← Engels vir Afrikaanssprekendes
Introduction: In this first lesson we study "the", the most frequent word in English. "The" is the definite article. It stands in front of a noun and tells the listener: "you know which one I mean". English speakers use it all the time: "the book", "the door", "the sun", "the teacher".
Afrikaans has the same kind of word, so an Afrikaans speaker starts well. The Afrikaans definite article is die, and, like English "the", it never changes. Afrikaans has no grammatical gender, and die has no plural form: die boek (the book), die boeke (the books), die kind (the child), die kinders (the children). There is no de/het as in Dutch and no der/die/das as in German. In most sentences English "the" stands exactly where Afrikaans has die: Die boek is op die tafel is "The book is on the table". Part A below therefore shows "the die" again and again, and this is the first thing to enjoy about this lesson.
The lesson is mostly about the few places where the two languages part:
- Afrikaans has pointing words besides die: hierdie ("this"), daardie ("that"), and the stressed dié ("this one", "that one"). English "the" never points. English has its own words for that: "this" and "that". - Afrikaans uses die in some places where English uses nothing at all: die natuur, but "nature"; die ontbyt, but "breakfast"; in die hospitaal, but "in hospital" (British English). - The sound is new. English "the" begins with the "th" sound /ð/, which Afrikaans does not have, and it has two or three pronunciations where die has one.
English uses "the":
- when the thing has been mentioned before: "a dog" the first time, "the dog" after that (Afrikaans: 'n hond, die hond) - when there is only one of it: the sun, the moon, the earth, the east (Afrikaans: die son, die maan, die aarde, die ooste) - when the situation shows which one: "Open the door" (the door of this room) - when the rest of the sentence shows which one: "the man who lives here" - before superlatives and ordinal numbers: the first lesson, the second lesson, the biggest city - before the names of rivers, seas and mountain ranges, and of regions whose names contain an adjective: the Orange River, the Indian Ocean, the Drakensberg, the Western Cape (Afrikaans: die Oranjerivier, die Indiese Oseaan, die Drakensberge, die Wes-Kaap)
English does not use "the" before the names of people, before most names of countries, provinces and cities (South Africa, Gauteng, Cape Town), or before the names of languages (English, Afrikaans). Afrikaans does the same: Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika, Engels.
Etymology: "the" comes from an Old English demonstrative (se, sēo, þæt, later þe) that meant something like "that one". Over the centuries the word grew weak and became an article. English "that" and "this" come from the same family of Germanic pointing words as Afrikaans dat and dit, and Afrikaans die also began as a pointing word. This is why Afrikaans can still use it, stressed, to point: dié.
"The" has a partner: the indefinite article "a" or "an" ("a book", "an apple"), which introduces something new. Afrikaans has 'n for both ('n boek, 'n appel). "A" and "an" have their own lesson; in this lesson they appear only in the examples.
What does "the" mean in Afrikaans? In nearly every case it is die. When English points to something it says "this" or "that", and Afrikaans says hierdie or daardie; Afrikaans dié, the stressed form with an accent, also means "this one" or "that one", and is not "the" in English.
Key Takeaways:
- "The" never changes, like die: the book, the books, the child, the children. - Where Afrikaans says die, English usually says "the": Die boek is op die tafel = "The book is on the table". - Three common exceptions: English says "nature" (not "the nature"), "breakfast" (not "the breakfast"), and "in hospital" (British English; not "in the hospital"). - "The" does not point. For hierdie, daardie and dié, English says "this" and "that". - Say /ðə/ before a consonant sound and /ði/ before a vowel sound, with the tongue between the teeth. Not "de".
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Pronunciation Guide:
the — before a consonant sound /ðə/: the book /ðə ˈbʊk/, the school /ðə ˈskuːl/; before a vowel sound /ði/: the east /ði ˈiːst/, the earth /ði ˈɜːθ/; with stress, meaning "the famous one, the real one", /ðiː/.
