What is “and” in Afrikaans?
The English word “and” joins two things of the same kind: two nouns, “bread and butter”; two verbs, “he laughs and sings”; two whole sentences, “it is cold, and the children have no coats”. Afrikaans does all of this with one short word: en.
En is the same in every position and never changes its form. It joins words: brood en botter, “bread and butter”; ek en jy, “you and I”. It joins actions: hy lag en sing, “he laughs and sings”. It joins sentences: ek het gebel, en toe het ek ’n boodskap gestuur, “I phoned, and then I sent a message”. In a list it stands before the last item: brood, kaas en vrugte, “bread, cheese and fruit”.
Afrikaans also uses en in two places where English does not. Between a posture verb and a second verb, en makes the everyday continuous form: Oupa sit en lees, “Grandpa is (sitting) reading”. And in the numbers from 21 to 99 it joins the units to the tens, units first: vyf-en-twintig, “five-and-twenty”, that is, twenty-five.
The word comes from Dutch en, which has the same meaning, and belongs with German und and English “and” to the common Germanic stock. It is a coordinating conjunction, like maar, “but”, of, “or”, and want, “for”, which you met in Lesson 2: it does not send the verb to the end of the clause.
You have already met en many times: die lewe is kort, maar die dae is lank (1.12) used maar; lank en stowwerig (1.27), warm en sonnig (2.12), woes en leeg (Lesson 2, F.1) used en. This lesson sets out what it does.
FAQ: How do you say “and” in Afrikaans?
Q: What is “and” in Afrikaans? A: En, pronounced /ɛn/, like the name of the English letter n. Brood en botter, “bread and butter”.
Q: Does en change the word order? A: No. After en the clause keeps main-clause order, with the verb second: ek het gebel, en toe het ek ’n boodskap gestuur.
Q: Do I put a comma before en in a list? A: Not normally: brood, kaas en vrugte.
Q: What does sit en lees mean? A: “Is (sitting) reading”. Sit, staan or lê with en and a second verb says what someone is busy doing.
Q: How do you say twenty-five? A: Vyf-en-twintig, “five-and-twenty”: the units come first, joined to the tens by en.
Key Takeaways:
- En is the only everyday word for “and”: it joins words, phrases and whole clauses - En does not change the word order: the verb stays second in a main clause after it - In a list, en stands before the last item, normally without a comma - Sit, staan or lê + en + verb is the everyday continuous form: Oupa sit en lees - In numbers from 21 to 99 the units come first: vyf-en-twintig, twenty-five
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En /ɛn/ — a short, open “e” as in English “pen”, followed by n: “en”. Said on its own, as in this lesson’s IPA, it has the full vowel /ɛ/. In quick speech it is usually unstressed and may weaken towards /ən/, as English “and” weakens to “’n” in “bread ’n butter”.
Never pronounce it like English “and” with a d, and never like the Afrikaans indefinite article ’n /ə/: ’n, “a”, has no n sound to speak of; en, “and”, always ends in n.
Sounds that recur in this lesson:
g /χ/ — as in Scottish “loch”: gesels /χəˈsɛls/, gekoop /χəˈkʊəp/, genoeg /χəˈnuχ/.
ë /ə/ or a new syllable — the diaeresis starts a fresh syllable: geëet /χəˈɪət/, “eaten”.
oe /u/ — as in English “too”, short: boerewors /ˈburəvɔrs/, hoender /ˈɦundər/, stoep /stup/.
ou /œʊ/ — round the lips and glide: Oupa /ˈœʊpa/, hout /ɦœʊt/, sout /sœʊt/.
-tjie, -jie /ki/ — the diminutive ending is said “kee”; after t or d it is written -jie: hout → houtjie, so vuurhoutjies /ˈfyrɦœʊkis/, “matches”.
tj at the start of a word /tʃ/ — as in English “chop”: tjops /tʃɔps/.
u, uu /y/ — the vowel of French “tu”, with rounded lips: vuur /fyr/, gestuur /χəˈstyr/.
Stress falls on the first syllable unless the word begins with an unstressed prefix: gesels, gekoop, vergeet /fərˈχɪət/. In a number, each part keeps its stress: vyf-en-twintig /ˈfəɪf ɛn ˈtvəntəχ/.
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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.
