What is “you” in Afrikaans?
English “you” is one word for everybody: one friend or a hundred, a child or a judge, the person who speaks to you or the person you only write to. Afrikaans keeps these cases apart. The ordinary word for one person you know is jy, pronounced /jəɪ/: Jy is moeg, “You are tired”. For several people the word is julle: Waar woon julle?, “Where do you live?”, said to a family or a group. For one person or several whom you address with respect, there is u. This lesson teaches jy as the headword, together with the forms that belong to it: jou, “you” as an object and “your”; joune, “yours”; and then julle and u.
Jy is the subject form. When the person spoken to is the object of a verb, or comes after a preposition, Afrikaans uses jou: Ek sien jou, “I see you”; Hoe gaan dit met jou?, “How are you?”. The same word jou is also the possessive: jou boek, jou ma. So jou does the work of both English “you” (object) and English “your”. When “yours” stands on its own, without a noun after it, the form is joune: Die sleutels is joune, “The keys are yours”.
You have met jy often already: Hoe oud is jy? (2.9), Wees versigtig as jy daar ry (2.22), Kan jy my asseblief help? (8.8), Die boek is nie joune nie (8.14), Ek sien jou nou-nou (8.24). Lesson 8 taught ek, my and myne; jy, jou and joune follow the same plan: one word for the subject, one word for the object and for “your”, one for “yours”.
Three things about jy differ from English “you”. First, the verb never changes after jy: jy is, jy het, jy werk, as for every other person. Second, jy is also the Afrikaans word for “one”, “people in general”: Jy kan nie alles hê nie, “You can’t have everything”. Third, jy asks the speaker to choose. To a friend, a colleague, a child, a family member or someone of one’s own age one says jy; to a stranger of rank, an official, in a formal letter or in prayer one may say u. This is the polite choice, not the ordinary one.
Jy comes from Dutch jij, which is the same pronoun in the same use. Dutch has the same three-way choice: jij (one person), jullie (several), u (polite). Where Dutch has jouw for “your” and jou only for “you”, Afrikaans has the one word jou for both.
FAQ: How do you say “you” in Afrikaans?
Q: What is “you” in Afrikaans? A: Jy, pronounced /jəɪ/, for one person you know: Jy is moeg, “You are tired”.
Q: How do I say “you” as an object, and “your”? A: Jou, pronounced /jœʊ/: Ek sien jou, “I see you”; jou boek, “your book”.
Q: How do I say “yours”? A: Joune, when it stands alone: Die sleutels is joune.
Q: How do I say “you” to several people? A: Julle, for the subject, the object and “your”: Waar woon julle? Hier is julle sleutel.
Q: When do I use u? A: For one person or for several whom you address politely: Is u Mevrou Pretorius? Jy is the normal word between friends, family and colleagues.
Q: How do I say “How are you?” A: Hoe gaan dit met jou? The answer: Goed, dankie. En met jou?
Q: How do I say “It’s you”? A: Dis jy, with the subject form jy after dis.
Key Takeaways:
- Jy /jəɪ/ means “you” to one person you know: jy is, jy het, jy werk; the verb has the same form for every person - Jou /jœʊ/ is both “you” (Ek sien jou, met jou) and “your” (jou ma); joune is “yours” on its own - Julle /ˈjœlə/ is “you” to several people, and is the same for subject, object and “your”; u /y/ is the polite “you” - Jy also means “one”, “people in general”: Jy kan nie alles hê nie - With some verbs jou means “yourself”: Jy het jou gehaas, “You hurried”
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jy /jəɪ/ — the j is like the y of English “yes”, never like the j of English “jay”. The vowel is the same Afrikaans y as in my /məɪ/, sy /səɪ/ and wys /vəɪs/: a weak first sound, then a short glide, not the English “eye” /aɪ/.
jou /jœʊ/ — the j as before, then the diphthong ou /œʊ/, as in nou /nœʊ/ and Mevrou /məˈfrœʊ/.
joune /ˈjœʊnə/ — two syllables, stress on the first; the final e is a weak /ə/.
julle /ˈjœlə/ — two syllables, stress on the first; the u is the short sound /œ/, as in hulle /ˈɦœlə/ and bus /bœs/.
u /y/ — a long rounded vowel, like French u in tu. Many speakers say it further back in the mouth, nearer [ɨ]; either is understood.
jouself /jœʊˈsɛlf/ — the stress is on -self.
Sounds that recur in this lesson:
w /v/ — wie /vi/, waar /vɑːr/, woon /vʊən/, wil /vəl/, want /vant/, weet /vɪət/.
v /f/ — vir /fər/, van /fan/, vriende /ˈfrində/, vertrek /fərˈtrɛk/, vanaand /fanˈɑːnt/.
g /χ/ and h /ɦ/ — gaan /χɑːn/, gevind /χəˈfənt/, gesê /χəˈsɛː/, vroeg /fruχ/; het /ɦɛt/, hoe /ɦu/, hier /ɦir/, hulle /ˈɦœlə/.
y /əɪ/ — jy /jəɪ/, my /məɪ/, wys /vəɪs/, vyf /fəɪf/, by /bəɪ/, reis /rəɪs/.
ie /i/ — wie /vi/, sien /sin/, hier /ɦir/, vriendelik /ˈfrindələk/.
ee /ɪə/ and oo /ʊə/ — eet /ɪət/, tee /tɪə/, Meneer /məˈnɪər/, sambreel /samˈbrɪəl/, bespreek /bəˈsprɪək/; woon /vʊən/, bo /bʊə/.
oe /u/ — moeg /muχ/, moet /mut/, doen /dun/, goeie /ˈχujə/, Moenie /ˈmuni/.
aa /ɑː/ — waar /vɑːr/, gaan /χɑːn/, naam /nɑːm/, maak /mɑːk/, kaart /kɑːrt/.