The first sound of "the", /ð/, does not exist in Afrikaans. Put the tip of the tongue lightly between the teeth, or just behind the upper front teeth, and let the air pass with voice, so that the throat buzzes. It is not "d": a common substitute is d, which gives "de book", and it will be understood, but it is not the standard sound. Notice that English has two "th" sounds: the voiced /ð/ of "the", "this" and "that", and the voiceless /θ/ of "thank", "think" and "earth". Afrikaans has neither, and often has a d in the matching word: that dat, this dit, think dink, thank dank. This is a help when you read, but not when you speak.
The vowel of "the" before a consonant, /ə/, is a short, weak sound with no stress. Afrikaans has the same vowel in its own article 'n /ə/ and in the prefix ge- of gekoop. Do not say "the" like the Afrikaans word die /di/ everywhere. Before a consonant sound let the vowel shrink and run into the next word: the_book, on_the_table /ɒn ðə ˈteɪbl/. Only before a vowel sound does the vowel become /i/, as in the east /ði ˈiːst/.
Remember that the rule depends on the sound, not the letter: the hour /ði ˈaʊə/ (the h is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound), but the university /ðə ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti/ (the word begins with the sound /j/, like Afrikaans j in jy).
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Part A (English and Afrikaans text, word by word):
1.1 The die book boek is is on op the die table tafel.
1.2 Open maak-oop the die door deur.
1.3 The die sun son rises kom-op in in the die east ooste.
1.4 Where waar is is the die school skool?
1.5 The die children kinders are is in in the die house huis.
1.6 I ek have het a 'n dog hond. The die dog hond is is black swart.
1.7 Please asseblief give gee me my the die water water.
1.8 The die teacher onderwyser is is in in hospital die-hospitaal.
1.9 Cape-Town Kaapstad is is a 'n city stad in in the die Western-Cape Wes-Kaap.
1.10 The die Orange-River Oranjerivier is is very baie long lank.
1.11 I ek bought het-gekoop a 'n book boek yesterday gister. The die book boek is is new nuut.
1.12 The die man man who wat lives woon here hier speaks praat English Engels.
1.13 The die first eerste lesson les is is easy maklik.
1.14 The die people mense of van the die Western-Cape Wes-Kaap love is-lief-vir nature die-natuur.
1.15 When wanneer the die sun son sets ondergaan, the die children kinders go gaan home huis-toe.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Afrikaans translation):
1.1 The book is on the table. Die boek is op die tafel.
1.2 Open the door. Maak die deur oop.
1.3 The sun rises in the east. Die son kom in die ooste op.
1.4 Where is the school? Waar is die skool?
1.5 The children are in the house. Die kinders is in die huis.
1.6 I have a dog. The dog is black. Ek het 'n hond. Die hond is swart.
1.7 Please give me the water. Gee my asseblief die water.
1.8 The teacher is in hospital. Die onderwyser is in die hospitaal.
1.9 Cape Town is a city in the Western Cape. Kaapstad is 'n stad in die Wes-Kaap.
1.10 The Orange River is very long. Die Oranjerivier is baie lank.
1.11 I bought a book yesterday. The book is new. Ek het gister 'n boek gekoop. Die boek is nuut.
1.12 The man who lives here speaks English. Die man wat hier woon, praat Engels.
1.13 The first lesson is easy. Die eerste les is maklik.
1.14 The people of the Western Cape love nature. Die mense van die Wes-Kaap is lief vir die natuur.
1.15 When the sun sets, the children go home. Wanneer die son ondergaan, gaan die kinders huis toe.
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Part C (English text only):
1.1 The book is on the table.
1.2 Open the door.
1.3 The sun rises in the east.
1.4 Where is the school?
1.5 The children are in the house.
1.6 I have a dog. The dog is black.
1.7 Please give me the water.
1.8 The teacher is in hospital.
1.9 Cape Town is a city in the Western Cape.
1.10 The Orange River is very long.
1.11 I bought a book yesterday. The book is new.
1.12 The man who lives here speaks English.
1.13 The first lesson is easy.
1.14 The people of the Western Cape love nature.
1.15 When the sun sets, the children go home.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
These are the grammar rules for "the" in English:
1. "The" never changes, and neither does die. Afrikaans has no gender and no case, so die boek, die kinders and die huis all take the same word, and English does the same: the book, the children, the house (1.1, 1.5). This is the main reason why Afrikaans speakers find "the" easier than speakers of German or Dutch do. What English changes is the verb after it, not the article (rule 9).
