What is “the” in Afrikaans?
The English word “the” marks a noun as definite: a particular thing that speaker and listener both know about. “A cat” is any cat; “the cat” is the one we mean. Afrikaans makes the same distinction, and makes it in the simplest way of any Germanic language. It has one word for “the”: die.
Die never changes. It stands before every noun, singular or plural, whatever the noun means: die man, “the man”; die vrou, “the woman”; die kind, “the child”; die huis, “the house”; die kinders, “the children”. German needs der, die, das and their case forms, and Dutch needs de and het, but Afrikaans gave up grammatical gender and has die alone. If you know English “the”, you already know almost all of its grammar.
Afrikaans uses die in most of the places where English uses “the”, and in a few where English uses nothing: die lewe, “life”; in die oggend, “in the morning”. Section D sets these out.
The word comes from Dutch die, which in Dutch is a demonstrative meaning “that”. In the Afrikaans of the Cape it replaced the Dutch articles de and het and became the article. The old pointing sense survives in the stressed form dié, written with an acute accent: dié boek, “this book, that very book”. Unstressed and without the accent, die simply means “the”.
The indefinite article, “a, an”, is ’n, a single letter n with an apostrophe before it: ’n kat, “a cat”. It is pronounced as a weak “uh”, /ə/. It appears in this lesson only for contrast.
This course teaches Standard Afrikaans, the written standard of the Taalkommissie as set out in the Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls. Section E describes the regional varieties.
FAQ: How do you say “the” in Afrikaans?
Q: What is “the” in Afrikaans? A: Die. It is the same for every noun: die man, die vrou, die kind, die boek.
Q: Does die change in the plural? A: No. Die kind, “the child”; die kinders, “the children”. Only the noun changes.
Q: Are there masculine and feminine nouns in Afrikaans? A: No. Afrikaans has no grammatical gender, so there is nothing for the article to agree with.
Q: What is the difference between die and dié? A: Die is the article, “the”, and is unstressed. Dié, with the accent, is stressed and points: “this, that, this very one”.
Q: How do I say “a” in Afrikaans? A: ’n, pronounced /ə/: ’n hond, “a dog”; die hond, “the dog”.
Key Takeaways:
- Die is the only definite article in Afrikaans: it never changes for gender, number or case - Die kind, die kinders: the noun takes the plural, the article stays the same - Afrikaans uses die with general ideas and times of day where English often has no article: die lewe, in die oggend - Die (unstressed, “the”) and dié (stressed, “this, that”) are different words; the accent shows the difference - The indefinite article is ’n /ə/: ’n kat, “a cat”
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Die /di/ — a short, pure “ee”, as in English “see” but quicker and with no glide at the end: “dee”. Never “dye” and never “dee-uh”. In a sentence it is unstressed and runs on into the noun: die kat /di ˈkat/, “dee-KAT”.
Dié /di/ — the same sounds, but stressed: dié boek /ˈdi ˈbuk/.
’n /ə/ — the weak vowel of English “a” in “a cat”: ’n kat /ə ˈkat/.
Sounds that recur in this lesson:
g /χ/ — a rough sound at the back of the mouth, as in Scottish “loch”: goed /χut/, “good”; gister /ˈχəstər/, “yesterday”.
w /v/ — like English v: water /ˈvɑːtər/, waar /vɑːr/.
v /f/ at the start of a word — like English f: vrou /frœʊ/, voet /fut/.
i in a closed syllable /ə/ — the vowel of English “the” in “the man”: kind /kənt/, is /əs/, sit /sət/.
ee /ɪə/ — a gliding vowel, roughly “ee-uh”: see /sɪə/, “sea”; lees /lɪəs/, “read”.
oo /ʊə/ — roughly “oo-uh”: brood /brʊət/, “bread”.
ui /œɪ/ — no English equivalent; round the lips for “uh” and glide to “ee”: huis /ɦœɪs/, “house”.
y and ei /əɪ/ — close to the vowel in English “day” said with a short first part: skyn /skəɪn/, “shine”.
r /r/ — trilled or tapped with the tip of the tongue.
Final devoicing: a d at the end of a word is said as t: hond /ɦɔnt/, kind /kənt/.
