Die wedstryd begin nou.

Here, die means the.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for:

• singular nouns: die wedstryd = the match
• plural nouns: die wedstryde = the matches

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not have different forms of the for grammatical gender.

No. In Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced like dee.

So Die wedstryd begin nou starts with a dee sound, not the English die sound.

This is a very common thing for English speakers to trip over at first.

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form depending on the subject.

In English, you say:

• I begin
• the match begins

In Afrikaans, the verb stays the same:

• Ek begin
• Jy begin
• Die wedstryd begin
• Hulle begin

So begin is correct with die wedstryd.

It can cover all of those ideas, depending on context.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use:

• begins now
• is beginning now
• starts now

So Die wedstryd begin nou is a very natural way to say that the match is starting at this moment.

Afrikaans does have ways to be more explicitly progressive, but in ordinary speech the simple present is often enough.

Because that is a very normal word order in a simple Afrikaans statement.

The basic structure here is:

• Die wedstryd = subject
• begin = verb
• nou = adverb of time

So: Die wedstryd begin nou.

You can also move nou to the front for emphasis: Nou begin die wedstryd.

When that happens, Afrikaans keeps the verb in the second position, which is why you get:

• Nou begin die wedstryd and not
• Nou die wedstryd begin

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

Begin die wedstryd nou? = Is the match starting now?

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

You can also make a question with a question word:

• Wanneer begin die wedstryd? = When does the match begin?
• Hoekom begin die wedstryd nou? = Why is the match starting now?

The plural is wedstryde.

So:

• die wedstryd = the match
• die wedstryde = the matches

And the sentence would become: Die wedstryde begin nou. = The matches are starting now.

Notice that:

• die stays die
• begin stays begin

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• wedstryd ≈ VET-strayt
• begin ≈ buh-KHIN or buh-GHIN
• nou ≈ now

A few helpful notes:

• Afrikaans w sounds more like an English v
• the g in begin is usually a throaty sound, like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
• nou is very close to English now

And as mentioned earlier:

• die ≈ dee

Not exactly.

Wedstryd usually means a match, contest, or competitive game, especially in sports.

Spel can mean game more generally, and it can also refer to play or gameplay depending on context.

So for a sports match, wedstryd is often the better word:

• Die wedstryd begin nou. = The match starts now.

If you said Die spel begin nou, it could work in some contexts, but it may sound less specifically like a formal sports match.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Die wedstryd begin nou.
• Nou begin die wedstryd.

The difference is mainly emphasis.

• Die wedstryd begin nou is a straightforward statement.
• Nou begin die wedstryd puts extra focus on now.

This is a good example of how Afrikaans often lets you move an element to the front for emphasis, while still keeping the verb in second position.