2. Where the two languages agree. In each of the following, English "the" stands where Afrikaans has die: - a thing mentioned again: "I have a dog. The dog is black" (1.6), "I bought a book yesterday. The book is new" (1.11); Afrikaans 'n hond, die hond - a unique thing: the sun, the east (1.3, 1.15); die son, die ooste - a thing made clear by the situation: "Open the door" (1.2), "Where is the school?" (1.4), "Please give me the water" (1.7) - a thing made clear by the rest of the sentence: "the people of the Western Cape" (1.14); the words "of the Western Cape" show which people - ordinals: the first lesson (1.13); die eerste les - rivers, and regions with an adjective in the name: the Orange River (1.10), the Western Cape (1.9, 1.14); die Oranjerivier, die Wes-Kaap In all of these you can follow your instinct from Afrikaans.
3. "The" does not point. Afrikaans die is the plain article, but Afrikaans also has hierdie ("this"), daardie ("that") and the stressed dié. Dié, with its accent, is "this one" or "that one": Ek wil dié hê means "I want this one". English "the" is never stressed in this way. Do not say "I want the" for Ek wil dié hê; say "I want this one" or "I want that one". The reverse mistake also happens: English "Give me the book" (Gee my die boek) is not "Give me this book", which points to one particular book.
4. Where Afrikaans says die and English says nothing: general ideas. English does not use "the" before a general or abstract noun: "The people of the Western Cape love nature" (1.14), where Afrikaans says lief vir die natuur. In the same way Afrikaans says die lewe where English says "life" (Die lewe is kort, "Life is short"). If you mean the thing in general, not one particular thing, English has no "the".
5. Meals. English does not use "the" before the names of meals: "Breakfast is ready" (1.23), "They eat breakfast together" (1.29), "After breakfast" (1.30). Afrikaans does the same in 1.29 and 1.30 (ontbyt), but in 1.23 it says Die ontbyt is gereed, with die. Say "the breakfast" only when it means one particular breakfast: "the breakfast that Aunt Marie made".
6. Places of everyday life. British English has no "the" in "in hospital", "in prison", "at school", "at church", "in bed", "go to bed", "go home". "The teacher is in hospital" (1.8) has no "the", although Afrikaans says in die hospitaal. In American English "in the hospital" is usual, so both are correct, but "the" is never put before "home": "go home" (1.15; Afrikaans huis toe, also without die).
7. Names. No "the" before the name of a city or a language: Cape Town (1.9), English (1.12). Afrikaans does the same: Kaapstad, Engels. Note the contrast with the people and the language: "the Afrikaners" are the people, "Afrikaans" is the language.
8. "The" comes first, and the adjective does not change. In English "the" stands before the adjective: the first lesson (1.13), the new book. Afrikaans adjectives change in the same position (die nuwe boek) but not after "is" (Die boek is nuut, 1.11). English has one form only: new in both places. The same holds for the long river (die lang rivier, but Die rivier is lank): English never changes the adjective.
9. The verb after "the". English verbs change where Afrikaans verbs do not. Afrikaans says is for all subjects: Die kinders is in die huis; English has "The children are in the house" (1.5). Afrikaans says ek het, hy het, hulle het; English has "I have" (1.6) but "she has". English also tells the past differently. Afrikaans uses het and the ge- form for most past meanings: Ek het gister 'n boek gekoop; English says "I bought a book yesterday" (1.11), not "I have bought a book yesterday". And English keeps the subject before the verb after a time clause: "When the sun sets, the children go home" (1.15), where Afrikaans turns the order round: gaan die kinders huis toe. Never "When the sun sets, go the children home."
10. Fixed phrases with "the". Several are written differently in Afrikaans: the same (dieselfde, one word), at the moment (op die oomblik), in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening (in die oggend, in die middag, in die aand). Learn these as wholes.
