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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Ons lees oor die koninkryk. - We read about the kingdom.

Hardcore Afrikaans
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/Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

We read about the kingdom.

Breakdown of Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

Questions & Answers about Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

What does ons mean, and is it always used for we?

Yes, ons means we in this sentence.

Afrikaans uses ons as the normal subject form for we:

Ons lees = We read
Ons gaan = We go

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the verb for we, they, I, etc. very much, so ons is often easy to use.

Why is the verb lees and not something like lezen or reads?

Lees is the Afrikaans verb meaning to read or read.

A useful thing about Afrikaans is that verbs are usually much simpler than in English or Dutch. In the present tense, the verb usually stays the same no matter who the subject is:

Ek lees = I read
Jy lees = you read
Ons lees = we read
Hulle lees = they read

So there is no extra -s like English he reads.

Does lees here mean read or are reading?

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It can mean either, depending on context.

Ons lees oor die koninkryk can mean:

We read about the kingdom
We are reading about the kingdom

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either the simple present or the present continuous. If the speaker wants to make the ongoing action extra clear, Afrikaans can use other ways to express that, but the plain present tense is very common.

What does oor mean in this sentence?

Oor means about here.

So:

lees oor = read about

Examples:

Ek lees oor geskiedenis. = I read about history.
Sy praat oor die boek. = She talks about the book.

Be careful: oor can also mean over in other contexts. Its meaning depends on the sentence.

Why is die used here? Does it mean the?

Yes, die means the.

In Afrikaans, die is the definite article for singular and plural nouns:

die boek = the book
die boeke = the books
die koninkryk = the kingdom

This is simpler than English in some ways, because you do not have to learn different forms like the for one thing and another form for plurals. It is just die.

What does koninkryk mean, and how is it built?

Koninkryk means kingdom.

It is related to:

koning = king
ryk = realm, empire, kingdom-related idea

So koninkryk is literally a word built around the idea of a king’s realm.

This kind of word-building is common in Afrikaans and can help you guess meanings.

Is the word order in Ons lees oor die koninkryk normal Afrikaans word order?

Yes. This is the normal word order for a simple main clause:

Subject + verb + rest

Ons = subject
lees = verb
oor die koninkryk = prepositional phrase

So:

Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

This is very similar to English:

We read about the kingdom.

Why doesn’t the sentence use van for about?

Because with the verb lees, Afrikaans normally uses oor to mean about.

So you say:

lees oor iets = read about something

Van can sometimes relate to of, from, or in some contexts about, but with lees, oor is the natural choice.

For example:

’n boek oor diere = a book about animals

How do you pronounce koninkryk?

A rough English-friendly guide is:

KOY-nun-krake or KOH-nun-krake, depending on accent

A few helpful points:

koning sounds roughly like KO-nung
kryk has the y sound Afrikaans often writes, somewhat like the vowel in Dutch-like words, not exactly an English sound
The g in Afrikaans is usually a harsher throat sound than English g

You do not need perfect pronunciation at first; the important thing is to recognize the word and say it consistently.

Could I leave out die and say Ons lees oor koninkryk?

Usually no, not if you mean the kingdom.

If you want to say the kingdom, you need:

die koninkryk

Without die, it would sound incomplete or unnatural in this sentence unless the structure were changed for a different meaning.

So:

Ons lees oor die koninkryk. = We read about the kingdom.

Is there anything in this sentence that changes for plural or gender?

No gender changes are needed here, and Afrikaans is much simpler than many European languages in this area.

Important points:

Nouns do not usually have grammatical gender the way they do in languages like German.
die stays die.
The verb lees stays lees.

That means the sentence is grammatically straightforward:

Ons lees oor die koninkryk.

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