3.1a Brood bread en and botter butter
3.1b Brood /brʊət/ bread.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ botter /ˈbɔtər/ butter.SG
3.2a Ek I en and jy you
3.2b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG
3.3a Sout salt en and peper pepper
3.3b Sout /sœʊt/ salt.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ peper /ˈpɪəpər/ pepper.SG
3.4a Hy he lag laughs en and sing sings
3.4b Hy /ɦəɪ/ he.3SG lag /laχ/ laugh.PRES en /ɛn/ and.CONJ sing /səŋ/ sing.PRES
3.5a Die the kat cat en and die the hond dog slaap sleep
3.5b Die /di/ the.DEF kat /kat/ cat.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ die /di/ the.DEF hond /ɦɔnt/ dog.SG slaap /slɑːp/ sleep.PRES
3.6a Ma Mum en and Pa Dad is are in in die the kombuis kitchen
3.6b Ma /mɑː/ Mum en /ɛn/ and.CONJ Pa /pɑː/ Dad is /əs/ be.PRES in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF kombuis /kɔmˈbœɪs/ kitchen.SG
3.7a Ek I het have ’n a broer brother en and twee two susters sisters
3.7b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.PRES ’n /ə/ a.INDEF broer /brur/ brother.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ twee /tvɪə/ two susters /ˈsœstərs/ sister.PL
3.8a Sy she maak makes die the deur door oop open en and gaan goes uit out
3.8b Sy /səɪ/ she.3SG maak /mɑːk/ make.PRES die /di/ the.DEF deur /dʏər/ door.SG oop /ʊəp/ open.PTCL en /ɛn/ and.CONJ gaan /χɑːn/ go.PRES uit /œɪt/ out.PTCL
3.9a Ons we het have geëet eaten gedrink drunk en and gesels chatted
3.9b Ons /ɔns/ we.1PL het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF geëet /χəˈɪət/ eat.PTCP gedrink /χəˈdrəŋk/ drink.PTCP en /ɛn/ and.CONJ gesels /χəˈsɛls/ chat.PTCP
3.10a My my suster sister is is vyf-en-twintig twenty-five jaar year oud old
3.10b My /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS suster /ˈsœstər/ sister.SG is /əs/ be.PRES vyf-en-twintig /ˈfəɪf ɛn ˈtvəntəχ/ five-and-twenty jaar /jɑːr/ year.SG oud /œʊt/ old
3.11a Oupa Grandpa sit sits op on die the stoep veranda en and lees reads die the koerant newspaper
3.11b Oupa /ˈœʊpa/ Grandpa sit /sət/ sit.PRES op /ɔp/ on die /di/ the.DEF stoep /stup/ veranda.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ lees /lɪəs/ read.PRES die /di/ the.DEF koerant /kuˈrant/ newspaper.SG
3.12a Ons we het have brood bread kaas cheese en and vrugte fruit by at die the winkel shop gekoop bought
3.12b Ons /ɔns/ we.1PL het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF brood /brʊət/ bread.SG kaas /kɑːs/ cheese.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ vrugte /ˈfrœχtə/ fruit.PL by /bəɪ/ at die /di/ the.DEF winkel /ˈvəŋkəl/ shop.SG gekoop /χəˈkʊəp/ buy.PTCP
3.13a Hy he het has die the brief letter gelees read en and dit it in in die the laai drawer gesit put
3.13b Hy /ɦəɪ/ he.3SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF die /di/ the.DEF brief /brif/ letter.SG gelees /χəˈlɪəs/ read.PTCP en /ɛn/ and.CONJ dit /dət/ it.3SG.N in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF laai /lɑːi/ drawer.SG gesit /χəˈsət/ put.PTCP
3.14a Hier here en and daar there staan stands ’n a boom tree op on die the vlakte plain
3.14b Hier /ɦir/ here en /ɛn/ and.CONJ daar /dɑːr/ there.LOC staan /stɑːn/ stand.PRES ’n /ə/ a.INDEF boom /bʊəm/ tree.SG op /ɔp/ on die /di/ the.DEF vlakte /ˈflaktə/ plain.SG
3.15a Ek I het have gebel phoned maar but niemand nobody was was tuis home nie not en and toe then het have ek I ’n a boodskap message gestuur sent
3.15b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF gebel /χəˈbɛl/ phone.PTCP maar /mɑːr/ but.CONJ niemand /ˈnimant/ nobody was /vas/ be.PAST tuis /tœɪs/ at-home nie /ni/ not.NEG2 en /ɛn/ and.CONJ toe /tu/ then het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF ek /ɛk/ I.1SG ’n /ə/ a.INDEF boodskap /ˈbʊətskap/ message.SG gestuur /χəˈstyr/ send.PTCP
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3.1 Brood en botter. → “Bread and butter.”
