Breakdown of Die identiteitsnommer is op die vingerafdrukvorm en paspoortafskrif.
wees
to be
en
and
op
on
die vingerafdrukvorm
fingerprint form
Questions & Answers about Die identiteitsnommer is op die vingerafdrukvorm en paspoortafskrif.
Why is die used here, and why is it the same for all the nouns?
In Afrikaans, die is the definite article. It usually corresponds to English the.
A very helpful thing for learners is that Afrikaans does not change the article for gender, as languages like German do. So:
- die identiteitsnommer = the identity number
- die vingerafdrukvorm = the fingerprint form
- die paspoortafskrif = the passport copy
The same word die is used regardless of whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, singular, or plural in many ordinary cases.
Why is identiteitsnommer written as one long word?
Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns by joining words together.
So:
- identiteit = identity
- nommer = number
- identiteitsnommer = identity number
Notice the -s- in the middle. That linking s is common in compounds and often just has to be learned as part of the word.
English usually writes this kind of expression as two words, but Afrikaans often writes it as one word.
Why are vingerafdrukvorm and paspoortafskrif also written as single words?