Sy knip die kleedstof uit en werk die soom af.

In this sentence, Sy is the subject pronoun, so it means she.

Afrikaans often uses the same form sy for both she and her, and the meaning depends on the role it plays in the sentence.

• Sy knip die kleedstof uit = She cuts out the dress fabric
• Ek sien haar would be I see her if you want to be extra clear with the object form, but learners will often first notice that sy can appear where English distinguishes she/her

So here, because sy comes before the verb and is doing the action, it means she.

Because uitknip is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

The full dictionary form is:

• uitknip = to cut out

But in a normal main clause, the verb splits:

• Sy knip die kleedstof uit.

So:

• knip = the main verb part
• uit = the separable particle, placed later in the clause

This is very common in Afrikaans:

• aantrek → Sy trek die jas aan.
• opmaak → Hy maak die deur oop.
• afwerk → Sy werk die soom af.

For English speakers, it helps to think of this a bit like English phrasal verbs such as cut out, finish off, or put on, except Afrikaans does it much more systematically.

For the same reason: afwerk is also a separable verb.

The full verb is:

• afwerk = to finish off, to complete, or in sewing contexts, to finish the edge/hem

In a main clause, it becomes:

• werk ... af

So:

• Sy werk die soom af. = She finishes the hem / She hems the edge off neatly

The particle af often adds the idea of completion or finishing.

Compare:

• werk = to work
• afwerk = to finish off / complete

Afrikaans often omits the subject in the second clause when it is the same as in the first clause.

So instead of saying:

• Sy knip die kleedstof uit en sy werk die soom af

it is very natural to say:

• Sy knip die kleedstof uit en werk die soom af

English does this too sometimes:

• She cut out the fabric and finished the hem

So the second verb werk still refers to she, even though sy is not repeated.

Kleedstof is a noun referring to fabric for clothing, dress material, or garment fabric.

It is a compound word:

• kleed = garment / dress / clothing-related
• stof = fabric / material / cloth

Afrikaans uses compound nouns very freely, so it is normal to see words like this joined together.

Depending on context, kleedstof could be translated as:

• dress fabric
• garment fabric
• material

Soom means hem.

In sewing, the hem is the finished edge of a piece of fabric or clothing, especially at the bottom of a skirt, dress, sleeve, trouser leg, and so on.

So:

• die soom afwerk = to finish the hem
• ’n soom maak = to make a hem

If you already know the meaning of the full sentence, this word is one of the key sewing terms in it.

Yes. Die means the here.

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all grammatical genders

So unlike languages that change the depending on gender or case, Afrikaans keeps it simple:

• die kleedstof = the fabric
• die soom = the hem

That is one reason Afrikaans articles are often easier for English speakers than articles in languages like German.

Yes. This sentence follows the normal main-clause word order in Afrikaans.

In the first clause:

• Sy = subject
• knip = finite verb in second position
• die kleedstof = object
• uit = separable particle at the end

So the pattern is basically:

• Subject + finite verb + object + particle

The second clause works similarly:

• (Sy) = omitted subject
• werk = finite verb
• die soom = object
• af = particle

This is a very common structure in Afrikaans.

Yes. They stay together in some forms, especially in the infinitive and often in subordinate-clause-type structures.

For example:

• om die kleedstof uit te knip = to cut out the fabric
• om die soom af te werk = to finish the hem

The dictionary forms are:

• uitknip
• afwerk

But in a simple main clause, they usually split:

• Sy knip ... uit
• Sy werk ... af

So learners need to know both the full form and the split form.

Literally, the parts look a bit like that, but the real meaning is more idiomatic.

• werk = work
• af = off / away / to completion

Together, afwerk often means:

• finish off
• complete
• neatly finish

In a sewing context, die soom afwerk means something like:

• finish the hem
• hem it properly
• finish off the edge

So it is better to learn afwerk as a unit of meaning, not by translating each piece too mechanically.

Yes, very much so.

Several words point clearly to a sewing or dressmaking context:

• kleedstof = dress or garment fabric
• uitknip = cut out, especially from a pattern or piece of fabric
• soom = hem
• afwerk = finish off neatly

So the sentence sounds like part of a description of making a garment:

1. cut out the fabric
2. finish the hem

That context helps explain why these particular verbs and nouns are used.