3.2 Ek en jy. → “You and I.”
3.3 Sout en peper. → “Salt and pepper.”
3.4 Hy lag en sing. → “He laughs and sings.”
3.5 Die kat en die hond slaap. → “The cat and the dog are asleep.”
3.6 Ma en Pa is in die kombuis. → “Mum and Dad are in the kitchen.”
3.7 Ek het ’n broer en twee susters. → “I have a brother and two sisters.”
3.8 Sy maak die deur oop en gaan uit. → “She opens the door and goes out.”
3.9 Ons het geëet, gedrink en gesels. → “We ate, drank and chatted.”
3.10 My suster is vyf-en-twintig jaar oud. → “My sister is twenty-five years old.”
3.11 Oupa sit op die stoep en lees die koerant. → “Grandpa is sitting on the veranda reading the newspaper.”
3.12 Ons het brood, kaas en vrugte by die winkel gekoop. → “We bought bread, cheese and fruit at the shop.”
3.13 Hy het die brief gelees en dit in die laai gesit. → “He read the letter and put it in the drawer.”
3.14 Hier en daar staan ’n boom op die vlakte. → “Here and there a tree stands on the plain.”
3.15 Ek het gebel, maar niemand was tuis nie, en toe het ek ’n boodskap gestuur. → “I phoned, but nobody was home, and then I sent a message.”
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3.1 Brood en botter.
3.2 Ek en jy.
3.3 Sout en peper.
3.4 Hy lag en sing.
3.5 Die kat en die hond slaap.
3.6 Ma en Pa is in die kombuis.
3.7 Ek het ’n broer en twee susters.
3.8 Sy maak die deur oop en gaan uit.
3.9 Ons het geëet, gedrink en gesels.
3.10 My suster is vyf-en-twintig jaar oud.
3.11 Oupa sit op die stoep en lees die koerant.
3.12 Ons het brood, kaas en vrugte by die winkel gekoop.
3.13 Hy het die brief gelees en dit in die laai gesit.
3.14 Hier en daar staan ’n boom op die vlakte.
3.15 Ek het gebel, maar niemand was tuis nie, en toe het ek ’n boodskap gestuur.
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These are the grammar rules for “and” (en) in Afrikaans:
1. One form, many jobs
En never changes. It joins nouns: brood en botter (3.1), die kat en die hond (3.5), Ma en Pa (3.6). It joins pronouns: ek en jy (3.2). It joins adjectives: lank en stowwerig (1.27), warm en sonnig (2.12). It joins verbs: hy lag en sing (3.4). It joins whole clauses: hy het die brief gelees en dit in die laai gesit (3.13).
2. En does not move the verb
En is a coordinating conjunction, like maar, “but”, of, “or”, and want, “for”. It stands outside the clause that follows it and does not count as its first element. The clause after en keeps main-clause order, with the finite verb second:
… en toe het ek ’n boodskap gestuur (3.15): toe takes first place, het comes second, and the subject ek follows.
Compare the subordinating conjunctions of Lesson 2, omdat and dat, which send the verb to the end: omdat hulle siek was (2.14). After en, nothing goes to the end that would not go there anyway.
3. Shared words are said once
When two clauses joined by en share a subject or a helping verb, Afrikaans, like English, says it once: sy maak die deur oop en gaan uit (3.8), with sy once; ons het geëet, gedrink en gesels (3.9), with ons het once for all three participles; hy het die brief gelees en dit in die laai gesit (3.13).
4. Lists and commas
In a list of three or more, commas separate the items and en stands before the last, normally with no comma before it: brood, kaas en vrugte (3.12); geëet, gedrink en gesels (3.9). When en joins two full clauses, especially with different subjects or after a longer clause, a comma may stand before it: …, maar niemand was tuis nie, en toe het ek … (3.15).
5. Two subjects joined by en
Two subjects joined by en together make a plural subject: Ma en Pa is in die kombuis (3.6). The verb does not show it, because Afrikaans verbs do not change for person or number (Lesson 2), but a pronoun that refers back must be plural: Ma en Pa is in die kombuis; hulle maak koffie, “they are making coffee”. Afrikaans says ek en jy (3.2) as freely as jy en ek.
