Die afskop begin die wedstryd.

Because die is the definite article in Afrikaans, and it is used for both nouns here:

• die afskop = the kick-off
• die wedstryd = the match

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not change the definite article for gender. So the same word, die, is used very widely.

Here afskop is a noun, not a verb.

So:

• die afskop = the kick-off

If it were being used as a verb, the structure would be different. In this sentence, die afskop is the subject of the sentence.

The verb is begin.

A quick way to see the structure is:

• Die afskop = subject
• begin = verb
• die wedstryd = object

So the sentence follows the normal Afrikaans main-clause word order:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is very similar to normal English word order.

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to person or number in the present tense.

In English, we say:

• I begin
• he begins

But in Afrikaans, it stays begin:

• Ek begin
• hy begin
• die afskop begin

This is one of the simpler features of Afrikaans grammar.

Yes. In this sentence, begin is being used transitively, meaning to start something.

So:

• begin die wedstryd = start the match

That is perfectly possible in Afrikaans, just as in English you can say The kick-off starts the match.

Yes. A very natural alternative would be:

• Die wedstryd begin met die afskop.

That means The match begins with the kick-off.

The original sentence, Die afskop begin die wedstryd, puts the focus on the kick-off as the thing that starts the match. The alternative puts the focus on the match.

Because begin is the main finite verb of the sentence.

Afrikaans uses te before an infinitive in some constructions, but not when the verb is simply the main verb in an ordinary present-tense statement.

So here:

• Die afskop begin die wedstryd = normal main clause

No te is needed.

Wedstryd usually means match, game, or contest, depending on context.

In sports contexts, it often means:

• match
• game

So in this sentence, die wedstryd is most naturally the match.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• Die ≈ duh or sometimes closer to dee depending on accent
• afskop ≈ AHF-skhop
• begin ≈ buh-GIN
• wedstryd ≈ VET-strate or VET-stride as a rough approximation

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• g in Afrikaans is usually a throaty sound, not like English g in go
• w sounds like English v
• y in wedstryd is not pronounced like English y in yes

Exact pronunciation varies somewhat by speaker, but those approximations can help you get started.

It can also be plural.

That is another difference from English. Afrikaans often uses the same definite article die for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns

So die does not tell you by itself whether the noun is singular or plural. You understand that from the noun and the context.

In this sentence, both nouns are singular:

• die afskop
• die wedstryd

It is ordinary, basic word order for a main clause.

The pattern is:

• Die afskop = subject
• begin = verb in second position
• die wedstryd = object

Afrikaans main clauses generally put the finite verb in the second position, and this sentence fits that rule in a very straightforward way.

Because Afrikaans has largely lost grammatical gender in its article system.

For learners coming from English, this is actually convenient. You do not need to learn different forms like the masculine one, the feminine one, and the neuter one. In most cases, you simply use die for definite nouns.

So both afskop and wedstryd just take die.