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Die president is hier.

Die president is hier.
The president is here.
From Lesson 69:Applying for approval to run a food stall·Hardcore Afrikaans

Breakdown of Die president is hier.

hier
here
wees
to be
die president
president

Questions & Answers about Die president is hier.

Why is die used here? Doesn’t die mean the English verb to die?
In this sentence, die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the. It is pronounced dee, not like the English verb die. So Die president means the president.
Does die change for masculine, feminine, or plural nouns?

No. Afrikaans articles are much simpler than in languages like German or Dutch. Die is used as the for all definite nouns, regardless of gender, and also for plurals.

Examples:

  • die man = the man
  • die vrou = the woman
  • die kinders = the children
Is president really the Afrikaans word too?
Yes. President is a normal Afrikaans word. It is spelled the same as in English, although the pronunciation is Afrikaans. English speakers will recognize many Afrikaans words like this.
Why is the word order Die president is hier?

This is the normal word order for a simple statement:

subject + verb + place

So:

  • Die president = subject
  • is = verb
  • hier = place word (here)

In this kind of sentence, Afrikaans looks very similar to English.

Is is used the same way as English is?

Very similarly. It is the present-tense form of wees, which means to be. One helpful thing for learners is that Afrikaans uses is with all persons in the present:

  • ek is = I am
  • jy is = you are
  • hy/sy is = he/she is
  • ons is = we are
  • hulle is = they are

So Afrikaans is simpler here than English.

Can I also say Hier is die president?

Yes. That is correct Afrikaans too. When hier comes first, the verb still stays in the second position:

Hier is die president.

That version gives more focus to here, and can feel a bit like Here is the president.

How do you pronounce hier?
It is pronounced roughly like English here. A good learner approximation is heer or hee-uh, depending on accent. It is not pronounced like English higher.
Why isn’t president capitalized?
Because it is a common noun here, not a proper name. Afrikaans does not capitalize ordinary nouns the way German does. So president stays lowercase unless it begins a sentence or is part of a special title format.
How would I make this sentence negative?

You would say:

Die president is nie hier nie.

Afrikaans usually uses a double nie for negation:

  • the first nie comes after the verb
  • the second nie comes near the end of the clause

This is one of the most important patterns in Afrikaans grammar.

How would I say A president is here instead?

You would use the indefinite article 'n:

'n president is hier.

That means a president is here. The 'n is pronounced like a very weak uh sound.

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