Watter soort beursie is vermis?

Watter means which or what when you are selecting from possible options.

In this sentence, watter soort means what kind / which kind.

A few comparisons:

• Watter beursie = which wallet/purse
• Watter soort beursie = what kind of wallet/purse

So watter is the question word introducing the choice.

Soort means kind, type, or sort.

So:

• watter = which / what
• soort = kind / type

Together, watter soort means what kind of.

This is very natural Afrikaans. You could also hear:

• Watter tipe beursie ...? = What type of purse/wallet ...?

Both soort and tipe work, though soort is very common.

In English, you usually say what kind of wallet. Afrikaans often leaves out a separate word equivalent to of in this pattern.

So Afrikaans says:

• watter soort beursie

Literally, that looks like:

• what kind wallet

But the natural English translation is:

• what kind of wallet

This is normal Afrikaans structure, not a missing word.

Beursie usually means a purse or wallet, depending on context.

A useful detail:

• It is a diminutive form, ending in -ie
• So it can suggest a small purse/wallet

In real usage, the exact English word depends on context:

• If someone keeps cash and cards in it, English might use wallet
• If it refers to a small handbag or coin purse, English might use purse

So beursie does not always match just one English word perfectly.

Because is vermis works like is missing.

Here:

• is = is
• vermis = missing

So the sentence structure is:

• Watter soort beursie = subject/question phrase
• is = finite verb
• vermis = complement

Afrikaans often uses wees (to be) with an adjective-like word such as vermis:

• Die kind is vermis. = The child is missing.
• My sleutels is vermis. = My keys are missing.

So is vermis is not strange or incomplete; it is a normal way to say that something is missing.

In this sentence, vermis behaves like an adjective, meaning missing.

So:

• Die beursie is vermis. = The purse/wallet is missing.

Even though vermis is related to the idea of being lost or missing, here it is not acting like a full action verb such as lose or disappear. It describes the state of the purse/wallet.

That is why it appears after is.

Afrikaans follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

In this question:

• Watter soort beursie is placed first as the question element
• The finite verb is comes second
• vermis comes after that

So the structure is:

Watter soort beursie | is | vermis?

This is very typical Afrikaans word order.

Compare:

• Die beursie is vermis. = The purse is missing.
• Watter soort beursie is vermis? = What kind of purse is missing?

The question phrase moves to the front, and the verb still stays in second position.

Because the sentence is asking about the type of purse/wallet, not introducing a specific one with an article.

Afrikaans commonly says:

• watter soort beursie not necessarily
• watter soort 'n beursie

In English, we also normally say:

• what kind of wallet not
• what kind of a wallet
  though what kind of a wallet is also possible in some contexts.

So the absence of 'n is normal here.

Yes, in informal spoken Afrikaans, many people say watse instead of watter.

So:

• Watter soort beursie is vermis? = more standard
• Watse soort beursie is vermis? = more colloquial/informal

Both would be understood, but watter is the safer choice for standard written Afrikaans.

It sounds mostly neutral and natural.

It would fit contexts like:

• a police report
• a lost-and-found conversation
• a shop or office asking for details

Because it uses watter and vermis, it can sound a little more careful or official than very casual speech, but it is not overly formal.

Yes. A few alternatives are possible, depending on tone and context:

• Watter tipe beursie is vermis?
  = What type of purse/wallet is missing?

• Watter beursie het weggeraak?
  = Which purse/wallet got lost?

• Watter beursie word gesoek?
  = Which purse/wallet is being looked for?

The original sentence, Watter soort beursie is vermis?, focuses on the item being missing and asks for its kind/type.