Noudat ons betaal het, kan ons die bouplan inhandig.

Now that we have paid, we can submit the building plan.

Breakdown of Noudat ons betaal het, kan ons die bouplan inhandig.

• ons: we
• hê: to have
• kan: can
• betaal: to pay

Questions & Answers about Noudat ons betaal het, kan ons die bouplan inhandig.

What does Noudat mean, and why is it written as one word?

Noudat is a conjunction meaning now that.

It is normally written as one word in standard Afrikaans when it introduces a clause:

• Noudat ons betaal het, ...

This is similar to how some English multi-word expressions become fixed connectors in another language. In Afrikaans, you should usually learn noudat as a single conjunction.

Why is it ons betaal het instead of ons het betaal?

Because Noudat introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses in Afrikaans usually send the finite verb to the end.

Compare:

• Main clause: Ons het betaal.
• Subordinate clause: noudat ons betaal het

So the same perfect construction is there, but the word order changes because of the conjunction.

A useful pattern to remember:

• Main clause: subject + finite verb + rest
• Subordinate clause: conjunction + subject + rest + finite verb

Why is there no ge- in betaal het? Why not gebetaal het?