Die aktiwiteit begin vandag.

The activity starts today.

Breakdown of Die aktiwiteit begin vandag.

• vandag: today
• begin: to start
• die aktiwiteit: activity

Questions & Answers about Die aktiwiteit begin vandag.

What does die mean here, and is it like the in English?

Yes. In this sentence, die means the.

A very useful thing for English speakers is that Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all genders

So unlike languages such as German or Dutch, you do not have to learn different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns in ordinary usage.

Examples:

• die aktiwiteit = the activity
• die aktiwiteite = the activities

How is die pronounced? Is it like the English verb die?

No. Afrikaans die is not pronounced like the English word die.

It is usually pronounced roughly like dee in English.

So:

• Afrikaans die ≈ dee
• English die = completely different sound

This is one of the first pronunciation traps English speakers notice.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?