Stress normally falls on the first syllable of a word, unless it begins with an unstressed prefix such as ge- or be-: gister /ˈχəstər/, but gelees /χəˈlɪəs/.
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Duplex Method: line a gives each Afrikaans word with its meaning; line b gives the same words with IPA and grammatical glosses.
1.1a Die the kat cat slaap sleeps
1.1b Die /di/ the.DEF kat /kat/ cat.SG slaap /slɑːp/ sleep.PRES
1.2a Die the son sun skyn shines
1.2b Die /di/ the.DEF son /sɔn/ sun.SG skyn /skəɪn/ shine.PRES
1.3a Waar where is are die the kinders children
1.3b Waar /vɑːr/ where is /əs/ be.PRES die /di/ the.DEF kinders /ˈkənərs/ child.PL
1.4a Die the water water is is koud cold
1.4b Die /di/ the.DEF water /ˈvɑːtər/ water.SG is /əs/ be.PRES koud /kœʊt/ cold
1.5a Maak make die the deur door toe shut
1.5b Maak /mɑːk/ make.IMP die /di/ the.DEF deur /dʏər/ door.SG toe /tu/ shut.PTCL
1.6a Die the vrou woman lees reads die the koerant newspaper in in die the kombuis kitchen
1.6b Die /di/ the.DEF vrou /frœʊ/ woman.SG lees /lɪəs/ read.PRES die /di/ the.DEF koerant /kuˈrant/ newspaper.SG in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF kombuis /kɔmˈbœɪs/ kitchen.SG
1.7a Die the kinders children speel play buite outside in in die the tuin garden
1.7b Die /di/ the.DEF kinders /ˈkənərs/ child.PL speel /spɪəl/ play.PRES buite /ˈbœɪtə/ outside in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF tuin /tœɪn/ garden.SG
1.8a Ek I het have gister yesterday die the boek book gelees read
1.8b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF gister /ˈχəstər/ yesterday die /di/ the.DEF boek /buk/ book.SG gelees /χəˈlɪəs/ read.PTCP
1.9a Die the hond dog van of die the bure neighbours blaf barks die the hele whole nag night
1.9b Die /di/ the.DEF hond /ɦɔnt/ dog.SG van /fan/ of die /di/ the.DEF bure /ˈbyrə/ neighbour.PL blaf /blaf/ bark.PRES die /di/ the.DEF hele /ˈɦɪələ/ whole.ATTR nag /naχ/ night.SG
1.10a Die the melk milk is is in in die the yskas fridge
1.10b Die /di/ the.DEF melk /mɛlk/ milk.SG is /əs/ be.PRES in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF yskas /ˈəɪskas/ ice-cupboard.SG
1.11a Die the mense people in in die the dorp town praat speak net only Afrikaans Afrikaans
1.11b Die /di/ the.DEF mense /ˈmɛnsə/ person.PL in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF dorp /dɔrp/ town.SG praat /prɑːt/ speak.PRES net /nɛt/ only Afrikaans /afriˈkɑːns/ Afrikaans
1.12a Die the lewe life is is kort short maar but die the dae days is are lank long
1.12b Die /di/ the.DEF lewe /ˈlɪəvə/ life.SG is /əs/ be.PRES kort /kɔrt/ short maar /mɑːr/ but die /di/ the.DEF dae /ˈdɑːə/ day.PL is /əs/ be.PRES lank /laŋk/ long
1.13a Ek I weet know nie not waar where die the sleutels keys is are nie not
1.13b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG weet /vɪət/ know.PRES nie /ni/ not.NEG1 waar /vɑːr/ where die /di/ the.DEF sleutels /ˈslʏətəls/ key.PL is /əs/ be.PRES nie /ni/ not.NEG2
1.14a Ons we gaan go Saterdag Saturday na to die the see sea toe to
1.14b Ons /ɔns/ we.1PL gaan /χɑːn/ go.PRES Saterdag /ˈsɑːtərdaχ/ Saturday na /nɑː/ to.PREP die /di/ the.DEF see /sɪə/ sea.SG toe /tu/ to.POSTP
1.15a Die the boek book wat that jy you my me gegee given het have lê lies nog still op on die the tafel table
1.15b Die /di/ the.DEF boek /buk/ book.SG wat /vat/ that.REL jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG my /məɪ/ me.OBJ.1SG gegee /χəˈχɪə/ give.PTCP het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF lê /lɛː/ lie.PRES nog /nɔχ/ still op /ɔp/ on die /di/ the.DEF tafel /ˈtɑːfəl/ table.SG
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1.1 Die kat slaap. → “The cat is sleeping.”
