Ons wend die glip met die modelleergereedskap aan.

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Breakdown of Ons wend die glip met die modelleergereedskap aan.

• met: with
• aanwend: to apply a coating
• die modelleergereedskap: modelling tool

Questions & Answers about Ons wend die glip met die modelleergereedskap aan.

Why is aan separated from wend in this sentence?

Because aanwend is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

• The full dictionary form is aanwend.
• In a normal main clause, it splits into:
  • wend = the conjugated part
  • aan = the particle that moves to the end

So:

• Ons wend die glip met die modelleergereedskap aan.

This is very similar to separable verbs in Dutch and somewhat like phrasal verbs in English.

A useful comparison:

• infinitive: aanwend
• main clause: wend ... aan

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Why does aan come at the very end of the sentence?

That happens because of how separable verbs work in a main clause.

Afrikaans usually puts the finite verb in the second position, and if that verb is separable, the prefix/particle goes to the end.

So the structure here is roughly:

• Ons = subject
• wend = finite verb in second position
• die glip = object
• met die modelleergereedskap = prepositional phrase
• aan = separated particle

So the final aan is not random; it belongs with wend.

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