Breakdown of Die kleirol lê op die werksoppervlak.
op
on
lê
to lie
die werksoppervlak
work surface
die kleirol
clay coil
Questions & Answers about Die kleirol lê op die werksoppervlak.
Why is die used twice in Die kleirol lê op die werksoppervlak?
Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.
It appears twice because there are two definite nouns in the sentence:
- die kleirol = the clay roll / roller
- die werksoppervlak = the work surface
Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the definite article for gender. It is simply die for singular and also for plural in most cases.
Why does the sentence use lê instead of is?
Afrikaans often prefers a position verb where English might just use is.
Here, lê means to lie or to be lying, and it is used for something that is in a horizontal position or resting flat. So the sentence is more literally:
The clay roll is lying on the work surface.
This is very natural in Afrikaans. Similar position verbs are:
- lê = lie
- sit = sit / be situated
- staan = stand
- hang = hang
So lê gives a more precise sense of physical position than is would.
What kind of word is kleirol?