1.2 Die son skyn. → “The sun is shining.”
1.3 Waar is die kinders? → “Where are the children?”
1.4 Die water is koud. → “The water is cold.”
1.5 Maak die deur toe. → “Shut the door.”
1.6 Die vrou lees die koerant in die kombuis. → “The woman is reading the newspaper in the kitchen.”
1.7 Die kinders speel buite in die tuin. → “The children are playing outside in the garden.”
1.8 Ek het gister die boek gelees. → “I read the book yesterday.”
1.9 Die hond van die bure blaf die hele nag. → “The neighbours’ dog barks all night.”
1.10 Die melk is in die yskas. → “The milk is in the fridge.”
1.11 Die mense in die dorp praat net Afrikaans. → “The people in the town speak only Afrikaans.”
1.12 Die lewe is kort, maar die dae is lank. → “Life is short, but the days are long.”
1.13 Ek weet nie waar die sleutels is nie. → “I don’t know where the keys are.”
1.14 Ons gaan Saterdag na die see toe. → “We’re going to the seaside on Saturday.”
1.15 Die boek wat jy my gegee het, lê nog op die tafel. → “The book you gave me is still lying on the table.”
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1.1 Die kat slaap.
1.2 Die son skyn.
1.3 Waar is die kinders?
1.4 Die water is koud.
1.5 Maak die deur toe.
1.6 Die vrou lees die koerant in die kombuis.
1.7 Die kinders speel buite in die tuin.
1.8 Ek het gister die boek gelees.
1.9 Die hond van die bure blaf die hele nag.
1.10 Die melk is in die yskas.
1.11 Die mense in die dorp praat net Afrikaans.
1.12 Die lewe is kort, maar die dae is lank.
1.13 Ek weet nie waar die sleutels is nie.
1.14 Ons gaan Saterdag na die see toe.
1.15 Die boek wat jy my gegee het, lê nog op die tafel.
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These are the grammar rules for “the” (die) in Afrikaans:
1. One form for every noun
Die is the only definite article. It does not change for gender, because Afrikaans nouns have no gender; it does not change for number; and it does not change for case:
die kat (1.1), die son (1.2), die vrou (1.6), die boek (1.8)
die kinders (1.3, 1.7), die bure (1.9), die mense (1.11), die sleutels (1.13)
Compare the languages around it. German says der Mann, die Frau, das Kind; Dutch says de man, de vrouw, het kind. Afrikaans says die man, die vrou, die kind.
2. The noun carries the plural, not the article
The article stays die; the noun takes a plural ending, most often -e or -s:
kind → kinders (1.3); dag → dae (1.12); buur → bure (1.9); sleutel → sleutels (1.13)
A learner who meets die needs only to look at the noun to know whether one thing or several is meant.
3. Die before an adjective
When an adjective stands between die and the noun, die does not change, and the adjective often takes -e: die hele nag (1.9), “the whole night”, from heel, “whole”. Later lessons treat the adjective endings.
4. Where Afrikaans uses die and English does not
General and abstract nouns often take die: die lewe is kort (1.12), “life is short”.
Times of day: in die oggend, “in the morning”; in die middag, “in the afternoon”; teen die aand (1.30), “towards evening”.
Some fixed expressions of place: na die see toe (1.14), “to the seaside”.
5. Where Afrikaans has no article
Names of people and places, days of the week and names of languages take no article, as in English: Saterdag (1.14), Afrikaans (1.11).
Some everyday destinations with toe take no article: skool toe (1.25), “to school”; huis toe, “home”.
6. Die and ’n
’n /ə/ is the indefinite article, “a, an”, and is also the same for every noun: ’n kat, “a cat”; die kat, “the cat”. ’n has no plural: ’n kat, “a cat”; katte, “cats”.
