Ons vergewe die fout.

we

Breakdown of Ons vergewe die fout.

• die fout: the mistake
• vergewe: to forgive

Questions & Answers about Ons vergewe die fout.

Why is ons used here, and does it always mean we?

Yes. In this sentence, ons is the subject pronoun and means we.

A useful thing to know is that ons can also mean us in other contexts, because Afrikaans often uses the same form for subject and object pronouns. For example:

• Ons vergewe die fout. = We forgive the mistake.
• Hulle sien ons. = They see us.

So here, its job in the sentence tells you it means we.

Why is the verb vergewe not changed for ons?

Because Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way English verbs sometimes do.

In English, you compare:

• I forgive
• he forgives

In Afrikaans, the verb normally stays the same:

• Ek vergewe
• jy vergewe
• hy vergewe
• ons vergewe

So vergewe is the normal present-tense form with ons.

Is vergewe the infinitive, the present tense, or both?