ê /ɛː/ and ô /ɔː/ — hê /ɦɛː/, gesê /χəˈsɛː/, môre /ˈmɔːrə/.
Final d is /t/: gevind /χəˈfənt/, kind /kənt/.
Stress falls on the first syllable unless the word begins with an unstressed prefix such as ge-, ver- or be-: ˈsleutels, ˈvriende, but geˈvind, verˈgeet, verˈskoon, beˈspreek. Opstaan keeps its stress on the separable prefix: ˈopstaan.
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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.
9.1a Jy you is are moeg tired
9.1b Jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG is /əs/ be.PRES moeg /muχ/ tired
9.2a Wie who is are jy you
9.2b Wie /vi/ who.INT is /əs/ be.PRES jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG
9.3a Ek I sien see jou you
9.3b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG sien /sin/ see.PRES jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ
9.4a Is is dit it jou your boek book
9.4b Is /əs/ be.PRES dit /dət/ it.3SG.N jou /jœʊ/ your.2SG.POSS boek /buk/ book.SG
9.5a Waar where woon live julle you-all
9.5b Waar /vɑːr/ where.INT woon /vʊən/ live.PRES julle /ˈjœlə/ you.2PL
9.6a Jy you het have my my sleutels keys gevind found
9.6b Jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS sleutels /ˈslʏətəls/ key.PL gevind /χəˈfənt/ find.PTCP
9.7a Kan can jy you my me môre tomorrow bel phone
9.7b Kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ môre /ˈmɔːrə/ tomorrow bel /bɛl/ phone.INF
9.8a Hoe how gaan goes dit it met with jou you en and jou your ma mother
9.8b Hoe /ɦu/ how.INT gaan /χɑːn/ go.PRES dit /dət/ it.3SG.N met /mɛt/ with.PREP jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ en /ɛn/ and.CONJ jou /jœʊ/ your.2SG.POSS ma /mɑː/ mother.SG
9.9a Jy you kan can nie not alles everything hê have nie not
9.9b Jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG.GENERIC kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD nie /ni/ not.NEG1 alles /ˈaləs/ everything hê /ɦɛː/ have.INF nie /ni/ not.NEG2
9.10a Die the sleutels keys is are joune yours nie not myne mine nie not
9.10b Die /di/ the.DEF sleutels /ˈslʏətəls/ key.PL is /əs/ be.PRES joune /ˈjœʊnə/ yours.2SG.POSS.INDEP nie /ni/ not.NEG1 myne /ˈməɪnə/ mine.1SG.POSS.INDEP nie /ni/ not.NEG2
9.11a Verskoon excuse my me Meneer Sir u you het have u your sambreel umbrella vergeet forgotten
9.11b Verskoon /fərˈskʊən/ excuse.IMP my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ Meneer /məˈnɪər/ Sir u /y/ you.2SG.FORM het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF u /y/ your.2SG.FORM.POSS sambreel /samˈbrɪəl/ umbrella.SG vergeet /fərˈχɪət/ forget.PTCP
9.12a Julle you-all moet must vroeg early opstaan get-up want because die the bus bus vertrek leaves om at ses six
9.12b Julle /ˈjœlə/ you.2PL moet /mut/ must.AUX.MOD vroeg /fruχ/ early opstaan /ˈɔpstɑːn/ get-up.INF want /vant/ because.CONJ die /di/ the.DEF bus /bœs/ bus.SG vertrek /fərˈtrɛk/ leave.PRES om /ɔm/ at.PREP ses /sɛs/ six.NUM
9.13a As if jy you my me nodig necessary het have kan can jy you my me altyd always bel phone
9.13b As /as/ if.SUBORD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ nodig /ˈnʊədəχ/ necessary het /ɦɛt/ have.PRES kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ altyd /ˈaltəɪt/ always bel /bɛl/ phone.INF
9.14a Ek I wil want weet know of whether jy you en and jou your vriende friends saam together met with ons us kom come eet eat
9.14b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG wil /vəl/ want.AUX.MOD weet /vɪət/ know.INF of /ɔf/ whether.SUBORD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ jou /jœʊ/ your.2SG.POSS vriende /ˈfrində/ friend.PL saam /sɑːm/ together met /mɛt/ with.PREP ons /ɔns/ us.1PL.OBJ kom /kɔm/ come.INF eet /ɪət/ eat.INF
9.15a Wie who het has vir to jou you gesê said dat that jy you dit it nie not kan can doen do nie not
9.15b Wie /vi/ who.INT het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF vir /fər/ to.PREP jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ gesê /χəˈsɛː/ say.PTCP dat /dat/ that.SUBORD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG dit /dət/ it.3SG.N nie /ni/ not.NEG1 kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD doen /dun/ do.INF nie /ni/ not.NEG2
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9.1 Jy is moeg. → “You’re tired.”
