Die remkussing is oud.

The brake pad is old.

Breakdown of Die remkussing is oud.

• wees: to be
• oud: old
• die remkussing: brake pad

Questions & Answers about Die remkussing is oud.

What does die mean here?

Die means the. In Afrikaans, die is the normal definite article for nouns, and it does not change for gender. Afrikaans does not have the kind of masculine/feminine/neuter article system that some other European languages do.

Is die pronounced like the English word die?

No. In this sentence, die is usually pronounced roughly like dee, not like the English word die.

Why is remkussing written as one word?

Afrikaans usually writes compound nouns as a single word.
So:

• rem = brake
• kussing = cushion/pad

Together, remkussing is one compound noun meaning brake pad.

What is is here?

Is is the present-tense form of the verb wees meaning to be. It works like English is/am/are, but Afrikaans is simpler because the form is 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

Why is it here and not ?