Sy praat Engels.

she

Breakdown of Sy praat Engels.

• praat: to speak
• Engels: English

Questions & Answers about Sy praat Engels.

What does sy mean, and is it the same as she in English?

Yes. Sy is the Afrikaans subject pronoun meaning she.

In this sentence:

• Sy = she
• praat = speaks / talks
• Engels = English

Be careful not to confuse sy with his in English. In Afrikaans, sy can also mean his in other contexts, but here it is clearly the subject pronoun she.

Why is the sentence order Sy praat Engels? Is Afrikaans word order like English here?

Yes, this sentence follows the same basic word order as English:

• Subject: Sy
• Verb: praat
• Object / complement: Engels

So it is a straightforward subject–verb–object pattern:

• Sy = subject
• praat = verb
• Engels = what language she speaks

This is one reason simple Afrikaans sentences often feel familiar to English speakers.

Does praat mean speak or talk?