Die huis is modern.

The house is modern.

Breakdown of Die huis is modern.

• wees: to be
• die huis: the house
• modern: modern

Questions & Answers about Die huis is modern.

Why does the sentence start with die?

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, usually meaning the. So die huis means the house.

Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not make you learn different definite articles for grammatical gender in everyday use. Die is the normal word you use for the.

Can die also be used for plural nouns?

Yes. Die can mean the with both singular and plural nouns.

For example:

• die huis = the house
• die huise = the houses

So the article stays the same, and the noun shows whether it is singular or plural.

Why is the verb is the same as English?

Afrikaans is is the present-tense form of to be, and it is used with all persons:

• ek is = I am
• jy is = you are
• hy/sy is = he/she is
• ons is = we are
• hulle is = they are

So in Afrikaans, you do not have forms like am / is / are. It stays is.