At the start of a sentence ’n stays small, and the next word takes the capital: ’n Kat slaap, “A cat is sleeping”.
7. Die and dié
The article die is unstressed. The same word stressed is a demonstrative, written dié: dié boek, “this (very) book, that book”. Ordinary speech more often says hierdie, “this”, and daardie, “that”: hierdie boek, daardie boek. In this lesson every die is the article.
8. Word order in the examples
Afrikaans puts the finite verb second in a main clause: Die vrou lees die koerant (1.6); In die kombuis maak die boer se vrou koffie (1.20), where the phrase in die kombuis comes first and the verb maak still comes second. In a clause introduced by a word such as waar or wat, the verb goes to the end: waar die sleutels is (1.13); wat jy my gegee het (1.15). Negation is double: ek weet nie … nie (1.13). These patterns return in later lessons.
Common mistakes for English speakers:
Mistake: Using the Dutch or German articles. ✗ de man, het kind → ✓ die man, die kind.
Mistake: Changing die for the plural. Die is the same for one and many: ✓ die kind, die kinders.
Mistake: Pronouncing die like German die or English “dye”. Say a short /di/.
Mistake: Writing dié for the article. ✗ dié kat slaap (unless you mean “this cat”) → ✓ die kat slaap.
Mistake: Leaving out die where Afrikaans wants it. ✗ in oggend → ✓ in die oggend; ✗ lewe is kort → ✓ die lewe is kort.
Mistake: Capitalising ’n at the start of a sentence. ✗ ’N kat slaap → ✓ ’n Kat slaap.
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Frequency
Die is among the most frequent words in Afrikaans: it stands before almost every definite noun, in speech and in writing, in every register and every region. A page of Afrikaans prose without it is hard to find.
The standard and the varieties
Standard Afrikaans, Standaardafrikaans, is the written norm of the Taalkommissie of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, published as the Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls. This course follows it. Spoken Afrikaans is usually described in three broad regional groups: Kaapse Afrikaans in the Western Cape, Oosgrensafrikaans in the Eastern Cape, and Oranjerivierafrikaans along the Orange River and into Namibia. Die is the same in all of them.
Everyday expressions with die
Die aap is uit die mou — literally “the monkey is out of the sleeve”: the secret is out, as English says “the cat is out of the bag”.
Die kat uit die boom kyk — literally “to watch the cat out of the tree”: to wait and see how things turn out before acting.
Die hele dag, die hele nag — “all day, all night” (1.9).
Afrikaans and Dutch
A Dutch speaker reading Afrikaans meets die at once and knows the language is not Dutch: Dutch has de and het, Afrikaans has die. The two languages are close enough for a careful reader of one to follow much of the other, and die is the first thing the Dutch reader must get used to.
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Source: C. J. Langenhoven, “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” (written May 1918), stanza 1, lines 1–4. The text follows the South African Government’s page on the national anthem (gov.za) and agrees with the text given in the English Wikipedia article on the poem.
Context: Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven (1873–1932) wrote “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika”, “The Voice of South Africa”, in 1918; M. L. de Villiers set it to music in 1921. It became a national anthem of South Africa in 1938, alongside “God Save the King”. Since 1997 these four lines have formed the Afrikaans part of the present national anthem of South Africa, which also has lines in isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho and English. The word die appears twice in four lines.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Uit out-of die the blou blue van of onse our hemel heaven
F.1b Uit /œɪt/ out-of die /di/ the.DEF blou /blœʊ/ blue.NMLZ van /fan/ of onse /ˈɔnsə/ our.1PL.ATTR hemel /ˈɦɪəməl/ heaven.SG
F.2a Uit out-of die the diepte depth van of ons our see sea
F.2b Uit /œɪt/ out-of die /di/ the.DEF diepte /ˈdiptə/ depth.SG van /fan/ of ons /ɔns/ our.1PL see /sɪə/ sea.SG
F.3a Oor over ons our ewige eternal gebergtes mountain-ranges
F.3b Oor /ʊər/ over ons /ɔns/ our.1PL ewige /ˈɪəvəχə/ eternal.ATTR gebergtes /χəˈbɛrχtəs/ mountain-range.PL
F.4a Waar where die the kranse cliffs antwoord answer gee give
F.4b Waar /vɑːr/ where.REL die /di/ the.DEF kranse /ˈkransə/ cliff.PL antwoord /ˈantvʊərt/ answer.SG gee /χɪə/ give.PRES
F-B: Authentic Text with Idiomatic English Translation
Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee.