9.2 Wie is jy? → “Who are you?”
9.3 Ek sien jou. → “I see you.”
9.4 Is dit jou boek? → “Is that your book?”
9.5 Waar woon julle? → “Where do you live?” (said to several people)
9.6 Jy het my sleutels gevind. → “You’ve found my keys.”
9.7 Kan jy my môre bel? → “Can you phone me tomorrow?”
9.8 Hoe gaan dit met jou en jou ma? → “How are you and your mother?”
9.9 Jy kan nie alles hê nie. → “You can’t have everything.”
9.10 Die sleutels is joune, nie myne nie. → “The keys are yours, not mine.”
9.11 Verskoon my, Meneer, u het u sambreel vergeet. → “Excuse me, sir, you’ve forgotten your umbrella.”
9.12 Julle moet vroeg opstaan, want die bus vertrek om ses. → “You must get up early, because the bus leaves at six.”
9.13 As jy my nodig het, kan jy my altyd bel. → “If you need me, you can always phone me.”
9.14 Ek wil weet of jy en jou vriende saam met ons kom eet. → “I want to know whether you and your friends are coming to eat with us.”
9.15 Wie het vir jou gesê dat jy dit nie kan doen nie? → “Who told you that you can’t do it?”
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9.1 Jy is moeg.
9.2 Wie is jy?
9.3 Ek sien jou.
9.4 Is dit jou boek?
9.5 Waar woon julle?
9.6 Jy het my sleutels gevind.
9.7 Kan jy my môre bel?
9.8 Hoe gaan dit met jou en jou ma?
9.9 Jy kan nie alles hê nie.
9.10 Die sleutels is joune, nie myne nie.
9.11 Verskoon my, Meneer, u het u sambreel vergeet.
9.12 Julle moet vroeg opstaan, want die bus vertrek om ses.
9.13 As jy my nodig het, kan jy my altyd bel.
9.14 Ek wil weet of jy en jou vriende saam met ons kom eet.
9.15 Wie het vir jou gesê dat jy dit nie kan doen nie?
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These are the grammar rules for “you” (jy) in Afrikaans:
1. Jy, jou, joune, julle, u
The second person has these forms:
jy — “you”, one person you know, the subject: Jy is moeg (9.1).
jou — “you”, the object, and after a preposition: Ek sien jou (9.3), met jou (9.8), vir jou (9.15).
jou — “your”, before a noun: jou boek (9.4), jou ma (9.8), jou vriende (9.14).
joune — “yours”, standing alone: Die sleutels is joune (9.10).
julle — “you”, several people, as subject, as object and in front of a noun: Waar woon julle? (9.5), Julle moet vroeg opstaan (9.12), vir julle, julle sleutel. When “yours” stands alone, julle takes s’n: Die sleutels is julle s’n.
u — “you” and “your”, the polite form, for one person or for several: u het u sambreel vergeet (9.11).
The first person works in the same way: ek, my, my, myne. English has “you” for the subject and the object; Afrikaans has jy and jou.
2. Jy or u
Jy is the ordinary word, to one person you know or are on easy terms with: friends, family, colleagues, children, people of your own age. U is the polite choice: it marks respect or distance, to an older stranger, an official, a customer, in a formal letter or in prayer: Verskoon my, Meneer, u het u sambreel vergeet (9.11). Nothing in the verb shows the difference; the pronoun does all the work: jy het, u het.
If you are unsure, listen to what the other person says to you. In the Genre Section, Thandi says u to Tannie Elna and Tannie Elna says jy to Thandi (9.16 to 9.25).
3. The verb does not change
After jy the verb has the one form it has for every person: jy is, jy het, jy werk, jy woon. Compare German du bist, du hast, du arbeitest, and Dutch jij bent, jij werkt: Afrikaans adds nothing to the verb. So jy is moeg (9.1) is “you are tired”, and jy het my sleutels gevind (9.6) is “you have found my keys”.
4. Jy and word order
The verb stands in second place in a main clause. When jy opens the sentence, the verb follows it: Jy het my sleutels gevind (9.6). When a question word opens the sentence, the verb stays second and jy follows it: Wie is jy? (9.2), Waar is jy?, Wat wil jy weet? (9.25).
In a yes-or-no question the verb comes first and jy second: Kan jy my môre bel? (9.7), Het jy geëet …? (F.5). Is jy moeg?
In a clause after dat, as, of or toe, the verbs go to the end, and jy stays near the front: dat jy dit nie kan doen nie (9.15); as jy my nodig het (9.13); of jy en jou vriende saam met ons kom eet (9.14). When such a clause opens the sentence, the main clause begins with its verb: As jy my nodig het, kan jy my altyd bel (9.13).
5. Jou as the object
When someone does something to or for the person spoken to, Afrikaans says jou: Ek sien jou (9.3). After a preposition it is also jou: met jou (9.8), by jou, vir jou, saam met jou, na jou. Vir stands before jou after sê, “say to”: Wie het vir jou gesê …? (9.15), Hy het vir my gesê. Afrikaans does not say ✗ Hy het my gesê.
6. Jou as “your”
Before a noun, jou means “your”: jou boek (9.4), jou ma (9.8). It does not change for the noun that follows, and has no plural form: jou boek, jou boeke. The same is true of julle: julle sleutel, julle sleutels; and of u: u sambreel.
