Linking Elements in Compounds: -s-, -e-, -er-

Afrikaans builds compounds with abandon — two, three, four nouns stacked into a single solid word. Most of the time you just push the parts together: huis + werk = huiswerk ("homework"). But often a small connecting sound slips in at the seam — an -s-, an -e-, occasionally an -er-. These are the tussenklanke ("linking sounds"), and they are the part of compounding that learners get wrong most, because there is no fully predictable rule for when each one appears. The good news this page delivers is that they are not random: each linker clusters by the type of first element, because they are fossilised relics of old genitive and plural endings. Learn the clusters and you can guess right far more often than chance. For how compounds are formed and ordered in general, see compound nouns; for when a hyphen breaks them up, see when compounds take a hyphen.

What a linking element is

A linking element is a sound that belongs to neither part of the compound on its own — it exists only to join them. In staatsdiens ("civil service"), the first part is staat ("state") and the second is diens ("service"); the -s- in the middle is not the plural of staat (that's state) and not part of diens. It's pure glue, left over from an old genitive ("service of state").

This is exactly why the linkers are hard: they're meaningless connective tissue with a history but no live rule. You can't reason your way to them from the meaning. But the history left fingerprints — certain kinds of first word reliably pull in certain linkers.

The linking -s-: abstract and derived first elements

The -s- is the most common linker, and it clusters tightly. It tends to follow first elements that are abstract, derived, or themselves built from a verb or adjective — nouns ending in -heid, -ing, -skap, -teit, and many institutional or governmental words. It's the old genitive -s ("...of the..."), so it naturally attaches to the kinds of nouns that used to take that genitive.

Look at the first elements: staat(s)-, lewen(s)- ("life", an abstract). More from this cluster: liefdesbrief ("love letter", from liefde), vryheidstryd ("freedom struggle", from vryheid with -heid), regeringsbesluit ("government decision", from regering with -ing), vriendskapsband ("bond of friendship", from vriendskap with -skap).

This is the most rule-like of the linkers: if the first element ends in -heid, -ing, -skap, -teit, you can confidently insert -s-. That single sub-pattern covers a large share of real compounds.

The linking -e-: older compounds and "of the kind" joins

The -e- linker shows up in a large set of mostly older, well-established compounds. Historically it reflects an old plural or weak ending, and it often carries a faint flavour of "for/of the kind" — hondehok is literally "dog-of-the-kind house" → a dog's kennel. It's the least predictable linker; for the most part these are learned word by word.

The first elements here — hond(e)-, tand(e)- — take -e- even though it isn't a real plural in meaning (a toothbrush isn't "for teeth-plural" in any countable sense). Other staples: sterrekunde ("astronomy", ster + e + kunde), perdestal ("horse stable", perd + e + stal), gansebloed ("goose blood", gans + e + bloed). A clear member of the cluster:

Notice sterrekunde also doubles the r — ster becomes sterre- — because the open syllable would otherwise change the vowel. That spelling shift travels with the -e- linker on words like ster and is worth noting: the linker can drag a doubled consonant in with it.

The linking -er-: plural-flavoured first elements

The rarer -er- linker attaches to a small set of first elements that historically took an -er plural (the same -er you see in kind/kinders, ei/eiers). So it carries a genuine "plural-of" flavour — kindertehuis is a home for children.

The first elements — kind(er)-, ei(er)- — are precisely the nouns whose plurals end in -ers/-ers (kinders, eiers). The linker -er- is that old plural ending frozen into the compound. This is the most semantically transparent of the three linkers: when it appears, the first element really does mean "of several X."

The bare join: huiswerk and most new compounds

Most compounds, and almost all new or ad-hoc ones, take no linker at all — you simply weld the two words together: huis + werk = huiswerk. This is the default, and the safest guess for any compound you haven't met, especially modern, technical, or freshly-coined ones.

Wait — sonsondergang ("sunset") has an -s-! That's the point: son + s + ondergang, with the linking -s- surfacing because sononder... would be awkward and because the genitive sense ("the going-down of the sun") pulls it in. It sits right next to the linker-less huiswerk to make the lesson plain: you cannot tell from the meaning alone — huiswerk ("work of the house") would seem to invite an -s- by the same logic, yet takes none. This is the honest core of the topic.

How to make your best guess

There is no rule that gets you to 100%, but a short decision order gets you close:

1. Does the first element end in -heid, -ing, -skap, -teit, or is it an abstract/institutional noun? → insert -s- (regeringsbesluit).
2. Is it a common, old, homely compound, often with an animal/body/nature first element? → it may take -e- (hondehok, tandeborsel) — but verify per word.
3. Does the first element take an -er plural (kind → kinders, ei → eiers) and mean "of several"? → consider -er- (kindertehuis).
4. None of the above, or it's a new/technical compound? → bare join (huiswerk).

Then check the dictionary for anything you're unsure of — because the linkers are lexicalised, the authority is the established spelling of each word, not a derivation.

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• Linking elements (tussenklanke) are meaningless glue inside a solid compound — fossilised genitive and plural endings, not live rules.
• -s- clusters on abstract/derived/institutional first elements, reliably after -heid, -ing, -skap, -teit (staatsdiens, regeringsbesluit, lewensverhaal).
• -e- sits in many older, homely compounds (hondehok, tandeborsel, sterrekunde) — mostly learned per word, and it can pull in a doubled consonant (ster → sterre-).
• -er- marks a true plural-flavoured first element (kindertehuis, eierdop), the same -er of kinders, eiers.
• The bare join (huiswerk) is the default and the safe guess for new or technical compounds — but sonsondergang shows you can't read the linker off the meaning, so verify in the dictionary.