Argumentative writing is where Afrikaans shows its most sophisticated machinery. To build a case rather than just state opinions, a C1 writer marshals a battery of devices: argumentative connectors that signal logical moves (egter, daarteenoor, gevolglik), concessive clauses that grant the other side a point, the passive to sound objective, hedging particles that soften claims to the right strength, and clefts that spotlight what matters. The opinion piece below was written for this guide. After it, we annotate each of these — the hallmarks of educated written Afrikaans.
The opinion piece
Ons moet versigtig wees met die belofte van tegnologie
Daar word dikwels beweer dat tegnologie ons probleme vanself sal oplos. Hierdie standpunt is egter te optimisties. Dit is waar dat slim toestelle baie take vergemaklik het. Daarteenoor word die verborge koste — verlies aan privaatheid, afhanklikheid, eensaamheid — selde genoem. Hoewel niemand 'n terugkeer na die verlede bepleit nie, behoort ons tog die nadele ernstig op te weeg. Dit is juis die onkritiese geesdrif wat my bekommer. Daar word naamlik aanvaar dat meer altyd beter is, terwyl die teendeel dikwels waar is. Gevolglik moet beleidmakers nie net na die voordele kyk nie, maar ook na wie agterbly. Dit beteken nie dat ons vooruitgang moet stuit nie; dit beteken slegs dat ons dit met oop oë moet bestuur. Tegnologie is per slot van rekening 'n werktuig, nie 'n bestemming nie.
Argumentative connectors: steering the reader
The skeleton of any argument is its connectors, and an opinion piece uses ones rarely heard in conversation. Three do the heavy lifting here.
Egter ("however") marks a contrast with what was just said: Hierdie standpunt is *egter te optimisties ("This view is, *however, too optimistic"). Unlike the everyday maar, which sits at the front, egter slots inside the clause, typically after the verb — a clear written-register signature.
Hierdie standpunt is egter te optimisties.
This view is, however, too optimistic.
Daarteenoor ("by contrast / on the other hand") sets two things against each other across sentences: Daarteenoor *word die verborge koste selde genoem ("By contrast, the hidden costs are rarely mentioned"). Fronted, it triggers *verb-second inversion — word comes straight after it.
Daarteenoor word die verborge koste selde genoem.
By contrast, the hidden costs are rarely mentioned.
Gevolglik ("consequently / as a result") draws a conclusion: *Gevolglik moet beleidmakers nie net na die voordele kyk nie ("*Consequently, policymakers must not look only at the benefits"). It too inverts when fronted: Gevolglik *moet beleidmakers...*.
Gevolglik moet beleidmakers ook na die nadele kyk.
Consequently, policymakers must also look at the drawbacks.
A fourth, naamlik ("namely"), introduces a specification: Daar word *naamlik aanvaar dat... ("It is, *namely, assumed that..."). Together these connectors map the argument's logic — contrast, consequence, specification — without the writer ever saying "and then I think". (See discourse connectors for the full inventory.)
Concessive clauses: granting the other side a point
A persuasive writer pre-empts objections by conceding them — and Afrikaans has dedicated machinery for this. The text uses two concessive moves.
Hoewel ("although") opens a subordinate clause that grants a point before overriding it: *Hoewel niemand 'n terugkeer na die verlede bepleit nie, behoort ons tog die nadele op te weeg ("*Although no one is advocating a return to the past, we ought nonetheless to weigh the drawbacks"). Being subordinate, the hoewel-clause is verb-final (bepleit at the end), and the main clause that follows starts with its verb — behoort — because the whole subordinate clause occupies the first position.
Hoewel niemand die verlede bepleit nie, behoort ons die nadele op te weeg.
Although no one is advocating the past, we ought to weigh the drawbacks.
Notice the partner particle tog ("nonetheless / still") in the main clause. The pair hoewel … tog is the classic concessive frame: "although X, nonetheless Y." Tog signals that the concession is being overridden.
Dit is duur; tog is dit die moeite werd.
It is expensive; nonetheless it is worth it.
The connector terwyl ("while/whereas") does a softer concession by contrast: ...meer altyd beter is, *terwyl die teendeel dikwels waar is ("...more is always better, *whereas the opposite is often true"). (See concession for the full set.)
Hy beweer dat dit veilig is, terwyl die teendeel waar is.
He claims it is safe, whereas the opposite is true.
The passive for objectivity
An opinion piece argues hardest when it sounds least personal — and the passive is how the writer hides behind the evidence. Daar *word dikwels beweer dat... ("It is often claimed that..."), die verborge koste **word selde genoem ("the hidden costs are rarely mentioned"), Daar **word naamlik aanvaar dat... ("It is, namely, assumed that..."). By using *word + participle with the impersonal daar, the writer reports prevailing opinion without naming who holds it — and then attacks it from a position of apparent neutrality.