7. Jou as “yourself”
Some verbs always take a pronoun that points back to the subject. For “you” this pronoun is jou: Jy het jou gehaas, “You hurried”; Skaam jy jou nie?, “Aren’t you ashamed?”. With an ordinary verb, jouself adds weight: Ken jouself, “Know yourself”. The plural is julleself and the polite form is uself.
8. Dis jy
“It’s you” is Dis jy, with the subject form jy after dis: Wie is daar? Dis jy! Not ✗ Dis jou. This is the rule you learned for ek in Lesson 8: Dis ek.
9. Jou and joune
Jou stands before a noun. When the noun is not repeated, use joune: Die sleutels is joune (9.10), “The keys are yours”. In the same way, myne stands for “mine”: Die sleutels is joune, nie myne nie (9.10).
10. Julle, for several people
Jy is for one person only. To several people, even if you know each one well, use julle: Julle moet vroeg opstaan (9.12). English “you” does not show the difference; Afrikaans does, as Dutch does with jullie. Ons, “we, us”, is the partner of julle: Waar kan ons vanaand eet? (9.26) and the answer, Julle moet by die restaurant om die draai gaan eet (9.27).
11. Jy as “one”
Jy is also used for people in general, as English “you” is: Jy kan nie alles hê nie (9.9). The speaker is not talking to one person here; the saying is true for everybody. Afrikaans also has ’n mens, “one”, for the same purpose: ’n Mens kan nie alles hê nie.
12. Jy and the negative
Jy does not change in a negative sentence. The negative has nie after the verb, and a second nie at the end when the clause goes on: Jy kan nie alles hê nie (9.9); dat jy dit nie kan doen nie (9.15). Lesson 4 gives the rule for the double nie.
Common mistakes for English speakers:
Mistake: Jy in the object place. ✗ Ek sien jy. → ✓ Ek sien jou.
Mistake: Jy where “your” is needed. ✗ Is dit jy boek? → ✓ Is dit jou boek?
Mistake: Jou where the subject is needed. ✗ Dis jou. → ✓ Dis jy.
Mistake: Jou where joune is needed. ✗ Die sleutels is jou. → ✓ Die sleutels is joune.
Mistake: Jy for several people. ✗ Jy moet vroeg opstaan (said to three friends). → ✓ Julle moet vroeg opstaan.
Mistake: Putting an ending on the verb, from Dutch or German. ✗ Jy werkt. → ✓ Jy werk.
Mistake: Leaving out vir after sê. ✗ Wie het jou gesê? → ✓ Wie het vir jou gesê?
Mistake: Using u to a friend, which sounds stiff. ✗ Hoe gaan dit met u, Anna? → ✓ Hoe gaan dit met jou, Anna?
Mistake: Saying jy like English “jay”. ✗ /dʒaɪ/ → ✓ /jəɪ/.
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Frequency
Jy is the ninth word in the course’s list. In conversation it is one of the most frequent words in the language, since almost every question, request or piece of advice has it: Kan jy …? Weet jy …? Wat dink jy? Together with ek, it is the heart of spoken Afrikaans.
Jy or u
Today jy is the everyday word in most conversations, and u is kept for more formal places: letters, official notices, customer service, a church service. Respect to an older person is often shown by a title as well as, or instead of, u. Children and young people call an older adult Tannie (“aunt”) or Oom (“uncle”), with or without the name, and may use the title again in place of “you”: Kan Tannie my help? In the Genre Section Tannie Elna invites Thandi to use that title (9.23). Mevrou, “Madam”, and Meneer, “Sir”, are the more formal titles (9.11, 9.16).
U and God
The Afrikaans Bible addresses God as u. Section F shows the two registers in one scene: God speaks to the man with jy and jou, and the man answers God with u.
Hoe gaan dit met jou?
This is the usual question after Goeiedag or Môre: Hoe gaan dit met jou? Hoe gaan dit? is shorter. The answer is Goed, dankie, often followed by En met jou?
Vra gerus
Vra gerus, “do ask, ask freely”, is a polite and friendly way to invite a question (9.25). Gerus is an adverb which means “gladly, freely”, and it is added to a command to make it an invitation.
Afrikaans and Dutch
Dutch jij /jɛi/ and Afrikaans jy are the same word, as are Dutch u and Afrikaans u, and Dutch jullie and Afrikaans julle. Dutch separates object jou from possessive jouw; Afrikaans has the single jou. Dutch has jij bent, jij werkt; Afrikaans has jy is, jy werk. German du corresponds to jy, ihr to julle and Sie to u.
English once drew the same line: thou was for one person you knew well, and you for several people or for one person you respected. English lost the difference. Afrikaans kept it.
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Source: Genesis 3:9–11, in Die Bybel, the Afrikaans translation of 1933 with the revision of 1953 (Bybelgenootskap van Suid-Afrika). The text follows the 1933/1953 translation (AFR53) on bible.com and agrees word for word with the 1933/1953 text on wordfree.net, apart from the spelling of HERE (bible.com prints Here). Verses 9, 10 and 11 are given in full.
Context: Lesson 7 read the opening of John’s Gospel, and Lesson 8 read John 10 in this translation. In Genesis 3 the man and his wife have eaten from the tree and hide among the trees of the garden when they hear the LORD God walking in it (verse 8). God calls: Waar is jy? In these three verses all the forms of the lesson appear: jy as subject, jou as object, and u in the man’s answer. The man says u to God (verse 10) and God says jy and jou to the man (verses 9 and 11).