→ “Ringing out from our blue heavens, from the depth of our seas, over our everlasting mountains, where the echoing crags resound.” (The translation given on the South African Government’s anthem page.)
Word for word: “Out of the blue of our heaven, out of the depth of our sea, over our eternal mountain ranges, where the cliffs give answer.” (Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Authentic Text Only
Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Uit die blou (F.1) — die before blou, “blue”, here used as a noun: “the blue”, the colour of the sky itself. Afrikaans, like English, can turn a colour into a noun with the article.
Uit die diepte (F.2) — die before an abstract noun, diepte, “depth”, from diep, “deep”, with the suffix -te, as English has deep and depth.
Waar die kranse antwoord gee (F.4) — die before a plural: kranse, “cliffs”, plural of krans. The article is the same as in die blou and die diepte. Waar introduces a clause, so the verb gee goes to the end (Section D, 8). Antwoord gee, “give answer”, is an ordinary Afrikaans phrase for “reply”; here the cliffs answer the voice of the title with their echo.
Onse hemel, ons see (F.1–F.2) — onse is an older form of ons, “our”, kept in elevated and poetic language; the poem uses both.
Ons ewige gebergtes (F.3) — no article: ons, “our”, does the work of die, as “our” does in English. Ewige, “eternal”, takes the attributive -e before its noun, like hele in die hele nag (1.9).
Langenhoven was one of the great champions of Afrikaans as a written language, at a time when Dutch was still the language of church and state; Afrikaans was recognised as an official language in 1925. In these four lines the definite article of the new language stands at the head of the poem’s first two images, the sky and the sea.
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A short descriptive text written for this lesson. It follows one day on a farm at the foot of a mountain, from sunrise to evening. Almost every noun in it is definite: the farm, the farmer, the dogs, the sheep, the bread. Each is the one the reader is shown.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
1.16a Die the plaas farm lê lies aan at die the voet foot van of die the berg mountain
1.16b Die /di/ the.DEF plaas /plɑːs/ farm.SG lê /lɛː/ lie.PRES aan /ɑːn/ at die /di/ the.DEF voet /fut/ foot.SG van /fan/ of die /di/ the.DEF berg /bɛrχ/ mountain.SG
1.17a Die the son sun kom comes vroeg early op up
1.17b Die /di/ the.DEF son /sɔn/ sun.SG kom /kɔm/ come.PRES vroeg /fruχ/ early op /ɔp/ up.PTCL
1.18a Die the boer farmer is is al already in in die the kraal kraal by with die the koeie cows
1.18b Die /di/ the.DEF boer /bur/ farmer.SG is /əs/ be.PRES al /al/ already in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF kraal /krɑːl/ pen.SG by /bəɪ/ with die /di/ the.DEF koeie /ˈkujə/ cow.PL
1.19a Die the honde dogs hardloop run agter behind die the skape sheep aan on
