Ons steun die aansoeker.

We support the applicant.

Breakdown of Ons steun die aansoeker.

• ons: we
• die aansoeker: applicant
• steun: to support

Questions & Answers about Ons steun die aansoeker.

What does ons mean here, and is it ever us instead of we?

Yes. Ons can mean both we and us in Afrikaans.

In Ons steun die aansoeker, ons is the subject, so it means we.

Examples:

• Ons kom môre. = We are coming tomorrow.
• Hulle help ons. = They help us.

Afrikaans does not change the form the way English does with we/us.

Why is it steun and not something like steuns or steun ons?

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form according to the subject in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek steun = I support
• Jy steun = you support
• Hy steun = he supports
• Ons steun = we support

Unlike English, there is no special -s form like he supports.

Also, the normal word order in a main clause is:

Subject + verb + object

So:

• Ons = subject
• steun = verb
• die aansoeker = object

What does die mean here?