Ons modelleer die kleiplaat met die rolstok.

we

Breakdown of Ons modelleer die kleiplaat met die rolstok.

• met: with
• die rolstok: rolling pin
• die kleiplaat: clay slab

Questions & Answers about Ons modelleer die kleiplaat met die rolstok.

Why does ons use the same verb form as everyone else? Shouldn’t the verb change for we?

In Afrikaans, verbs do not change according to the subject the way they often do in English.

So:

• ek modelleer = I model
• jy modelleer = you model
• ons modelleer = we model
• hulle modelleer = they model

The verb stays the same. This is one of the simpler parts of Afrikaans grammar.

What tense is modelleer here? Does it mean model, am modelling, or do model?

In a sentence like this, the simple present form modelleer can often cover several English ideas, depending on context:

• we model
• we are modelling
• sometimes even we do model

Afrikaans usually relies on context rather than changing the verb form the way English does.

So Ons modelleer die kleiplaat met die rolstok can naturally mean We are shaping/modeling the clay slab with the rolling pin.

Why is die used twice?