Die staproete draai by die kloof weg voordat ons terugstap.

Staproete is a compound noun: stap + roete.

• stap = walk / hike
• roete = route / trail

Afrikaans very often joins nouns into a single word, much like Dutch and German do. So staproete means something like walking route, hiking route, or trail.

This is very normal in Afrikaans:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• bergpad = mountain path
• fietsroete = cycling route

So even if English would often use two words, Afrikaans may prefer one compound word.

Because die is the definite article the, and each noun phrase needs its own article when it is definite.

So:

• die staproete = the trail
• die kloof = the gorge

Afrikaans does not change die for gender or case, so the same word is used for all singular and plural definite nouns.

Compare:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kinders = the children

So the two die words are completely normal: one belongs to staproete, and the other belongs to kloof.

This is a very useful Afrikaans pattern. Draai weg means turn away, turn off, or branch off, depending on context.

• draai = turn
• weg = away

In this sentence, it suggests that the trail changes direction or branches away at the gorge.

A key point is that Afrikaans often separates these verb parts in a main clause:

• Die staproete draai ... weg.

But in an infinitive or some other structures, they may appear together:

• om weg te draai = to turn away

So learners often see:

• wegdraai as the dictionary form
• draai ... weg in an ordinary sentence

Yes, it adds an important nuance.

• draai by itself just means turn
• wegdraai / draai ... weg means turn away, veer off, or branch off

So:

• Die pad draai = The road turns
• Die pad draai weg = The road turns away / branches off

Without weg, the sentence would feel less specific. Weg helps show that the trail goes off in another direction rather than simply bending.

Here by means something like at, near, or by in the location sense.

So:

• by die kloof = at the gorge / by the gorge

Afrikaans by is very common for location:

• Ek wag by die deur. = I am waiting by the door.
• Ons ontmoet by die brug. = We are meeting at the bridge.

So in this sentence, by die kloof tells you the place where the trail turns off.

Kloof usually means gorge, ravine, or pass, depending on context and region.

In South African usage, kloof is a very common geographical word. It often refers to a steep-sided valley or gorge.

So if the meaning given to the learner is gorge, that is a very natural translation here.

Both can be possible, but the sentence as given places the location before the final particle:

• Die staproete draai by die kloof weg.

This is a common Afrikaans pattern: the main verb comes early, other information comes in the middle, and the separable particle often comes later.

Very roughly:

• Die staproete = subject
• draai = finite verb
• by die kloof = location
• weg = separable particle

If you said:

• Die staproete draai weg by die kloof

that could also be understood, but it may place slightly more focus on weg earlier. The original version sounds very natural.

Voordat means before when it introduces a whole clause.

So:

• voordat ons terugstap = before we walk back / before we head back

This is different from using before with just a noun phrase in English, such as before lunch. Here it introduces a full clause with a subject and verb:

• ons = we
• terugstap = walk back

Because voordat is a subordinating conjunction, and subordinate clauses in Afrikaans normally push the verb to the end.

So:

• Main clause: Die staproete draai by die kloof weg
• Subordinate clause: voordat ons terugstap

That final position of terugstap is exactly what you expect after voordat.

You can compare:

• Ek eet voordat ek vertrek. = I eat before I leave.
• Sy bel ons voordat sy ry. = She calls us before she drives off.

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Afrikaans.

Because terugstap is another compound/separable verb idea:

• terug = back
• stap = walk

Together, terugstap means walk back or head back on foot.

In some sentence types, the parts can separate:

• Ons stap terug. = We walk back.

But in this subordinate clause, the full verb appears together at the end:

• voordat ons terugstap

So learners should connect these:

• terugstap = dictionary-style form
• stap terug = common split form in a main clause

Not after voordat.

After a subordinating conjunction like voordat, Afrikaans normally puts the verb at the end, so:

• voordat ons terugstap is correct

In an independent main clause, you would normally say:

• Ons stap terug.

So both forms are related, but they belong to different sentence patterns.

It can often mean both, depending on context.

• stap = walk
• in outdoor or trail contexts, it can naturally be understood as hike

So:

• staproete can be walking route or hiking trail
• terugstap can be walk back or hike back

Afrikaans often uses stap in places where English might choose either walk or hike, depending on the situation.

A helpful way to break it down is:

• Die staproete = the trail
• draai ... weg = turns off / turns away
• by die kloof = at the gorge
• voordat ons terugstap = before we walk back

So the structure is:

[Main clause] + [subordinate clause]

• Die staproete draai by die kloof weg
• voordat ons terugstap

This is a very typical Afrikaans sentence shape:

1. main clause with the finite verb in second position
2. subordinate clause with the verb at the end

A more word-for-word version would be something like:

The hiking trail turns away at the gorge before we walk back.

That literal version helps show the Afrikaans structure:

• Die staproete = The hiking trail
• draai ... weg = turns away
• by die kloof = at the gorge
• voordat ons terugstap = before we walk back

But in natural English, depending on context, you might also say:

• The trail branches off at the gorge before we head back.
• The hiking trail turns off near the gorge before we walk back.

So the exact English wording may vary, even though the Afrikaans grammar stays the same.