Die aspek is belangrik.

to be

Breakdown of Die aspek is belangrik.

• belangrik: important
• die aspek: aspect

Questions & Answers about Die aspek is belangrik.

What does die mean here?

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, so here it means the.

Unlike English, Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns: die aspek = the aspect
• plural nouns: die aspekte = the aspects

So die does not change the way the does in some other languages.

Is die pronounced like the English word die?

No. In Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced roughly like dee.

So:

• die → sounds like dee
• not like English die /daɪ/

This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers.

Why is is the same as in English?

Afrikaans and English are both Germanic languages, so some words look familiar. In this sentence, is means is, just as in English.

Example:

• Die aspek is belangrik. = The aspect is important.

So this part is straightforward: is is the present tense of to be.