Die leerlingbestuurder is rustig.

The learner driver is calm.

Breakdown of Die leerlingbestuurder is rustig.

• wees: to be
• rustig: calm
• die leerlingbestuurder: learner driver

Questions & Answers about Die leerlingbestuurder is rustig.

What does die mean here, and how is it pronounced?

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

A few useful points:

• It is used for singular and plural nouns.
• It does not change for gender, because Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender like some other European languages.
• It is pronounced roughly like dee, not like the English verb die.

So in Die leerlingbestuurder, die simply means the.

Why is leerlingbestuurder written as one long word?

Afrikaans often forms compound nouns by writing the parts together as a single word.

Here:

• leerling = learner / pupil
• bestuurder = driver

Together, leerlingbestuurder means learner driver.

This is very common in Afrikaans and also in Dutch and German. English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans usually prefers one compound word.

Can I say leerling bestuurder as two words instead?

Normally, no. In standard Afrikaans, this should be written as one compound noun: leerlingbestuurder.

If you split it into two words, it usually looks unnatural or incorrect in normal writing.

So the standard form is:

• die leerlingbestuurder

not

• die leerling bestuurder