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Toe then roep called die the HERE LORD God God na to die the mens man en and sê said vir to hom him Waar where is are jy you
F.1b Toe /tu/ then.ADV roep /rup/ call.PRES.NARR die /di/ the.DEF HERE /ˈɦɪərə/ LORD.SG God /χɔt/ God.SG na /nɑː/ to.PREP die /di/ the.DEF mens /mɛŋs/ man.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ sê /sɛː/ say.PRES.NARR vir /fər/ to.PREP hom /ɦɔm/ him.3SG.M.OBJ Waar /vɑːr/ where.INT is /əs/ be.PRES jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG
F.2a En and hy he antwoord answers Ek I het have u your geruis sound gehoor heard in in die the tuin garden en and gevrees feared
F.2b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ hy /ɦəɪ/ he.3SG.M antwoord /ˈantvʊərt/ answer.PRES.NARR Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF u /y/ your.2SG.FORM.POSS geruis /χəˈrœɪs/ sound.SG gehoor /χəˈɦʊər/ hear.PTCP in /ən/ in.PREP die /di/ the.DEF tuin /tœɪn/ garden.SG en /ɛn/ and.CONJ gevrees /χəˈfrɪəs/ fear.PTCP
F.3a want because ek I is am naak naked daarom therefore het have ek I my myself verberg hidden
F.3b want /vant/ because.CONJ ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES naak /nɑːk/ naked daarom /ˈdɑːrɔm/ therefore.ADV het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF ek /ɛk/ I.1SG my /məɪ/ myself.1SG.REFL verberg /fərˈbɛrχ/ hide.PTCP
F.4a En and Hy He sê says Wie who het has jou you te to kenne known gegee given dat that jy you naak naked is are
F.4b En /ɛn/ and.CONJ Hy /ɦəɪ/ He.3SG.M sê /sɛː/ say.PRES.NARR Wie /vi/ who.INT het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ te /tə/ to.PTCL kenne /ˈkɛnə/ known.IDIOM gegee /χəˈχɪə/ give.PTCP dat /dat/ that.SUBORD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG naak /nɑːk/ naked is /əs/ be.PRES
F.5a Het have jy you geëet eaten van of die the boom tree waarvan of-which Ek I jou you beveel commanded het have om to nie not te to eet eat nie not
F.5b Het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG geëet /χəˈɪət/ eat.PTCP van /fan/ of.PREP die /di/ the.DEF boom /bʊəm/ tree.SG waarvan /vɑːrˈfan/ of-which.REL Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG jou /jœʊ/ you.2SG.OBJ beveel /bəˈfɪəl/ command.PTCP het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF om /ɔm/ COMP nie /ni/ not.NEG1 te /tə/ to.INF eet /ɪət/ eat.INF nie /ni/ not.NEG2
F-B: Authentic Text with Idiomatic English Translation
Toe roep die HERE God na die mens en sê vir hom: Waar is jy? En hy antwoord: Ek het u geruis gehoor in die tuin en gevrees, want ek is naak; daarom het ek my verberg. En Hy sê: Wie het jou te kenne gegee dat jy naak is? Het jy geëet van die boom waarvan Ek jou beveel het om nie te eet nie?
→ “Then the LORD God called to the man and said to him: Where are you? And he answered: I heard the sound of you in the garden and was afraid, because I am naked; therefore I hid myself. And He said: Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Authentic Text Only
Toe roep die HERE God na die mens en sê vir hom: Waar is jy? En hy antwoord: Ek het u geruis gehoor in die tuin en gevrees, want ek is naak; daarom het ek my verberg. En Hy sê: Wie het jou te kenne gegee dat jy naak is? Het jy geëet van die boom waarvan Ek jou beveel het om nie te eet nie?
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Waar is jy? (F.1) — the question word is first, the verb is second, and jy follows: the rule of Section D, 4. Wie is jy? (9.2) has the same shape. In this one short question God uses jy, the plain, near word, to a man who is hiding.
Toe roep … en sê … (F.1) — the older style tells a story in the present form of the verb after toe, “then”. Modern Afrikaans more often says Toe het die HERE God … geroep. The verbs roep, sê and antwoord do not change for the person, and do not change for the time either: only toe tells you that it is the past.
Ek het u geruis gehoor (F.2) — u here is the possessive, “your”, and geruis is “sound, rustling”: “I heard your sound”. The man speaks to God with the polite u, and in this printed text the u is small. God speaks to the man with jy and jou. The two registers sit side by side in the same scene.
Ek … ek … my (F.2, F.3) — the man says Ek at the start of his answer and ek (small, inside the sentence) in want ek is naak, and my as “myself” in ek het my verberg, “I hid myself”. This is the reflexive my of Lesson 8, 8.11. The same pattern with jou would be Jy het jou verberg.
Wie het jou te kenne gegee dat jy naak is? (F.4) — jou is the object of te kenne gee, “to make known, to inform”, and jy is the subject of the clause after dat. The verb goes to the end in that clause: dat jy naak is. The question word Wie opens the sentence and the verb het follows it.