11. How Part A reads. A hyphen in the English gloss joins the words that translate one Afrikaans word (Cape-Town Kaapstad, Good-morning Goeiemôre). A hyphen in the Afrikaans joins words that stand apart in the real sentence: kom-op for "rises" is the split verb of Die son kom in die ooste op (Part B), and maak-oop is Maak die deur oop. A hyphen such as die-hospitaal shows that Afrikaans has a word, here die, which English does not have.
Common mistakes:
- ✗ Sun rises in east. ✓ The sun rises in the east. (Afrikaans has die here, so keep the English "the" too.) - ✗ I love the nature. ✓ I love nature. (Afrikaans: lief vir die natuur.) - ✗ We eat the breakfast at seven. ✓ We eat breakfast at seven. - ✗ He speaks the English. ✓ He speaks English. - ✗ She is in the hospital. (in British English) ✓ She is in hospital. - ✗ The children is in the house. ✓ The children are in the house. ("The" does not change, but "is" and "are" do.) - ✗ I have bought a book yesterday. ✓ I bought a book yesterday. - ✗ When the sun sets, go the children home. ✓ When the sun sets, the children go home. - ✗ I want the. ✓ I want this one. (Afrikaans dié is not "the".) - ✗ de book, die east ✓ the book /ðə/, the east /ði/
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Part E (Cultural context):
English and Afrikaans live side by side in South Africa. In the 2022 census 10.6% of households said that they speak Afrikaans at home, and English is the second language of many of them, in school, at work and on screen. For a speaker of Afrikaans, the English "the" is therefore very familiar by sight and still hard to say. Afrikaans is also spoken in Namibia, where it is widely used as a language of everyday life.
There is a great deal that you already know. English and Afrikaans are both Germanic languages, and the "th" of English often corresponds to the "d" of Afrikaans. English that, this, then and there are dat, dit, dan and daar. English thing, think and thank are ding, dink and dank. English three and thick are drie and dik. If you learn that pattern, many words come free, and you can see why Afrikaans die and English "the" look like family.
The word "Afrikaans" is itself a good example of the article rules. The language is "Afrikaans" and takes no "the" (She speaks Afrikaans), but the people who speak it as a mother tongue are "the Afrikaners", with "the", because the word then names a group of people. The same holds for "the English" (the people) and "English" (the language).
Titles show the two articles side by side. An Afrikaans title may begin with Die, as in Die Bybel, and an English title may begin with "The", as in The Hobbit. At the start of a title the article is written with a capital letter in both languages.
When speaking, remember that English "the" is almost always unstressed. Afrikaans speakers who give die its full vowel in every English sentence, "dee book, dee table", sound heavy and stressed to an English ear. Let "the" be small.
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Part F (Literary citation):
Genesis 1:1 and the second half of 1:2, in the English King James Version (1611); Afrikaans text from Die Bybel 1983/1992-vertaling (AFR83). The middle of verse 2 is left out.
F-A (English and Afrikaans text, word by word):
"In in the die beginning begin God God created het-geskep the die heaven hemel and en the die earth aarde. And maar the die Spirit Gees of van God God moved het-gesweef upon oor the-face-of - the die waters waters."
F-B (Original text followed by the Afrikaans translation):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
"In die begin het God die hemel en die aarde geskep. Maar die Gees van God het oor die waters gesweef."
F-C (English text only):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
F-D (Grammar and literary commentary):
These are the first words of the Bible in the King James Version, the English translation of 1611 that has shaped the English language for four centuries. The sentences are short and joined by "and", and "the" appears six times in the two sentences: the beginning, the heaven, the earth, the Spirit, the face, the waters. Every time it points to one particular thing that the reader is to take as known and unique: not "a beginning" but the beginning, not "an earth" but this earth.
Now look at the Afrikaans. Five of the six "the"s have die in the same place, and this is the part of the lesson where Afrikaans and English agree (Part D, rule 2).
