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Questions & Answers about Ons bespreek die tema.
Why is ons used here, and does it always mean we?
Yes, ons is the Afrikaans subject pronoun for we.
- Ons bespreek die tema. = We discuss the theme/topic.
A useful extra point is that Afrikaans also uses ons for us in many contexts, where English changes form:
- Ons sien die onderwyser. = We see the teacher.
- Die onderwyser sien ons. = The teacher sees us.
So unlike English, Afrikaans often uses the same form for both we and us.
Why is the verb bespreek not changed to match ons?
Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.
In English, we say:
- I discuss
- you discuss
- we discuss
- he discusses
In Afrikaans, the verb normally stays the same:
- Ek bespreek = I discuss
- Jy bespreek = you discuss
- Ons bespreek = we discuss
- Hy bespreek = he discusses
What kind of verb is bespreek?