Hierdie soort verklaring is kort.

Hierdie means this or these when it comes directly before a noun.

So:

• hierdie verklaring = this statement
• hierdie soort verklaring = this kind of statement

By contrast:

• die usually means the
• dit usually means it or this as a standalone pronoun

So you say:

• Hierdie soort verklaring is kort. = This kind of statement is short.
• Dit is kort. = It is short.

That is a very common question for English speakers.

In English, you say this kind of statement. In Afrikaans, soort is often followed directly by the noun:

• soort verklaring = kind of statement
• soort probleem = kind of problem

So Afrikaans often does not need a separate word matching English of here.

You may hear other patterns in casual speech, but in standard neutral Afrikaans, hierdie soort verklaring is perfectly normal.

Because after words like soort or tipe, the next noun often appears without an article when it names the category.

So:

• hierdie soort verklaring
• daardie tipe fout

This works a bit like a classification phrase: kind/type + noun.

An English speaker may expect something like this kind of a statement, but Afrikaans normally does not need 'n there.

Soort means kind, sort, or type.

In this sentence, it tells you that the speaker is not talking about just one specific statement, but about a category of statements.

So:

• Hierdie verklaring is kort. = This statement is short.
• Hierdie soort verklaring is kort. = This kind of statement is short.

That little word soort changes the meaning quite a lot.

Verklaring can mean several related things depending on context, such as:

• statement
• declaration
• explanation

The exact English word depends on the situation. In a legal or formal setting, it may feel more like declaration or statement. In another context, it may feel closer to explanation.

So this is a useful word to learn, but its best translation is context-dependent.

This is normal Afrikaans main-clause word order.

The structure is:

• Hierdie soort verklaring = subject
• is = verb
• kort = adjective/complement

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + description

That happens to look very similar to English here:

• This kind of statement is short.

Afrikaans often puts the finite verb in the second position in a main clause. Since the subject comes first here, is naturally comes next.

Because after is, Afrikaans uses the basic adjective form.

So:

• Die boek is interessant.
• Die sinne is lank.
• Hierdie soort verklaring is kort.

The adjective does not change here the way adjectives sometimes do in other languages.

Also, kort can mean both:

• short in physical length
• short/brief in time, speech, or writing

In this sentence, it means brief/short.

Yes. In present-tense Afrikaans, is is used with all persons and numbers.

For example:

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

So unlike English, Afrikaans does not switch between am, is, and are. It just uses is.

Yes.

• hierdie soort verklaring = this kind of statement
• daardie soort verklaring = that kind of statement

So the sentence can be changed easily depending on distance or contrast:

• Hierdie soort verklaring is kort.
• Daardie soort verklaring is kort.

The grammar stays the same; only the demonstrative changes.