- the beginning, the heaven, the earth: die begin, die hemel, die aarde, unique things. - God: a name, so no "the", and no die. - the Spirit of God: die Gees van God, the pattern "the" + noun + "of" + noun, where the words after "of" show which spirit. - the waters: die waters. - the face of: the one "the" with no die. The Afrikaans says oor die waters, "over the waters", where the King James Version says "upon the face of the waters". - created ↔ het ... geskep: Afrikaans uses the perfect with het and the ge- form where English uses the simple past (Part D, rule 9). Likewise moved ↔ het ... gesweef; gesweef means rather "hovered". - And ↔ Maar: the Afrikaans has "but" at the start of the second sentence, since in the 1983 translation verse 2 first speaks of the dark and the empty earth (the part left out here), and then "but" the Spirit of God.
The Afrikaans text is quoted as it is printed in the 1983/1992 translation. The King James Version has "heaven" in the singular, and so has Afrikaans: die hemel.
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Anja is a girl who spends the holidays on her Uncle Johan's farm near Paarl, in the Western Cape. It is early in the morning. Anja speaks in 1.16, 1.18, 1.23 and 1.28; Uncle Johan speaks in 1.17, 1.19 and 1.27; the other sentences tell what happens.
Part A (English and Afrikaans text, word by word):
1.16 "Good-morning Goeiemôre, Uncle Oom Johan Johan!" says sê Anja Anja.
1.17 "Good-morning Goeiemôre, Anja Anja. The die sun son is is up op, and en the die day dag is is beautiful pragtig."
1.18 "Where waar is is the die dog hond?" asks vra Anja Anja.
1.19 "The die dog hond is is in in the die garden tuin, under onder the die tree boom."
1.20 Anja Anja walks stap to na the die garden tuin.
1.21 The die grass gras is is wet nat, and en the die sky lug is is blue blou.
1.22 The die dog hond sleeps slaap under onder the die tree boom.
1.23 "Wake-up Word-wakker, dog hond!" says sê Anja Anja. "Breakfast die-ontbyt is is ready gereed."
1.24 The die dog hond runs hardloop to na the die house huis.
1.25 Aunt Tannie Marie Marie puts sit the die bread brood on op the die table tafel.
1.26 The die bread brood is is still nog warm warm.
1.27 "Please asseblief pass gee-aan the die butter botter," says sê Uncle Oom Johan Johan.
1.28 "Here hier is is the die butter botter, Uncle Oom," says sê Anja Anja.
1.29 They hulle eat eet breakfast ontbyt together saam.
1.30 After ná breakfast ontbyt, they hulle go gaan to na the die vineyard wingerd.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Afrikaans translation):
1.16 "Good morning, Uncle Johan!" says Anja. "Goeiemôre, Oom Johan!" sê Anja.
1.17 "Good morning, Anja. The sun is up, and the day is beautiful." "Goeiemôre, Anja. Die son is op, en die dag is pragtig."
1.18 "Where is the dog?" asks Anja. "Waar is die hond?" vra Anja.
1.19 "The dog is in the garden, under the tree." "Die hond is in die tuin, onder die boom."
1.20 Anja walks to the garden. Anja stap na die tuin.
1.21 The grass is wet, and the sky is blue. Die gras is nat, en die lug is blou.
1.22 The dog sleeps under the tree. Die hond slaap onder die boom.
1.23 "Wake up, dog!" says Anja. "Breakfast is ready." "Word wakker, hond!" sê Anja. "Die ontbyt is gereed."
1.24 The dog runs to the house. Die hond hardloop na die huis.
1.25 Aunt Marie puts the bread on the table. Tannie Marie sit die brood op die tafel.
1.26 The bread is still warm. Die brood is nog warm.
1.27 "Please pass the butter," says Uncle Johan. "Gee asseblief die botter aan," sê Oom Johan.
1.28 "Here is the butter, Uncle," says Anja. "Hier is die botter, Oom," sê Anja.
1.29 They eat breakfast together. Hulle eet saam ontbyt.
1.30 After breakfast, they go to the vineyard. Ná ontbyt gaan hulle na die wingerd.
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Part C (English text only):
1.16 "Good morning, Uncle Johan!" says Anja.