6. Sit en lees: the continuous form
Afrikaans has no -ing form. To say that someone is busy doing something, it often uses a posture verb, sit, staan or lê, then en, then the main verb: Oupa sit … en lees die koerant (3.11), “Grandpa is (sitting) reading the newspaper”. So also hy staan en wag, “he is (standing) waiting”, and die hond lê en slaap, “the dog is (lying) sleeping”. The posture verb tells you how the person is placed; together with en it says “busy with”. Saterdag sit ons almal saam en eet (3.30).
7. En in numbers
From 21 to 99, Afrikaans names the units first and joins them to the tens with en, as Dutch and German do: een-en-twintig, 21; vyf-en-twintig, 25 (3.10); nege-en-negentig, 99. The Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls allows these to be written with hyphens or as separate words (vyf en twintig); this course uses the hyphens.
8. Fixed pairs
Many common expressions are pairs joined by en, and the order is fixed: brood en botter (3.1), sout en peper (3.3), hier en daar (3.14), heen en weer, “to and fro”, nou en dan, “now and then”.
9. En at the start of a sentence
In speech, and in the style of the Bible and of poetry, en often opens a sentence: En slaai? (3.21), “And salad?”; En moenie … vergeet nie! (3.28); En die aarde was woes en leeg (Lesson 2, F.1); En blink in die dof-lig (F.3 below). As in English, it adds the next thing to what has just been said.
10. “Both … and”
For “both … and”, Afrikaans has sowel … as: sowel ek as jou broer, “both I and your brother”. Later lessons treat it; in this lesson en works alone.
Common mistakes for English speakers:
Mistake: Sending the verb to the end after en, as after omdat. ✗ en toe ek het ’n boodskap gestuur, ✗ en dit in die laai gesit het → ✓ en toe het ek ’n boodskap gestuur; ✓ en dit in die laai gesit.
Mistake: Putting a comma before en in a short list, from English usage. ✗ brood, kaas, en vrugte → ✓ brood, kaas en vrugte.
Mistake: Putting the tens first in numbers. ✗ twintig-en-vyf → ✓ vyf-en-twintig.
Mistake: Confusing en /ɛn/, “and”, with ’n /ə/, “a”. ✗ ’n broer ’n twee susters → ✓ ’n broer en twee susters (3.7).
Mistake: Translating the English -ing literally. Afrikaans has no -ing form: ✓ Oupa sit en lees, or simply Oupa lees.
Mistake: Pronouncing en like English “and”, with a d. Say a short /ɛn/.
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Frequency
En is among the most frequent words in Afrikaans, as “and” is in English. Together with die and is, the words of Lessons 1 and 2, it makes up a large share of any page of Afrikaans.
Afrikaans and Dutch
The word is identical in Dutch: en. A Dutch reader meets it on every line of Afrikaans and recognises it at once; so does the reader of Langenhoven and Marais, who wrote when Afrikaans had only just broken from Dutch as a written language.
Oupa, Ouma, oom and tannie
The Genre Section below is a family conversation. Afrikaans families say Ma and Pa, Oupa and Ouma. Older people outside the family are politely called oom, “uncle”, and tannie, “aunt”, with or without their names: oom Koos, tannie Sannie. A child or a younger adult uses these words for neighbours, family friends and strangers of an older generation alike.
The braai
A braai is a meal of meat grilled over an open fire of wood or charcoal, and in South Africa and Namibia it is a social occasion as much as a meal. Boerewors, a coiled farm sausage, and tjops, “chops”, are its staples. Both words, braai and boerewors, have passed into South African English.
Everyday expressions with en
Hier en daar — “here and there” (3.14).
Nou en dan — “now and then”, occasionally.
Heen en weer — “to and fro”, back and forth.
Ens. — the abbreviation of ensovoorts, “and so forth”, the Afrikaans “etc.”
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Source: Eugène N. Marais, “Winternag” (“Winter Night”), first published in the newspaper Land en Volk in 1905 under the pen name Klaas Vakie; stanza 1, lines 1–10. The text follows the version printed on the Lezenswaard literary site and on PoemHunter, which agree word for word in these lines. Marais later revised the poem here and there; this is the text as those sources give it.
