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Questions & Answers about Die voorwaartse pas is maklik.
What does die mean here?
Die is the Afrikaans definite article, so here it means the.
A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender like Dutch or German, so die is used regardless of whether a noun would be masculine, feminine, or neuter in other languages.
It is also used for plural nouns, so context tells you whether it means the singular or the plural.
Why is it voorwaartse and not voorwaarts?
Because voorwaartse is the form used before a noun.
In this sentence, voorwaartse describes pas, so it is an attributive adjective:
- die voorwaartse pas = the forward pass
Afrikaans adjectives often take -e when they come before a noun.
Compare:
- 'n voorwaartse pas = a forward pass
- Die pas is voorwaarts would be a different structure and would sound unusual for this meaning.
So the -e ending is there because the adjective is directly modifying the noun.
What does pas mean in this sentence?