• die kredietmeter = the credit meter
• die voorafbetaalmeter = the prepaid meter

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans die does not change for gender, and it is also used for plural nouns.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns by writing them as a single word.

So:

• krediet + meter → kredietmeter
• vooraf + betaal + meter → voorafbetaalmeter
• elektrisiteit + s + krediet → elektrisiteitskrediet

The basic rule is that the main noun usually comes at the end, and the earlier part describes it. So a kredietmeter is a kind of meter, and elektrisiteitskrediet is a kind of krediet.

Foutief means something like faulty, incorrect, or defective, depending on context.

In this sentence, Die kredietmeter is foutief means the meter is not functioning properly or is giving wrong information.

It is a fairly formal-looking word, but it is completely normal. In everyday English, faulty is often the best translation here.

Because foutief is being used after the verb is. In Afrikaans, adjectives used after a linking verb like is usually stay in their basic form.

So:

• Die kredietmeter is foutief. = adjective after is → foutief
• 'n foutiewe kredietmeter = adjective before a noun → foutiewe

This is a very common pattern in Afrikaans:

• Die huis is groot.
• 'n groot huis

But:

• Die antwoord is korrek.
• 'n korrekte antwoord

Maar means but.

It joins two main clauses:

• Die kredietmeter is foutief
• die voorafbetaalmeter wys die elektrisiteitskrediet

Because maar is a coordinating conjunction, it does not force the verb to the end. The second part keeps normal main-clause word order:

• die voorafbetaalmeter wys ...

So in this sentence, maar works very much like English but.

This is normal Afrikaans main-clause word order.

The pattern is:

• subject
  • verb
    • object

So:

• die voorafbetaalmeter = subject
• wys = verb
• die elektrisiteitskrediet = object

Afrikaans is often described as a verb-second language in main clauses. Here the subject comes first, so the verb comes second:

• Die voorafbetaalmeter wys ...

Yes. Wys means show, display, or indicate, depending on context.

With a device such as a meter, wys is very natural:

• Die meter wys die lesing. = The meter shows the reading.
• Die skerm wys die balans. = The screen shows the balance.

So in this sentence, wys means that the prepaid meter displays or indicates the electricity credit.

They are two different compound nouns.

• kredietmeter = a credit meter
• voorafbetaalmeter = a prepaid meter or prepayment meter

Even though both contain the idea of credit/payment, they refer to different kinds of meters. The sentence contrasts them:

• one meter is faulty
• the other one shows the electricity credit

So the sentence is not repeating the same noun; it is naming two specific types of meter.

That s is a linking element often found in Afrikaans compounds. It is sometimes called a linking s.

So:

• elektrisiteit
  • krediet becomes
• elektrisiteitskrediet

You cannot always predict this perfectly from English, so it is often best to learn compounds as complete words. The important point is that elektrisiteitskrediet means electricity credit, with krediet as the main part of the compound.

Yes. It can be understood as:

• vooraf = in advance / beforehand
• betaal = pay
• meter = meter

So the compound gives the idea of a meter connected with paying in advance. That is why the natural English meaning is prepaid meter or prepayment meter.

This is a good example of how Afrikaans often builds longer nouns by stacking meaningful parts together.

Possibly, in some contexts, but wys is the more common everyday verb for what a screen, meter, sign, or display does.

Compare:

• Die meter wys die krediet. = very natural
• Die meter toon die krediet. = understandable, but can sound a bit more formal or less idiomatic depending on context

So wys is the safest choice here.

Yes, in this context meter means a measuring device, just like English meter.

So:

• kredietmeter = credit meter
• voorafbetaalmeter = prepaid meter

It is one of those words that is very easy for English speakers to recognize.

Die would stay the same, because Afrikaans uses die for both singular and plural definite nouns.

For example:

• die kredietmeter = the credit meter
• die kredietmeters = the credit meters

So even if the noun changes to plural, the article usually remains die. That is one reason Afrikaans articles are simpler than English learners often expect.