Het jy geëet van die boom …? (F.5) — a yes-or-no question: the verb het comes first and jy second; geëet goes to the end of the main clause. The diaeresis in geëet shows that ge- and eet are two syllables: /χəˈɪət/. Van after eet means “of”: eat of the tree.
waarvan Ek jou beveel het om nie te eet nie (F.5) — waarvan, “of which”, opens a relative clause, so the verbs go to the end: beveel het. Ek, written with a capital, is God; jou is the object of beveel, “commanded you”. Om nie te eet nie has the double nie of Section D, 12, around the verb: “not to eat”. The infinitive with om … te is the usual way of saying “to” with a verb.
The style is the plain, direct Afrikaans of the 1933 translation: short clauses linked by en, and questions that ask what the man has done.
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A dialogue written for this lesson. Thandi arrives at a guesthouse in Stellenbosch with two friends, and speaks to the owner, Mevrou Pretorius, who tells her to call her Tannie Elna. Thandi says u to the owner; the owner says jy to Thandi, and julle to the three guests. The speakers are named in Part C.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
9.16a Goeiemiddag good-afternoon Mevrou Madam Is are u you Mevrou Mrs Pretorius Pretorius
9.16b Goeiemiddag /χujəˈmədaχ/ good-afternoon Mevrou /məˈfrœʊ/ Madam Is /əs/ be.PRES u /y/ you.2SG.FORM Mevrou /məˈfrœʊ/ Mrs Pretorius /prəˈtʊəriœs/ Pretorius
9.17a Ja yes dis it-is ek I Wie who is are jy you my my kind child
9.17b Ja /jɑː/ yes dis /dəs/ it-is.CONTR ek /ɛk/ I.1SG Wie /vi/ who.INT is /əs/ be.PRES jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG my /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS kind /kənt/ child.SG
9.18a Ek I is am Thandi Thandi Dlamini Dlamini Ek I het have ’n a kamer room vir for drie three nagte nights bespreek booked
9.18b Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG is /əs/ be.PRES Thandi /ˈtɑːndi/ Thandi Dlamini /dlaˈmini/ Dlamini Ek /ɛk/ I.1SG het /ɦɛt/ have.AUX.PERF ’n /ə/ a.INDEF kamer /ˈkɑːmər/ room.SG vir /fər/ for.PREP drie /dri/ three.NUM nagte /ˈnaχtə/ night.PL bespreek /bəˈsprɪək/ book.PTCP
9.19a Ja yes ek I sien see jou your naam name hier here Hoe how was was jou your reis journey
9.19b Ja /jɑː/ yes ek /ɛk/ I.1SG sien /sin/ see.PRES jou /jœʊ/ your.2SG.POSS naam /nɑːm/ name.SG hier /ɦir/ here Hoe /ɦu/ how.INT was /vas/ be.PAST jou /jœʊ/ your.2SG.POSS reis /rəɪs/ journey.SG
9.20a Lank long maar but mooi beautiful My my vriende friends kom come nou-nou in-a-little-while hulle they parkeer park die the kar car
9.20b Lank /laŋk/ long maar /mɑːr/ but.CONJ mooi /moːi/ beautiful My /məɪ/ my.1SG.POSS vriende /ˈfrində/ friend.PL kom /kɔm/ come.PRES nou-nou /ˈnœʊnœʊ/ in-a-little-while.REDUP hulle /ˈɦœlə/ they.3PL parkeer /parˈkɪər/ park.PRES die /di/ the.DEF kar /kar/ car.SG
9.21a Dan then maak make ek I vir for julle you-all koffie coffee Of or wil want julle you-all liewer rather tee tea hê have
9.21b Dan /dan/ then maak /mɑːk/ make.PRES ek /ɛk/ I.1SG vir /fər/ for.PREP julle /ˈjœlə/ you.2PL.OBJ koffie /ˈkɔfi/ coffee.SG Of /ɔf/ or.CONJ wil /vəl/ want.AUX.MOD julle /ˈjœlə/ you.2PL liewer /ˈlivər/ rather tee /tɪə/ tea.SG hê /ɦɛː/ have.INF
9.22a Koffie coffee is is reg right dankie thanks U you is are baie very vriendelik kind
9.22b Koffie /ˈkɔfi/ coffee.SG is /əs/ be.PRES reg /rɛχ/ right dankie /ˈdaŋki/ thanks U /y/ you.2SG.FORM is /əs/ be.PRES baie /ˈbajə/ very vriendelik /ˈfrindələk/ kind
9.23a Moenie don’t my me Mevrou Madam noem call nie not Jy you kan can my me maar just Tannie Aunt Elna Elna noem call
9.23b Moenie /ˈmuni/ must-not.NEG1 my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ Mevrou /məˈfrœʊ/ Madam noem /num/ call.INF nie /ni/ not.NEG2 Jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD my /məɪ/ me.1SG.OBJ maar /mɑːr/ just.PTCL Tannie /ˈtani/ aunt.VOC Elna /ˈɛlna/ Elna noem /num/ call.INF
9.24a Dankie thanks Tannie Aunt Elna Elna Mag may ek I u you iets something vra ask
9.24b Dankie /ˈdaŋki/ thanks Tannie /ˈtani/ aunt.VOC Elna /ˈɛlna/ Elna Mag /maχ/ may.AUX.MOD ek /ɛk/ I.1SG u /y/ you.2SG.FORM.OBJ iets /its/ something vra /frɑː/ ask.INF