Daar word dikwels beweer dat tegnologie ons probleme sal oplos.
It is often claimed that technology will solve our problems.
Daar word aanvaar dat meer altyd beter is.
It is assumed that more is always better.
This Daar word beweer/aanvaar/gesê dat... frame is a workhorse of academic and journalistic Afrikaans. (See the passive with word — note it is word for the present, is for the perfect.)
Hedging: calibrating the claim
C1 writing rarely makes flat assertions; it hedges, tuning each claim to exactly the strength the evidence supports. The piece is full of these calibrating particles and qualifiers. Dikwels ("often") and selde ("rarely") quantify without overclaiming: word dikwels beweer, word selde genoem. Te ("too") marks a measured judgement: te optimisties ("too optimistic"). Slegs ("only/merely") narrows a claim: dit beteken *slegs dat... ("it means *only that..."). And the discourse marker per slot van rekening ("after all / when all is said and done") frames the closing line as a settled, reasonable conclusion.
Dit beteken slegs dat ons dit met oop oë moet bestuur.
It means only that we must manage it with our eyes open.
Tegnologie is per slot van rekening 'n werktuig.
Technology is, after all, a tool.
The effect is a voice that sounds reasonable rather than strident. Compare a hedged Hierdie standpunt is *egter te optimisties with an unhedged *Hierdie standpunt is verkeerd ("This view is wrong") — the first invites the reader along, the second picks a fight. C1 register prefers the first. (See stance and hedging.)
Clefts: putting the spotlight where you want it
To emphasise a single element, the writer uses a cleft — splitting the sentence so a Dit is … wat … frame fronts the key word: *Dit is juis die onkritiese geesdrif wat my bekommer ("It is precisely the uncritical enthusiasm *that worries me"). Without the cleft you would say Die onkritiese geesdrif bekommer my — true, but flat. The cleft, reinforced by juis ("precisely"), forces the reader's eye onto the uncritical enthusiasm as the thing that matters.
Dit is juis die onkritiese geesdrif wat my bekommer.
It is precisely the uncritical enthusiasm that worries me.
The piece also ends on a contrastive structure: Tegnologie is 'n werktuig, nie 'n bestemming nie ("Technology is a tool, not a destination") — a balanced antithesis, complete with its closing nie, that lands the argument's thesis in a single memorable line. (See clefts.)
Tegnologie is 'n werktuig, nie 'n bestemming nie.
Technology is a tool, not a destination.
Common mistakes
❌ Gevolglik beleidmakers moet ook na die nadele kyk.
Incorrect — a fronted gevolglik triggers verb-second; the verb must come right after it.
✅ Gevolglik moet beleidmakers ook na die nadele kyk.
Consequently, policymakers must also look at the drawbacks.
❌ Hierdie standpunt egter is te optimisties.
Incorrect — egter sits inside the clause, after the verb, not before it.
✅ Hierdie standpunt is egter te optimisties.
This view is, however, too optimistic.
❌ Hoewel niemand die verlede bepleit, ons moet die nadele opweeg.
Incorrect — the concessive clause needs its closing nie, and the main clause must invert after it.
✅ Hoewel niemand die verlede bepleit nie, behoort ons die nadele op te weeg.
Although no one advocates the past, we ought to weigh the drawbacks.
❌ Tegnologie is sleg en sal ons vernietig.
Too direct for an opinion piece — over-blunt claims read as ranting, not argument.
✅ Die nadele van tegnologie word egter selde ernstig opgeweeg.
The drawbacks of technology are, however, rarely seriously weighed.
❌ Die onkritiese geesdrif is wat my bekommer.
Awkward cleft — the natural frame is Dit is … wat …
✅ Dit is die onkritiese geesdrif wat my bekommer.
It is the uncritical enthusiasm that worries me.
Key takeaways
- Argumentative connectors map the logic: egter ("however", clause-internal), daarteenoor ("by contrast"), gevolglik ("consequently"), naamlik ("namely"). Fronted ones trigger verb-second inversion.
- Concede with hoewel … tog ("although … nonetheless") and terwyl ("whereas"); the hoewel-clause is verb-final and keeps its closing nie.
- Use the impersonal passive Daar word beweer/aanvaar dat… to report and then critique opinion from apparent neutrality.
- Hedge with dikwels, selde, te, slegs, dalk — calibrate claims rather than overstating them.
- Spotlight a key element with a cleft: Dit is … wat …, often sharpened by juis ("precisely").
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