Die pottebakkersoond is groot.

The pottery kiln is large.

Breakdown of Die pottebakkersoond is groot.

• wees: to be
• groot: large
• die pottebakkersoond: pottery kiln

Questions & Answers about Die pottebakkersoond is groot.

Why is pottebakkersoond written as one long word?

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns by joining words together into a single word.

So pottebakkersoond can be broken down as:

• pottebakker = potter
• oond = oven / kiln

Together, pottebakkersoond means something like potter’s kiln or pottery kiln.

English often writes these ideas as separate words, but Afrikaans usually prefers one compound word.

How do I break down pottebakkersoond exactly?

A useful breakdown is:

• potte = pots
• bakker = baker / maker
• pottebakker = potter
• pottebakkers- = potter’s / relating to a potter
• oond = oven / kiln

So the full compound literally looks like potter-oven, but in natural English it would be potter’s kiln or pottery kiln.

The -s- in the middle is a common linking element in compounds. You do not always translate it directly.

Why is the sentence using die?