Die flitslig is op die tafel.

Die here is the definite article meaning the.

Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender in its articles the way Dutch or German do. For singular nouns, die is used for all genders:

• die tafel = the table
• die boek = the book
• die man = the man

For plural nouns, die is also used:

• die tafels = the tables

So in Die flitslig is op die tafel, both Die words simply mean the.

Yes. Flitslig is a compound noun:

• flits = flash
• lig = light

So flitslig literally means flashlight. This kind of compound formation is very common in Afrikaans, just as in English and Dutch.

Yes. is is the present-tense form of the verb to be in Afrikaans, and it looks exactly like English is.

In this sentence:

• Die flitslig is op die tafel.
• The flashlight is on the table.

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs because they usually do not change according to the subject:

• Ek is = I am
• Jy is = you are
• Hy/Sy is = he/she is
• Ons is = we are
• Hulle is = they are

So is stays the same.

Here op means on.

• op die tafel = on the table

Very often op matches English on, but not always in every expression. Prepositions rarely line up perfectly between languages. So for this sentence, op is the normal and correct choice.

Because Afrikaans, like English, normally uses the definite article before each definite noun phrase.

So:

• die flitslig = the flashlight
• die tafel = the table

You cannot normally use one die to cover both nouns in this sentence, because they belong to different parts of the sentence.

Yes. Tafel is the Afrikaans word for table, and it is historically related to English table and similar words in other European languages.

A few useful examples:

• die tafel = the table
• op die tafel = on the table
• onder die tafel = under the table

The word order is the standard Afrikaans pattern for a simple statement:

Subject + verb + prepositional phrase

So:

• Die flitslig = subject
• is = verb
• op die tafel = prepositional phrase

This is very similar to English:

• The flashlight
  • is
    • on the table

Yes, and that is a very natural question.

• Die flitslig is op die tafel = The flashlight is on the table.
• Die flitslig lê op die tafel = The flashlight is lying on the table.

Using is simply states location. Using lê can sound more specific, because it describes the object as being in a lying/resting position. For many everyday situations, both can work, but is is the simpler neutral version.

A rough pronunciation guide for English speakers is:

flits-likh

A few notes:

• flits sounds close to flits in English, with a short i
• lig does not end with a hard English g
• the final g in Afrikaans is usually a rough throat sound, like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach

So flitslig is approximately FLITS-likh.

A rough guide is:

dee flits-likh is op dee TAH-fel

Notes:

• die is usually pronounced like dee
• flitslig ≈ FLITS-likh
• is is similar to English iss
• op sounds like op with a short vowel
• tafel is roughly TAH-fel

This is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

You would use 'n, which is the Afrikaans indefinite article meaning a/an:

• 'n flitslig = a flashlight
• 'n tafel = a table

So:

• Die flitslig is op die tafel. = The flashlight is on the table.
• 'n Flitslig is op die tafel. = A flashlight is on the table.

A pronunciation note: 'n is usually pronounced as a very weak neutral vowel, like uh or ə, not like a full English an.

No. In normal Afrikaans spelling, nouns are not capitalized unless they begin the sentence or are part of a proper name.

So:

• Die flitslig is op die tafel.

Here Die is capitalized only because it starts the sentence. If the same words appeared later in a sentence, they would usually be lowercase:

• Ek sien die flitslig op die tafel.

Yes. In Afrikaans, a yes/no question usually has the verb first:

• Die flitslig is op die tafel. = The flashlight is on the table.
• Is die flitslig op die tafel? = Is the flashlight on the table?

This verb-first pattern is very common in Afrikaans questions.