Hy lees die gebed.

he

Breakdown of Hy lees die gebed.

• lees: to read
• die gebed: the prayer

Questions & Answers about Hy lees die gebed.

What does hy mean, and is it capitalized like English He?

Hy means he.

In Afrikaans, pronouns are only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence, just like in English. So in Hy lees die gebed, Hy is capitalized because it starts the sentence. In the middle of a sentence, it would be hy.

Why is it lees and not something different for he reads?

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way English verbs do.

In English, you say:

• I read
• you read
• he reads

But in Afrikaans, the verb usually stays the same:

• ek lees = I read
• jy lees = you read
• hy lees = he reads

So lees is the normal present-tense form, no matter who is doing the action.

What does die mean here?