Breakdown of Wat die lekkasie betref, diagnoseer die tegnikus die probleem.
die probleem
the problem
die tegnikus
the technician
wat ... betref
as for; regarding
die lekkasie
leakage
Questions & Answers about Wat die lekkasie betref, diagnoseer die tegnikus die probleem.
What does Wat die lekkasie betref mean?
It means as for the leak, regarding the leak, or when it comes to the leak.
Literally, betref means concerns or pertains to, so the whole phrase is an idiomatic way of introducing a topic.
So:
- Wat die lekkasie betref = as far as the leak is concerned
- die lekkasie = the leak
- betref = concerns / pertains to
This kind of opening is quite common in more formal or neutral Afrikaans.
Does wat here mean what?
Not really, at least not in the normal English sense of what?
In this expression, wat ... betref works together as a fixed pattern meaning as for ..., regarding ..., or when it comes to ....
So in this sentence, it is better to learn wat ... betref as one unit, rather than trying to translate wat by itself as what.
Why is the word order diagnoseer die tegnikus instead of die tegnikus diagnoseer?