Breakdown of Die president neem 'n besluit.
'n
a
neem
to take
die besluit
the decision
die president
president
Questions & Answers about Die president neem 'n besluit.
Why is it die president and not something like de president or het president?
In Afrikaans, die is the definite article for the.
A few useful points:
- die is used for all genders
- it is also used for both singular and plural
- Afrikaans does not have separate words like Dutch de/het
So:
- die president = the president
- die huise = the houses
That makes articles much simpler than in some other Germanic languages.
What does 'n mean, and why is it written with an apostrophe?
'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, meaning a or an.
So:
- 'n besluit = a decision
It is always written with a lowercase n and an apostrophe in front: 'n
Even at the beginning of a sentence, it usually stays lowercase:
- 'n Man loop daar. = A man walks there.
If the whole sentence is written in capitals, then it becomes:
- 'N MAN LOOP DAAR.
Why is the verb neem and not something different for ?