word is one of the highest-value verbs in Afrikaans because it does two jobs at once. As a copula it means to become — dit word koud (it's getting cold), sy word 'n dokter (she's becoming a doctor). And as an auxiliary it builds the dynamic passive — die huis word gebou (the house is being built). One small verb, two big roles. This page covers its forms and both uses; the grammar of the passive itself lives on the word-passive, and the choice between word and is in passives on word vs is.
Core forms
word is regular in its endings — one present form for every subject — but note its perfect: het geword. The future is sal word.
| Form | Afrikaans | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | word | to become |
| Present (all persons) | ek / jy / hy / ons / hulle word | I / you / he / we / they become |
| Perfect | het geword | became / has become |
| Future | sal word | will become |
| Imperative | Word! | Become! |
Dit word vinnig donker in die winter.
It gets dark quickly in winter.
My oupa het honderd jaar oud geword.
My grandfather became a hundred years old.
Sy sal eendag 'n wonderlike onderwyser word.
She'll become a wonderful teacher one day.
word as a copula: "become"
In its first role, word is a copula of change — it links a subject to a new state it is moving into. This is the contrast with is (to be), which states a current, static condition. Sy is moeg = she is tired (now); sy word moeg = she is getting tired (the state is coming on). word always carries that sense of becoming, turning into, growing into.
| Static (is) | Dynamic (word) |
|---|---|
| Dit is koud. (It is cold.) | Dit word koud. (It's getting cold.) |
| Hy is kwaad. (He is angry.) | Hy word kwaad. (He's getting angry.) |
| Sy is 'n dokter. (She is a doctor.) | Sy word 'n dokter. (She's becoming a doctor.) |
Maak die venster toe, dit word koud hier binne.
Close the window, it's getting cold in here.
Hy word elke jaar meer geduldig.
He gets more patient every year.
Wat wil jy word as jy groot is?
What do you want to become when you grow up?
For word as one of a small set of linking verbs alongside is, bly and lyk, see copular verbs.
word as the passive auxiliary: "is being done"
In its second role, word is the auxiliary that builds the dynamic passive — the passive of an action in progress or as an event. The pattern is word + past participle, with the participle at the end of the clause: die huis word gebou (the house is being built). Here word is not "become" in any literal sense; it is the grammatical hinge that turns an active sentence into a passive one.
Die nuwe brug word tans gebou.
The new bridge is being built at the moment.
Die kos word in die kombuis voorberei.
The food is being prepared in the kitchen.
Die pakkette word elke oggend afgelewer.
The parcels are delivered every morning.
Hierdie kamer word net vir gaste gebruik.
This room is only used for guests.
The agent, when named, is introduced by deur (by): die brief word deur die sekretaris geskryf (the letter is written by the secretary). The full mechanics — past forms, agentless passives, word order — are on the word-passive.
Don't confuse the two — and don't use "is" for the dynamic passive
The two roles are easy to mix up because the same word triggers both. The test is what follows word:
- word + adjective / noun → copula "become": dit word koud, sy word 'n dokter.
- word + past participle → dynamic passive: die huis word gebou, die brief word geskryf.
And there is a second trap, this time against English and Dutch instincts: the dynamic passive (an action in progress) takes word, not is. Die huis word gebou = the house is being built; die huis is gebou shifts the meaning to a finished state, "the house has been built / is built". English uses "is" in both ("is being built" vs "is built"), so learners reach for is where Afrikaans needs word. The dividing line between word and is in passives has its own page, word vs is.
Die pad word op die oomblik herstel.
The road is being repaired at the moment.
Die pad is reeds herstel.
The road has already been repaired.
Common mistakes
❌ My oupa is honderd jaar oud geword.
Incorrect — the perfect of word takes het, not is: het geword.
✅ My oupa het honderd jaar oud geword.
My grandfather became a hundred years old.
❌ Die nuwe brug is tans gebou.
Wrong auxiliary for an action in progress — the dynamic passive uses word.
✅ Die nuwe brug word tans gebou.
The new bridge is being built at the moment.
❌ Dit is koud — maak die venster toe. (meaning: it's getting colder)
States a static fact; for the change 'getting cold' you need word.
✅ Dit word koud — maak die venster toe.
It's getting cold — close the window.
❌ Sy wordte 'n dokter.
Incorrect — there is no -te past; the present is word and the perfect is het geword.
✅ Sy word 'n dokter.
She's becoming a doctor.
Key takeaways
- word does two jobs: copula "become" and dynamic-passive auxiliary.
- Forms: present word (all subjects), perfect het geword (with het, never is), future sal word.
- As a copula it marks change into a new state — dit word koud, sy word 'n dokter — contrasting with static is.
- As an auxiliary it builds the passive of an action in progress: die huis word gebou. Tell the roles apart by what follows: adjective/noun = copula, past participle = passive.
- For the dynamic passive, use word, not is; see word vs is and the word-passive.
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Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- The Passive with wordB1 — How Afrikaans forms the dynamic (action) passive with word plus a past participle, and why word — not is — is the auxiliary for an action being carried out.
- Copular Verbs: wees, word, lyk, blyA2 — The linking verbs that join a subject to a predicate — is/wees, word, lyk, bly and voel — and why the complement stays bare.
- word vs is (dynamic vs stative passive)B2 — Afrikaans splits the passive in two: word + participle for an action in progress, is/was + participle for the finished result — disambiguating what English smears together.