Context: Eugène Marais (1871–1936), lawyer, journalist, naturalist and poet, wrote “Winternag” as the opening of a longer poem about a night watch on commando, which he never finished. The short poem that remained helped secure the early success of the Afrikaans language movement: it showed that the young language could carry serious verse. In ten short lines en appears five times: the poem builds its winter landscape by adding one picture to the next.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a O O koud cold is is die the windjie little-wind
F.1b O /oː/ O.INTERJ koud /kœʊt/ cold is /əs/ be.PRES die /di/ the.DEF windjie /ˈvəŋki/ wind.DIM.SG
F.2a en and skraal thin
F.2b en /ɛn/ and.CONJ skraal /skrɑːl/ thin
F.3a En and blink gleaming in in die the dof-lig dim-light
F.3b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ blink /bləŋk/ gleaming in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF dof-lig /ˈdɔfləχ/ dim-light.SG
F.4a en and kaal bare
F.4b en /ɛn/ and.CONJ kaal /kɑːl/ bare
F.5a so as wyd wide as as die the Heer Lord se ’s genade mercy
F.5b so /sʊə/ so wyd /vəɪt/ wide as /as/ as.COMP die /di/ the.DEF Heer /ɦɪər/ Lord.SG se /sə/ POSS genade /χəˈnɑːdə/ mercy.SG
F.6a lê lie die the velde fields in in sterlig starlight en and skade shadow
F.6b lê /lɛː/ lie.PRES die /di/ the.DEF velde /ˈfɛldə/ field.PL in /ən/ in sterlig /ˈstɛrləχ/ star-light.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ skade /ˈskɑːdə/ shadow.SG.POET
F.7a En and hoog high in in die the rande ridges
F.7b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ hoog /ɦʊəχ/ high in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF rande /ˈrandə/ ridge.PL
F.8a versprei scattered in in die the brande burnt-patches
F.8b versprei /fərˈsprəɪ/ scatter.PTCP in /ən/ in die /di/ the.DEF brande /ˈbrandə/ burn.PL
F.9a is is die the grassaad grass-seed aan in roere motion
F.9b is /əs/ be.PRES die /di/ the.DEF grassaad /ˈχrasɑːt/ grass-seed.SG aan /ɑːn/ in roere /ˈrurə/ stir.NMLZ
F.10a soos like winkende beckoning hande hands
F.10b soos /sʊəs/ like winkende /ˈvəŋkəndə/ beckon.PRES.PTCP.ATTR hande /ˈɦandə/ hand.PL
F-B: Authentic Text with Idiomatic English Translation
O koud is die windjie en skraal. En blink in die dof-lig en kaal, so wyd as die Heer se genade, lê die velde in sterlig en skade. En hoog in die rande, versprei in die brande, is die grassaad aan roere soos winkende hande.
→ “O cold is the little wind, and thin. And gleaming in the dim light, and bare, as wide as the Lord’s mercy, the fields lie in starlight and shadow. And high on the ridges, scattered through the burnt patches, the grass seed is stirring like beckoning hands.” (Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Authentic Text Only
O koud is die windjie en skraal. En blink in die dof-lig en kaal, so wyd as die Heer se genade, lê die velde in sterlig en skade. En hoog in die rande, versprei in die brande, is die grassaad aan roere soos winkende hande.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
En skraal (F.2), en kaal (F.4) — en adds a second adjective to the first, as in lank en stowwerig (1.27). Marais puts each en at the start of a short line of its own, so that the second quality arrives a moment after the first: the wind is cold … and thin; the fields gleam … and are bare.
En blink (F.3), En hoog (F.7) — en at the start of a line, adding a new picture to the last one, as the Bible does in Lesson 2 (En die aarde was …). The capital in En shows that a new sentence of the poem begins.
In sterlig en skade (F.6) — en joining two nouns under one preposition: in governs both, “in starlight and shadow”. Skade is here a poetic form for “shade, shadow”, the word ordinary Afrikaans says as skaduwee; in everyday Afrikaans skade means “damage”, and the learner should not use it for “shadow” outside poetry.
O koud is die windjie (F.1) — the adjective koud is put first for emphasis, and is follows in second place. Windjie is wind with the diminutive ending, written -jie after d and t and said /ki/: “the little wind”, a breeze with a bite.
