Sy begin 'n besigheid.

she

Breakdown of Sy begin 'n besigheid.

• 'n: a
• begin: to start
• die besigheid: business; enterprise

Questions & Answers about Sy begin 'n besigheid.

Does Sy mean she here, and can it ever mean something else?

Yes, here Sy means she.

Afrikaans sy can also mean his in other contexts, but not in this sentence. The structure tells you what it is:

• Sy begin 'n besigheid. = She starts a business.
• sy besigheid = his business

So when sy/Sy is followed by a verb like begin, it is functioning as the subject pronoun she.

Why is it begin and not something like begins?

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form according to the subject.

So you get:

• Ek begin = I begin
• Jy begin = you begin
• Sy begin = she begins
• Ons begin = we begin

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not add an -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

Is begin present tense here, and can the same form also mean to begin?