Hy praat oor die sonde.

he

Breakdown of Hy praat oor die sonde.

• praat: to speak
• oor: about
• die sonde: sin

Questions & Answers about Hy praat oor die sonde.

Why is it Hy praat and not something like Hy praats or Hy prate?

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change for the subject in the present tense.

So:

• Ek praat = I speak / am speaking
• Jy praat = you speak / are speaking
• Hy praat = he speaks / is speaking
• Ons praat = we speak / are speaking

This is much simpler than English, where the verb changes in he speaks.

What does hy mean, and is it always used for he?

Hy is the subject pronoun meaning he.

It is used for a male person, just like English he.
Afrikaans subject pronouns include:

• ek = I
• jy = you
• hy = he
• sy = she
• ons = we
• julle = you plural
• hulle = they

So in this sentence, hy is simply the person doing the talking.

Why is praat used here? Does it mean talk, speak, or both?