Lê die velde (F.6) — the long phrase so wyd as die Heer se genade stands first, so the verb lê comes second, before its subject die velde: verb second, as in Section D of Lessons 1 and 2. Die Heer se genade uses the possessive se of Lesson 1 (die boer se vrou, 1.20).
Aan roere (F.9) — an old fixed phrase, “in motion, astir”: the seed-heads of the grass move in the wind.
The poem is quiet, plain and exact: a cold wind, a bare veld under the stars, grass waving on burnt ground. Its grammar is mostly adjectives and nouns laid side by side, and en is what lays them there.
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A short dialogue written for this lesson. Ma and her son Pieter plan a Saturday braai for the family and draw up a shopping list. Lists, additions and second thoughts all need en.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
3.16a Pieter Pieter ons we hou hold Saterdag Saturday ’n a braai braai vir for Oupa Grandpa en and Ouma Grandma
3.16b Pieter /ˈpitər/ Pieter.VOC ons /ɔns/ we.1PL hou /ɦœʊ/ hold.PRES Saterdag /ˈsɑːtərdaχ/ Saturday ’n /ə/ a.INDEF braai /brɑːi/ braai.SG vir /fər/ for Oupa /ˈœʊpa/ Grandpa en /ɛn/ and.CONJ Ouma /ˈœʊma/ Grandma
3.17a Lekker lovely Kom come tannie aunt Sannie Sannie en and oom uncle Koos Koos ook too
3.17b Lekker /ˈlɛkər/ nice.INTERJ Kom /kɔm/ come.PRES tannie /ˈtani/ aunt.SG Sannie /ˈsani/ Sannie en /ɛn/ and.CONJ oom /ʊəm/ uncle.SG Koos /kʊəs/ Koos ook /ʊək/ also
3.18a Ja yes en and hulle they bring bring die the kinders children saam along
3.18b Ja /jɑː/ yes en /ɛn/ and.CONJ hulle /ˈɦœlə/ they.3PL bring /brəŋ/ bring.PRES die /di/ the.DEF kinders /ˈkənərs/ child.PL saam /sɑːm/ along.PTCL
3.19a Dan then moet must ons we vleis meat en and wors sausage koop buy
3.19b Dan /dan/ then moet /mut/ must.AUX.MOD ons /ɔns/ we.1PL vleis /fləɪs/ meat.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ wors /vɔrs/ sausage.SG koop /kʊəp/ buy.INF
3.20a Skryf write dit it neer down tjops chops boerewors farm-sausage en and hoender chicken
3.20b Skryf /skrəɪf/ write.IMP dit /dət/ it.3SG.N neer /nɪər/ down.PTCL tjops /tʃɔps/ chop.PL boerewors /ˈburəvɔrs/ farmer-sausage.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ hoender /ˈɦundər/ chicken.SG
3.21a En and slaai salad Ouma Grandma hou likes baie much van of slaai salad
3.21b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ slaai /slɑːi/ salad.SG Ouma /ˈœʊma/ Grandma hou /ɦœʊ/ like.PRES baie /ˈbajə/ much van /fan/ of slaai /slɑːi/ salad.SG
3.22a Tamaties tomatoes uie onions en and ’n a komkommer cucumber
3.22b Tamaties /taˈmɑːtis/ tomato.PL uie /ˈœɪə/ onion.PL en /ɛn/ and.CONJ ’n /ə/ a.INDEF komkommer /kɔmˈkɔmər/ cucumber.SG
3.23a En and brood bread en and botter butter vir for die the roosterbrood grill-bread
3.23b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ brood /brʊət/ bread.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ botter /ˈbɔtər/ butter.SG vir /fər/ for die /di/ the.DEF roosterbrood /ˈrʊəstərbrʊət/ grill-bread.SG
3.24a Ons we het have genoeg enough hout wood en and houtskool charcoal maar but ons we het have nie not vuurhoutjies matches nie not
3.24b Ons /ɔns/ we.1PL het /ɦɛt/ have.PRES genoeg /χəˈnuχ/ enough hout /ɦœʊt/ wood.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ houtskool /ˈɦœʊtskʊəl/ wood-coal.SG maar /mɑːr/ but.CONJ ons /ɔns/ we.1PL het /ɦɛt/ have.PRES nie /ni/ not.NEG1 vuurhoutjies /ˈfyrɦœʊkis/ fire-stick.DIM.PL nie /ni/ not.NEG2
3.25a En and koeldrank cool-drink vir for die the kinders children en and ys ice
