Die kind lyk ongelukkig.

The child seems unhappy.

Breakdown of Die kind lyk ongelukkig.

• die kind: the child
• lyk: to seem
• ongelukkig: unhappy

Questions & Answers about Die kind lyk ongelukkig.

Why is it die kind and not ’n kind?

Die is the definite article, meaning the. So die kind means the child.

If you said ’n kind, that would mean a child or one child in a non-specific sense.

• die kind = the child
• ’n kind = a child

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a specific child, so die is used.

Does die always mean the in Afrikaans?

Usually, yes. In Afrikaans, die is the normal definite article for all nouns, whether singular or plural.

Examples:

• die kind = the child
• die kinders = the children
• die huis = the house

Unlike some other languages, Afrikaans does not change the form of the for gender or case. That makes it simpler than languages like German.

Is kind singular or plural here?