Ek draai die stuurstang vas.

I tighten the handlebar.

Breakdown of Ek draai die stuurstang vas.

• ek: I
• die stuurstang: handlebar
• vasdraai: to tighten

Questions & Answers about Ek draai die stuurstang vas.

Why is vas at the end of the sentence?

Because vasdraai is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

The full idea is vasdraai = to tighten / fasten by turning. In a main clause, the verb splits:

• Ek draai die stuurstang vas.

Here:

• draai goes into the normal verb position
• vas moves to the end

This is very common in Afrikaans with particle verbs.

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What does vas mean here?

Here vas means something like tight, firmly, or securely.

By itself, vas often means:

• firm
• tight
• stuck
• fastened

So draai ... vas literally gives the idea of turning something tight.

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Does draai by itself mean tighten?

Not usually. Draai by itself mainly means turn, rotate, or twist.

Examples:

• Ek draai die sleutel. = I turn the key.
• Hy draai links. = He turns left.

When you add vas, it becomes vasdraai, which means tighten or screw tight.

So in this sentence, the meaning comes from the combination draai + vas, not from draai alone.

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