3.25b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ koeldrank /ˈkuldraŋk/ cool-drink.SG vir /fər/ for die /di/ the.DEF kinders /ˈkənərs/ child.PL en /ɛn/ and.CONJ ys /əɪs/ ice.SG
3.26a Goed good Gaan go jy you en and Pa Dad môre tomorrow winkel shop toe to
3.26b Goed /χut/ good Gaan /χɑːn/ go.PRES jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ Pa /pɑː/ Dad môre /ˈmɔːrə/ tomorrow winkel /ˈvəŋkəl/ shop.SG toe /tu/ to.POSTP
3.27a Ja yes ons we ry drive vroeg early en and is are voor before elfuur eleven-o’clock terug back
3.27b Ja /jɑː/ yes ons /ɔns/ we.1PL ry /rəɪ/ drive.PRES vroeg /fruχ/ early en /ɛn/ and.CONJ is /əs/ be.PRES voor /fʊər/ before elfuur /ˈɛlfyr/ eleven-hour terug /təˈrœχ/ back
3.28a En and moenie don’t die the vuurhoutjies matches vergeet forget nie not
3.28b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ moenie /ˈmuni/ must-not.IMP.NEG1 die /di/ the.DEF vuurhoutjies /ˈfyrɦœʊkis/ fire-stick.DIM.PL vergeet /fərˈχɪət/ forget.INF nie /ni/ not.NEG2
3.29a Vleis meat slaai salad brood bread koeldrank cool-drink en and vuurhoutjies matches Ek I het have alles everything
3.29b Vleis /fləɪs/ meat.SG slaai /slɑːi/ salad.SG brood /brʊət/ bread.SG koeldrank /ˈkuldraŋk/ cool-drink.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ vuurhoutjies /ˈfyrɦœʊkis/ fire-stick.DIM.PL Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.PRES alles /ˈaləs/ everything
3.30a Dankie thanks my my kind child Saterdag Saturday sit sit ons we almal all saam together en and eet eat
3.30b Dankie /ˈdaŋki/ thanks my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS kind /kənt/ child.SG Saterdag /ˈsɑːtərdaχ/ Saturday sit /sət/ sit.PRES ons /ɔns/ we.1PL almal /ˈalmal/ all saam /sɑːm/ together en /ɛn/ and.CONJ eet /ɪət/ eat.PRES
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Part B: Natural Text with Idiomatic Translation
3.16 Ma: Pieter, ons hou Saterdag ’n braai vir Oupa en Ouma. → “Pieter, we’re having a braai for Grandpa and Grandma on Saturday.”
3.17 Pieter: Lekker! Kom tannie Sannie en oom Koos ook? → “Lovely! Are Aunt Sannie and Uncle Koos coming too?”
3.18 Ma: Ja, en hulle bring die kinders saam. → “Yes, and they’re bringing the children.”
3.19 Pieter: Dan moet ons vleis en wors koop. → “Then we have to buy meat and sausage.”
3.20 Ma: Skryf dit neer: tjops, boerewors en hoender. → “Write it down: chops, boerewors and chicken.”
3.21 Pieter: En slaai? Ouma hou baie van slaai. → “And salad? Grandma loves salad.”
3.22 Ma: Tamaties, uie en ’n komkommer. → “Tomatoes, onions and a cucumber.”
3.23 Pieter: En brood en botter vir die roosterbrood. → “And bread and butter for the grilled bread.”
3.24 Ma: Ons het genoeg hout en houtskool, maar ons het nie vuurhoutjies nie. → “We have enough wood and charcoal, but we haven’t got any matches.”
3.25 Pieter: En koeldrank vir die kinders, en ys. → “And cool drinks for the children, and ice.”
3.26 Ma: Goed. Gaan jy en Pa môre winkel toe? → “Good. Are you and Dad going to the shops tomorrow?”
3.27 Pieter: Ja, ons ry vroeg en is voor elfuur terug. → “Yes, we’re driving early and will be back before eleven.”
3.28 Ma: En moenie die vuurhoutjies vergeet nie! → “And don’t forget the matches!”
3.29 Pieter: Vleis, slaai, brood, koeldrank en vuurhoutjies. Ek het alles. → “Meat, salad, bread, cool drinks and matches. I’ve got everything.”
3.30 Ma: Dankie, my kind. Saterdag sit ons almal saam en eet. → “Thank you, my dear. On Saturday we’ll all sit and eat together.”