1.19b Die /di/ the.DEF honde /ˈɦɔndə/ dog.PL hardloop /ˈɦardlʊəp/ run.PRES agter /ˈaχtər/ behind die /di/ the.DEF skape /ˈskɑːpə/ sheep.PL aan /ɑːn/ on.POSTP
1.20a In in die the kombuis kitchen maak makes die the boer farmer se ’s vrou wife koffie coffee
1.20b In /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF kombuis /kɔmˈbœɪs/ kitchen.SG maak /mɑːk/ make.PRES die /di/ the.DEF boer /bur/ farmer.SG se /sə/ POSS vrou /frœʊ/ wife.SG koffie /ˈkɔfi/ coffee.SG
1.21a Die the reuk smell van of die the brood bread vul fills die the hele whole huis house
1.21b Die /di/ the.DEF reuk /rʏək/ smell.SG van /fan/ of die /di/ the.DEF brood /brʊət/ bread.SG vul /fœl/ fill.PRES die /di/ the.DEF hele /ˈɦɪələ/ whole.ATTR huis /ɦœɪs/ house.SG
1.22a Die the kinders children sit sit al already by at die the tafel table
1.22b Die /di/ the.DEF kinders /ˈkənərs/ child.PL sit /sət/ sit.PRES al /al/ already by /bəɪ/ at die /di/ the.DEF tafel /ˈtɑːfəl/ table.SG
1.23a Die the kleinste smallest seun son soek looks-for die the kat cat
1.23b Die /di/ the.DEF kleinste /ˈkləɪnstə/ small.SUPL.ATTR seun /sʏən/ son.SG soek /suk/ look-for.PRES die /di/ the.DEF kat /kat/ cat.SG
1.24a Die the kat cat slaap sleeps op on die the vensterbank windowsill in in die the son sun
1.24b Die /di/ the.DEF kat /kat/ cat.SG slaap /slɑːp/ sleep.PRES op /ɔp/ on die /di/ the.DEF vensterbank /ˈfɛnstərbaŋk/ window-sill.SG in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF son /sɔn/ sun.SG
1.25a Na after die the ontbyt breakfast ry ride die the kinders children skool school toe to
1.25b Na /nɑː/ after die /di/ the.DEF ontbyt /ɔntˈbəɪt/ breakfast.SG ry /rəɪ/ ride.PRES die /di/ the.DEF kinders /ˈkənərs/ child.PL skool /skʊəl/ school.SG toe /tu/ to.POSTP
1.26a Die the bus bus stop stops by at die the hek gate
1.26b Die /di/ the.DEF bus /bœs/ bus.SG stop /stɔp/ stop.PRES by /bəɪ/ at die /di/ the.DEF hek /ɦɛk/ gate.SG
1.27a Die the pad road na to die the dorp town is is lank long en and stowwerig dusty
1.27b Die /di/ the.DEF pad /pat/ road.SG na /nɑː/ to.PREP die /di/ the.DEF dorp /dɔrp/ town.SG is /əs/ be.PRES lank /laŋk/ long en /ɛn/ and stowwerig /ˈstɔvərəχ/ dusty
1.28a In in die the middag afternoon is is die the werf farmyard stil quiet
1.28b In /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF middag /ˈmədaχ/ afternoon.SG is /əs/ be.PRES die /di/ the.DEF werf /vɛrf/ farmyard.SG stil /stəl/ quiet
1.29a Net only die the wind wind waai blows deur through die the bome trees
1.29b Net /nɛt/ only die /di/ the.DEF wind /vənt/ wind.SG waai /vɑːi/ blow.PRES deur /dʏər/ through die /di/ the.DEF bome /ˈbʊəmə/ tree.PL
1.30a Teen towards die the aand evening kom come almal everyone weer again by at die the huis house bymekaar together
1.30b Teen /tɪən/ towards die /di/ the.DEF aand /ɑːnt/ evening.SG kom /kɔm/ come.PRES almal /ˈalmal/ everyone weer /vɪər/ again by /bəɪ/ at die /di/ the.DEF huis /ɦœɪs/ house.SG bymekaar /bəɪməˈkɑːr/ together.PTCL
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Part B: Natural Text with Idiomatic Translation