1.17 "Good morning, Anja. The sun is up, and the day is beautiful."
1.18 "Where is the dog?" asks Anja.
1.19 "The dog is in the garden, under the tree."
1.20 Anja walks to the garden.
1.21 The grass is wet, and the sky is blue.
1.22 The dog sleeps under the tree.
1.23 "Wake up, dog!" says Anja. "Breakfast is ready."
1.24 The dog runs to the house.
1.25 Aunt Marie puts the bread on the table.
1.26 The bread is still warm.
1.27 "Please pass the butter," says Uncle Johan.
1.28 "Here is the butter, Uncle," says Anja.
1.29 They eat breakfast together.
1.30 After breakfast, they go to the vineyard.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
The narrative is in the simple present (is, walks, sleeps, runs, puts, eat, go), with a few lines of direct speech. Its grammatical thread is "the" with things that the situation makes clear (Part D, rule 2): the sun, the day, the dog, the garden, the tree, the grass, the sky, the house, the bread, the table, the butter, the vineyard. Everyone on the farm knows which dog, which tree and which table, so English says "the" every time, in the same place as Afrikaans die.
- The unique things: the sun and the sky (1.17, 1.21); die son, die lug. - "The sun is up" (1.17): English uses "up" as an adjective for the sun above the horizon; Afrikaans says Die son is op, which uses the same short word op. - The dog is "the dog" each time (1.18, 1.19, 1.22, 1.24) because Anja and her uncle both know which dog it is. Afrikaans die hond is the same. - No "the" before a name or a form of address: Anja, Uncle Johan, Aunt Marie (1.16, 1.25), and "Good morning, Uncle" (1.28). "Uncle" and "Aunt" have a capital letter when they are used like a name. Afrikaans does the same: Oom Johan, Tannie Marie. - Breakfast (1.23, 1.29, 1.30). In 1.23 Afrikaans says Die ontbyt is gereed, with die, but English says "Breakfast is ready", without "the" (Part D, rule 5). In 1.29 and 1.30 Afrikaans has ontbyt without die as well, so there English and Afrikaans agree. - "Wake up" (1.23): English "wake up" is a two-word verb, and in Afrikaans Word wakker is "become awake". "Dog" is the name of the one addressed, so it has no "the": "Wake up, dog!", never "Wake up, the dog!" - "Pass the butter" (1.27): Afrikaans gee ... aan is a split verb, as in Part D, rule 11: Gee asseblief die botter aan. - After breakfast (1.30): Afrikaans Ná ontbyt gaan hulle has the verb before the subject, and English After breakfast, they go has the subject before the verb (Part D, rule 9). Ná, with its accent, means "after"; na, without it, means "to" (1.20, 1.24). - "Under the tree" (1.19, 1.22), "to the house" (1.24), "to the vineyard" (1.30): in English, a preposition followed by a known place takes "the": the Afrikaans onder die boom, na die huis and na die wingerd are the same.
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Pronunciation and Orthography Notes:
- the — /ðə/ before a consonant sound, /ði/ before a vowel sound, /ðiː/ when stressed. Unstressed, short, and joined to the next word. - /ð/ is made with the tongue between the teeth and voice in the throat. It is not Afrikaans d. The Afrikaans word die /di/ is not a model for the English word. - Spelling: t-h-e, always the same, for singular and plural and for every kind of noun. - Afrikaans signs to watch when comparing: the hyphen in Wes-Kaap joins two parts of a name, but English writes Western Cape as two words without a hyphen. Afrikaans writes accents on some words (dié, ná, môre); English words have none, apart from borrowed words such as café. - English writes the names of languages and peoples with capitals: English, Afrikaans, Zulu. It does not write "the" with a capital except at the start of a sentence or as the first word of a title (The Citizen). Afrikaans does the same with Engels and Afrikaans. - Afrikaans g and r are not English g and r. In "the garden" the g is /g/, as in "good", not the Afrikaans fricative /x/ (as in gaan). The English r in "tree" and "red" is not rolled.
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