9.25a Vra ask gerus freely Wat what wil want jy you weet know
9.25b Vra /frɑː/ ask.IMP gerus /χəˈrœs/ freely Wat /vat/ what.INT wil /vəl/ want.AUX.MOD jy /jəɪ/ you.2SG weet /vɪət/ know.INF
9.26a Waar where kan can ons we vanaand tonight eet eat Kan can u you iets something aanbeveel recommend
9.26b Waar /vɑːr/ where.INT kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD ons /ɔns/ we.1PL vanaand /fanˈɑːnt/ tonight eet /ɪət/ eat.INF Kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD u /y/ you.2SG.FORM iets /its/ something aanbeveel /ɑːnbəˈfɪəl/ recommend.INF
9.27a Julle you-all moet must by at die the restaurant restaurant om around die the draai corner gaan go eet eat Hulle they maak make baie very goeie good braaivleis barbecued-meat
9.27b Julle /ˈjœlə/ you.2PL moet /mut/ must.AUX.MOD by /bəɪ/ at.PREP die /di/ the.DEF restaurant /rɛstɔˈrant/ restaurant.SG om /ɔm/ around.PREP die /di/ the.DEF draai /drɑːi/ corner.SG gaan /χɑːn/ go.INF eet /ɪət/ eat.INF Hulle /ˈɦœlə/ they.3PL maak /mɑːk/ make.PRES baie /ˈbajə/ very goeie /ˈχujə/ good.ATTR braaivleis /ˈbrɑːifləɪs/ barbecued-meat.SG
9.28a Kan can u you vir for ons us wys show waar where dit it is is
9.28b Kan /kan/ can.AUX.MOD u /y/ you.2SG.FORM vir /fər/ for.PREP ons /ɔns/ us.1PL.OBJ wys /vəɪs/ show.INF waar /vɑːr/ where.SUBORD dit /dət/ it.3SG.N is /əs/ be.PRES
9.29a Natuurlik of-course Dis it-is net only vyf five minute minutes ek I wys show dit it vir to julle you-all op on die the kaart map
9.29b Natuurlik /natyrˈlək/ of-course Dis /dəs/ it-is.CONTR net /nɛt/ only vyf /fəɪf/ five.NUM minute /miˈnytə/ minute.PL ek /ɛk/ I.1SG wys /vəɪs/ show.PRES dit /dət/ it.3SG.N vir /fər/ to.PREP julle /ˈjœlə/ you.2PL.OBJ op /ɔp/ on.PREP die /di/ the.DEF kaart /kɑːrt/ map.SG
9.30a Hier here is is julle your-all sleutel key Dis it-is kamer room drie three bo upstairs
9.30b Hier /ɦir/ here is /əs/ be.PRES julle /ˈjœlə/ your.2PL.POSS sleutel /ˈslʏətəl/ key.SG Dis /dəs/ it-is.CONTR kamer /ˈkɑːmər/ room.SG drie /dri/ three.NUM bo /bʊə/ upstairs
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Part B: Natural Text with Idiomatic Translation
9.16 Goeiemiddag, Mevrou. Is u Mevrou Pretorius? → “Good afternoon, Madam. Are you Mrs Pretorius?”
9.17 Ja, dis ek. Wie is jy, my kind? → “Yes, that’s me. Who are you, my child?”
9.18 Ek is Thandi Dlamini. Ek het ’n kamer vir drie nagte bespreek. → “I’m Thandi Dlamini. I’ve booked a room for three nights.”
9.19 Ja, ek sien jou naam hier. Hoe was jou reis? → “Yes, I see your name here. How was your journey?”
9.20 Lank, maar mooi. My vriende kom nou-nou; hulle parkeer die kar. → “Long, but beautiful. My friends are coming in a little while; they’re parking the car.”
9.21 Dan maak ek vir julle koffie. Of wil julle liewer tee hê? → “Then I’ll make coffee for you. Or would you rather have tea?”
9.22 Koffie is reg, dankie. U is baie vriendelik. → “Coffee is fine, thank you. You are very kind.”
9.23 Moenie my Mevrou noem nie. Jy kan my maar Tannie Elna noem. → “Don’t call me Madam. You can just call me Tannie Elna.”
9.24 Dankie, Tannie Elna. Mag ek u iets vra? → “Thank you, Tannie Elna. May I ask you something?”
9.25 Vra gerus. Wat wil jy weet? → “Ask away. What do you want to know?”
9.26 Waar kan ons vanaand eet? Kan u iets aanbeveel? → “Where can we eat tonight? Can you recommend something?”
9.27 Julle moet by die restaurant om die draai gaan eet. Hulle maak baie goeie braaivleis. → “You should go and eat at the restaurant round the corner. They make very good barbecued meat.”
9.28 Kan u vir ons wys waar dit is? → “Can you show us where it is?”
9.29 Natuurlik. Dis net vyf minute; ek wys dit vir julle op die kaart. → “Of course. It’s only five minutes; I’ll show you on the map.”
9.30 Hier is julle sleutel. Dis kamer drie, bo. → “Here is your key. It’s room three, upstairs.”
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Part C: Text in Afrikaans Only
Jy of u?
Thandi: Goeiemiddag, Mevrou. Is u Mevrou Pretorius?
Mevrou Pretorius: Ja, dis ek. Wie is jy, my kind?
Thandi: Ek is Thandi Dlamini. Ek het ’n kamer vir drie nagte bespreek.
