A light verb (or support verb) is a verb that carries little meaning of its own and lends its grammar to a noun that does the real semantic work: not to decide but to take a decision, not to err but to make a mistake. Every language pairs these verbs with nouns in fixed, often unpredictable ways, and getting the pairings right is one of the last and most telling steps toward sounding native. Afrikaans uses a small set — maak, doen, neem, gee, kry, vat — and crucially, its pairings are not the same as English's. Translating make a decision literally produces an error a native speaker would never make. This page maps each verb to its typical noun partners and flags exactly where English will lead you astray.
maak vs doen: the make/do split
English make and do map only loosely onto Afrikaans maak and doen, so this is the first place calques fail. The underlying logic:
- maak = to create, produce, or bring into being something — and, importantly, it covers a lot of ground English assigns to do.
- doen = to perform or carry out an activity, especially work, duties, and tasks.
| maak (create / produce) | doen (perform / carry out) |
|---|---|
| 'n fout maak (make a mistake) | werk doen (do work) |
| kos maak (make food / cook) | moeite doen (make an effort) |
| 'n plan maak (make a plan / find a way) | jou bes doen (do your best) |
| geraas maak (make a noise) | 'n kursus doen (do a course) |
| vrede maak (make peace) | navorsing doen (do research) |
Ek maak 'n fout as ek dit nou doen.
I'm making a mistake if I do this now.
Sy maak elke aand kos vir die hele gesin.
She cooks for the whole family every evening.
Hy het regtig moeite gedoen om alles reg te kry.
He really made an effort to get everything right.
Watch the crossovers carefully. English says make an effort, but Afrikaans says moeite doen (literally "do effort"). English says do a noise? No — but Afrikaans uses maak for geraas maak ("make a noise"). The mapping is genuinely word-by-word and must be learned as collocations, not derived. For the deeper contrast, see maak vs doen.
neem vs vat: the formal/colloquial 'take'
English has one verb take; Afrikaans splits it into two, and the split is mostly about register, not meaning. This is one of the most native-revealing distinctions in the whole language.
- neem is the more formal, abstract "take." It dominates set, somewhat elevated collocations and writing.
- vat is the colloquial, concrete, physical "take." It rules everyday speech, especially grabbing things and catching transport.
| neem (formal / abstract) | vat (colloquial / concrete) |
|---|---|
| 'n besluit neem (take a decision) | die trein vat (catch the train) |
| 'n risiko neem (take a risk) | die bus vat (take the bus) |
| deel neem (take part) | vat my hand (take my hand) |
| maatreëls neem (take measures) | vat 'n stoel (grab a chair) |
| 'n eed neem (take an oath) | vat dit hier (take this here) |
Ons neem môre 'n belangrike besluit oor die projek.
We're taking an important decision about the project tomorrow.
Hy vat elke oggend die trein stad toe.
He catches the train into the city every morning.
Vat my hand, dis donker hier.
Take my hand, it's dark here.
In casual speech you will hear vat where a textbook expects neem — vat 'n besluit does occur colloquially — but the safe, register-aware rule is: abstract or formal collocation → neem; physical grabbing or transport → vat. Reaching for neem in casual conversation about catching a bus (ek neem die bus) sounds stiff; ek vat die bus is what people actually say. See neem vs vat for the full register map.
gee: the giving verb
gee ("give") supports a rich set of collocations where you hand over something abstract — advice, a chance, permission, a hand.
| Collocation | English |
|---|---|
| raad gee | give advice |
| 'n kans gee | give a chance |
| toestemming gee | give permission |
| 'n geskenk gee | give a gift |
| 'n hand gee | lend a hand |
Kan jy my 'n bietjie raad gee oor hierdie kontrak?
Can you give me some advice about this contract?
Gee hom nog 'n kans — hy probeer regtig.
Give him another chance — he's really trying.
kry: get, receive, catch — and feel
kry ("get") is the receiving counterpart to gee, but it stretches further than English get. It covers receiving, obtaining, catching, and — distinctively — bodily sensations of temperature and feeling, where English uses be or feel.
| Collocation | English |
|---|---|
| 'n kans kry | get a chance |
| 'n geskenk kry | get a gift |
| koue kry / koud kry | get/feel cold |
| honger kry | get hungry |
| seer kry | get hurt |
Ek kry koud — kan ons die venster toemaak?
I'm getting cold — can we close the window?
As ek 'n kans kry, bel ek jou terug.
If I get a chance, I'll call you back.
That sensation use is the surprise for English speakers. Afrikaans says ek kry koud ("I get cold") and ek kry honger ("I get hungry") where English reaches for I'm cold / I'm hungry. The verb kry frames the sensation as something coming over you — you receive the cold — which is why the giving/receiving verb does double duty here.
Common mistakes
❌ Ons maak 'n besluit. (calquing English 'make a decision')
Incorrect — a decision is taken, not made: 'n besluit neem.
✅ Ons neem 'n besluit.
We take a decision.
❌ Hy maak moeite om te help.
Incorrect — effort is 'done', not 'made': moeite doen.
✅ Hy doen moeite om te help.
He makes an effort to help.
❌ Ek neem die bus elke dag. (in casual speech)
Stiff — for catching transport in everyday speech, vat is natural.
✅ Ek vat die bus elke dag.
I take the bus every day.
❌ Ek is koud. (meaning 'I feel cold')
Incorrect — this says you are a cold thing/person; sensation uses kry.
✅ Ek kry koud.
I'm getting cold.
Key takeaways
- Light verbs lend grammar to a noun that carries the meaning; the pairings are fixed and language-specific.
- maak = create/produce ('n fout, kos, 'n plan, geraas); doen = perform/carry out (werk, moeite, jou bes) — and the split does not match English make/do.
- neem vs vat is a register split English hides under one take: neem for abstract/formal collocations, vat for physical grabbing and catching transport.
- gee supports handing over abstracts (raad, 'n kans, toestemming); kry covers getting, catching, and crucially bodily sensations (koud kry, honger kry).
- Memorise these as collocations, not as translations — that is what separates fluent Afrikaans from translated English. See the collocations overview for the broader picture.
Now practice Afrikaans
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- Collocations and Phraseology: OverviewB2 — Collocations are the word-partnerships that make Afrikaans sound native — which verbs, adjectives and nouns habitually go together — and why learning them in chunks beats learning words alone.
- maak vs doen (make vs do)B1 — Afrikaans splits English 'make/do' across maak (create, prepare, cause), doen (perform, carry out) — and a sneaky third verb, neem, for decisions.
- neem vs vat (take)B1 — Both neem and vat mean 'take', but the choice is driven by register, not meaning — vat is the everyday, hands-on 'grab', neem is the formal, abstract 'take'.
- maak (to make/do) — Full FormsA1 — maak is the everyday 'make/do' verb and a light verb anchoring dozens of collocations — kos maak, 'n fout maak — plus separable verbs like oopmaak and toemaak.
- neem (to take) — Full FormsA2 — neem is the formal, abstract 'take' — the verb of decisions, participation and fixed phrases (neem 'n besluit, neem deel, neem in ag), and the register-partner of colloquial vat.