Die verlengkoord is lank.

Die means the.

In Afrikaans, die is the normal definite article for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all grammatical genders

So unlike some other languages, you do not need different words for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns here.

It is pronounced roughly like dee.

A very common beginner mistake is to say it like English dye, but in Afrikaans that is not correct.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often writes compound nouns as a single word.

So verlengkoord is a compound:

• verleng = extension / extend-
• koord = cord

English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans usually joins them.

The structure is:

• Die verlengkoord = subject
• is = verb
• lank = adjective/complement

So the sentence pattern is basically the same as in English:

subject + is + adjective

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for an English speaker.

This is a very good question, because English speakers often expect only one form.

In Afrikaans, some adjectives change form depending on how they are used.

Here:

• lank is the form used after is
• lang is commonly used before a noun

Compare:

• Die verlengkoord is lank.
• 'n lang verlengkoord

So in this sentence, lank is the correct form.

Is is the verb to be, just like English is.

It links the subject die verlengkoord with the description lank.

Without is, the sentence would not be a normal complete statement.

No, not in a normal full sentence.

Afrikaans needs is here, just as English needs is in The extension cord is long.

So:

• correct: Die verlengkoord is lank.
• not standard as a full sentence: Die verlengkoord lank.

You say:

Die verlengkoord is nie lank nie.

This shows one of the most famous features of Afrikaans: the standard double negative pattern.

So you usually get:

• one nie after the verb or the main information
• another nie at the end of the clause

For a yes/no question, put the verb first:

Is die verlengkoord lank?

That is very common in Afrikaans and works much like English inversion:

• The extension cord is long.
• Is the extension cord long?

The plural would be:

Die verlengkoorde is lank.

A few useful things to notice:

• verlengkoord becomes verlengkoorde
• die stays die
• is stays is
• lank stays lank

Yes, if you mean an extension cord rather than the extension cord.

You would say:

'n Verlengkoord is lank.

One useful writing rule:

• 'n stays lowercase, even at the beginning of a sentence
• the next word gets the capital letter

So not 'N verlengkoord, but 'n Verlengkoord.