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Part C: Text in Afrikaans Only
Die braai
Ma: Pieter, ons hou Saterdag ’n braai vir Oupa en Ouma.
Pieter: Lekker! Kom tannie Sannie en oom Koos ook?
Ma: Ja, en hulle bring die kinders saam.
Pieter: Dan moet ons vleis en wors koop.
Ma: Skryf dit neer: tjops, boerewors en hoender.
Pieter: En slaai? Ouma hou baie van slaai.
Ma: Tamaties, uie en ’n komkommer.
Pieter: En brood en botter vir die roosterbrood.
Ma: Ons het genoeg hout en houtskool, maar ons het nie vuurhoutjies nie.
Pieter: En koeldrank vir die kinders, en ys.
Ma: Goed. Gaan jy en Pa môre winkel toe?
Pieter: Ja, ons ry vroeg en is voor elfuur terug.
Ma: En moenie die vuurhoutjies vergeet nie!
Pieter: Vleis, slaai, brood, koeldrank en vuurhoutjies. Ek het alles.
Ma: Dankie, my kind. Saterdag sit ons almal saam en eet.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
Lists with en before the last item: tjops, boerewors en hoender (3.20); tamaties, uie en ’n komkommer (3.22); vleis, slaai, brood, koeldrank en vuurhoutjies (3.29). No comma before en.
En opening a turn: En slaai? (3.21), En brood en botter (3.23), En koeldrank (3.25), En moenie … (3.28). In conversation, en adds an item the other speaker has forgotten. Ja, en hulle bring … (3.18): en after ja carries the conversation on.
En with two subjects: Gaan jy en Pa … ? (3.26): a question without a question word puts the verb first, and jy en Pa together are its subject.
En joining two verbs with one subject: ons ry vroeg en is voor elfuur terug (3.27). The second clause shares ons and keeps its own verb, is.
Sit … en eet (3.30): the continuous form of Section D, 6, with saam, “together”: “we’ll sit together eating”. Here the present sit refers to Saturday, as the present often does in Afrikaans when a time word gives the future.
Moenie … nie (3.28): the negative command, “don’t”. Moenie comes first, the infinitive vergeet goes to the end, and the second nie closes the sentence.
Hou van (3.21): “to like”, literally “hold of”: Ouma hou baie van slaai, “Grandma likes salad very much”. In 3.16 hou has its other sense, “hold”: ons hou ’n braai, “we’re holding a braai”.
Bring … saam (3.18), skryf … neer (3.20): separable verbs, saambring and neerskryf, with the particle at the end, as opkom in Lesson 1 (1.17).
Winkel toe (3.26): “to the shop(s)”, without die, like skool toe (1.25).
Vuurhoutjies (3.24): vuur, “fire”, + houtjie, “little stick”, diminutive of hout, “wood”: “little fire-sticks”, matches. Koeldrank (3.25) is the South African word for a soft drink, “cool drink”.
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En /ɛn/: always written with a small e except at the start of a sentence or a line of verse (En blink, F.3). Never confuse it in writing with ’n, “a”, which has an apostrophe and no e.
Numbers with en are written with hyphens in this course: vyf-en-twintig /ˈfəɪf ɛn ˈtvəntəχ/. The written standard also allows vyf en twintig.
The diaeresis starts a new syllable: geëet /χəˈɪət/ (3.9), like reën in Lesson 2.
The circumflex lengthens a vowel: lê /lɛː/ (F.6), môre /ˈmɔːrə/ (3.26).
The diminutive is written -jie after d or t (hout → houtjie, wind → windjie) and in many other words -tjie (deur → deurtjie); both are said /ki/: vuurhoutjies /ˈfyrɦœʊkis/, windjie /ˈvəŋki/ (F.1). Before /k/ the n is said /ŋ/.
tj at the start of a word is /tʃ/: tjops /tʃɔps/.
Final d is /t/, final g is /χ/: brood /brʊət/, hout /ɦœʊt/, terug /təˈrœχ/, genoeg /χəˈnuχ/.
Oupa, Ouma, Ma and Pa are written with a capital when used as names; oom and tannie before a name stay small: oom Koos, tannie Sannie.
The IPA in this lesson follows standard Afrikaans, with each word said on its own, as in Lessons 1 and 2.
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✓ Lesson 3 Afrikaans complete — en (and)
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