1.16 Die plaas lê aan die voet van die berg. → “The farm lies at the foot of the mountain.”
1.17 Die son kom vroeg op. → “The sun rises early.”
1.18 Die boer is al in die kraal by die koeie. → “The farmer is already in the kraal with the cows.”
1.19 Die honde hardloop agter die skape aan. → “The dogs run after the sheep.”
1.20 In die kombuis maak die boer se vrou koffie. → “In the kitchen the farmer’s wife makes coffee.”
1.21 Die reuk van die brood vul die hele huis. → “The smell of the bread fills the whole house.”
1.22 Die kinders sit al by die tafel. → “The children are already sitting at the table.”
1.23 Die kleinste seun soek die kat. → “The youngest son is looking for the cat.”
1.24 Die kat slaap op die vensterbank in die son. → “The cat is asleep on the windowsill in the sun.”
1.25 Na die ontbyt ry die kinders skool toe. → “After breakfast the children go off to school.”
1.26 Die bus stop by die hek. → “The bus stops at the gate.”
1.27 Die pad na die dorp is lank en stowwerig. → “The road to town is long and dusty.”
1.28 In die middag is die werf stil. → “In the afternoon the farmyard is quiet.”
1.29 Net die wind waai deur die bome. → “Only the wind blows through the trees.”
1.30 Teen die aand kom almal weer by die huis bymekaar. → “Towards evening everyone gathers at the house again.”
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Part C: Text in Afrikaans Only
’n Dag op die plaas
Die plaas lê aan die voet van die berg. Die son kom vroeg op. Die boer is al in die kraal by die koeie. Die honde hardloop agter die skape aan.
In die kombuis maak die boer se vrou koffie. Die reuk van die brood vul die hele huis. Die kinders sit al by die tafel. Die kleinste seun soek die kat. Die kat slaap op die vensterbank in die son.
Na die ontbyt ry die kinders skool toe. Die bus stop by die hek. Die pad na die dorp is lank en stowwerig.
In die middag is die werf stil. Net die wind waai deur die bome. Teen die aand kom almal weer by die huis bymekaar.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
Die with singular and plural alike: die boer (1.18), die koeie (1.18); die kat (1.23), die honde, die skape (1.19), die bome (1.29). The article never changes; only the nouns take the plural endings -e and -s. Some change their spelling as well, because a long vowel in an open syllable is written with a single letter: skaap → skape, boom → bome; koei simply adds -e: koeie.
Die with times of day: in die middag (1.28), teen die aand (1.30). English says “towards evening” with no article; Afrikaans says teen die aand.
No article with skool toe (1.25): “to school”, as English says “to school” and not “to the school”.
The title: ’n Dag op die plaas, “A Day on the Farm”. ’n dag is any day; die plaas is the particular farm of the text. Both articles in one phrase.
Se (1.20): die boer se vrou, “the farmer’s wife”. Afrikaans makes the possessive with se after the owner, and the owner keeps its own die: die boer se vrou, literally “the farmer his wife”.
Verb second: In die kombuis maak … (1.20), Na die ontbyt ry … (1.25), In die middag is … (1.28), Teen die aand kom … (1.30). Each sentence opens with a phrase containing die, and the verb follows in second place, before the subject.
Separable verbs: opkom, “rise” (1.17): die son kom vroeg op; bymekaarkom, “gather” (1.30): almal kom … bymekaar. In a main clause the particle goes to the end.
Circumpositions: agter die skape aan (1.19), “after the sheep”; skool toe (1.25); na die see toe (1.14). A preposition before the noun and a particle after it together give the direction.
Kraal (1.18): an enclosure for livestock. The word passed from Portuguese curral through Afrikaans into South African English.
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Die /di/: short and unstressed. Dié: the same sound, stressed, with the acute accent.
’n /ə/: always written with the apostrophe, and never capitalised; at the start of a sentence the next word takes the capital: ’n Dag op die plaas.
The diacritics of Afrikaans: the circumflex lengthens a vowel: lê /lɛː/ (1.15, 1.16). The acute marks stress or a separate word: dié. The diaeresis, which does not appear in this lesson, separates vowels that would otherwise be read together, as in geërf, “inherited”.
Written i in a closed syllable is /ə/: kind, kinders, is, sit, stil, middag, wind. Written u in a closed syllable is /œ/: bus, vul.
Final d is said /t/: hond /ɦɔnt/, koud /kœʊt/, brood /brʊət/, aand /ɑːnt/. Final g is said /χ/: berg /bɛrχ/, nag /naχ/, vroeg /fruχ/.
Double letters mark a long vowel in a closed syllable: slaap, praat, plaas, aand, see, lees, weet, skool, brood. In an open syllable the single letter is enough: skape (from skaap), bome (from boom), bure (from buur).
Days of the week take a capital: Saterdag. Names of languages take a capital: Afrikaans.
The IPA in this lesson follows standard Afrikaans, with each word said on its own, as the course will do throughout.
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✓ Lesson 1 Afrikaans complete — die (the)
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