Mevrou Pretorius: Ja, ek sien jou naam hier. Hoe was jou reis?
Thandi: Lank, maar mooi. My vriende kom nou-nou; hulle parkeer die kar.
Mevrou Pretorius: Dan maak ek vir julle koffie. Of wil julle liewer tee hê?
Thandi: Koffie is reg, dankie. U is baie vriendelik.
Mevrou Pretorius: Moenie my Mevrou noem nie. Jy kan my maar Tannie Elna noem.
Thandi: Dankie, Tannie Elna. Mag ek u iets vra?
Mevrou Pretorius: Vra gerus. Wat wil jy weet?
Thandi: Waar kan ons vanaand eet? Kan u iets aanbeveel?
Mevrou Pretorius: Julle moet by die restaurant om die draai gaan eet. Hulle maak baie goeie braaivleis.
Thandi: Kan u vir ons wys waar dit is?
Mevrou Pretorius: Natuurlik. Dis net vyf minute; ek wys dit vir julle op die kaart.
Mevrou Pretorius: Hier is julle sleutel. Dis kamer drie, bo.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
Jy or u in one conversation: Thandi addresses the owner with u all through the dialogue (9.16, 9.22, 9.24, 9.26, 9.28), and the owner answers with jy (9.17, 9.23, 9.25) and with jou (9.19). The owner is older and the host; Thandi is the younger guest. The titles Mevrou and Tannie work in the same way: Thandi begins with Mevrou (9.16), and the owner offers Tannie Elna (9.23). Thandi accepts the name (9.24) but keeps u, since u is the pronoun of respect.
Julle for the group: the owner speaks to the three guests together, though only Thandi is there: Dan maak ek vir julle koffie (9.21), julle moet … gaan eet (9.27), ek wys dit vir julle (9.29), julle sleutel (9.30). Julle is the same word in the object place and in front of a noun. In 9.21 vir julle is “for you (all)”, and in 9.30 julle sleutel is “your (all’s) key”. Thandi’s own word for the group is ons, “we, us” (9.26, 9.28).
Jou and u in front of nouns: jou naam, jou reis (9.19) are said to Thandi; u would be the form for a person addressed politely: u naam, u reis.
Question order: Is u Mevrou Pretorius? (9.16) and Kan u … ? (9.26, 9.28) have the verb first. Wie is jy? (9.17) and Wat wil jy weet? (9.25) have the question word first, then the verb, then the pronoun.
Moenie … nie (9.23): the negative command moenie, “don’t”, with the second nie at the end of the clause, as in Lesson 8, 8.12: Moenie my Mevrou noem nie. The infinitive noem goes to the end, before nie.
Mag ek u iets vra? (9.24): mag, “may”, followed by the object u, then iets, and the infinitive vra at the end. Kan u iets aanbeveel? (9.26) has the same shape.
Vra gerus (9.25): see Section E.
Kan u vir ons wys waar dit is? (9.28): the clause after waar sends the verb to the end: waar dit is. Compare dat jy dit nie kan doen nie (9.15).
Dis (9.17, 9.29, 9.30): dis is written as one word for dit is, without an apostrophe. Dis ek (9.17) is “it’s me”, as in Lesson 8.
Nou-nou (9.20): “in a little while”; see Lesson 8, Section E.
Kamer drie, bo (9.30): the number follows the noun when it names a room, as in English “room three”. Bo is “upstairs, above”.
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Jy /jəɪ/: the j is /j/, as English y in “yes”; the y is the Afrikaans y sound, never English “eye”. Jou /jœʊ/ and joune /ˈjœʊnə/ have the diphthong ou. Julle /ˈjœlə/ has two syllables. U /y/ is one sound and one letter. In older Bible texts it is sometimes written with a capital when God is addressed (U is met my in Psalm 23, Lesson 5); in Section F the same u is printed small. In 9.22 the capital only marks the start of the sentence.
Jy, jou and julle are all written with a small letter inside a sentence, as ek is. Only the first word of a sentence takes a capital: Jy is moeg. Hoe gaan dit met jou?
Dis is written as one word for dit is, without an apostrophe: dis ek (9.17), dis net vyf minute (9.29).
Nou-nou is written with a hyphen. Compounds are written as one word: braaivleis (9.27), Goeiemiddag (9.16), vanaand (9.26).
Môre /ˈmɔːrə/ has a circumflex on the o; hê /ɦɛː/ and gesê /χəˈsɛː/ have a circumflex on the e. Geëet /χəˈɪət/ has a diaeresis on the second e, which shows that ge- and eet are separate syllables.
Julle s’n, “yours (all’s)”, is written in two parts, with an apostrophe before the n.
Ee /ɪə/ and oo /ʊə/: eet /ɪət/, tee /tɪə/, woon /vʊən/, boom /bʊəm/.
V is /f/ and w is /v/: vir /fər/, vriende /ˈfrində/, vanaand /fanˈɑːnt/; woon /vʊən/, want /vant/, wys /vəɪs/.
Final d is /t/: gevind /χəˈfənt/, kind /kənt/.
Minute /miˈnytə/ is the plural of minuut; the u is /y/, as in French.
The IPA in this lesson follows standard Afrikaans, with each word said on its own, as in Lessons 1 to 8.
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✓ Lesson 9 Afrikaans complete — jy (you)
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)