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Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Die handposisie is belangrik. - The hand position is important.

Hardcore Afrikaans
/Taking a beginner salsa class
/Die handposisie is belangrik.

Die handposisie is belangrik.

Word

Die handposisie is belangrik.

Meaning

The hand position is important.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Afrikaans

Lesson

Taking a beginner salsa class

Breakdown of Die handposisie is belangrik.

die handposisie

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Questions & Answers about Die handposisie is belangrik.

Why is it die and not 'n?

die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

So die handposisie means the hand position.

If you wanted to say a hand position, you would use 'n:

'n handposisie = a hand position

Unlike English, Afrikaans uses die for all nouns, regardless of gender.

Is handposisie really one word?

Yes. Afrikaans very often forms compound nouns by writing them as one word.

So:

hand = hand
posisie = position
handposisie = hand position

This is very normal in Afrikaans and in Dutch/Germanic-style word building. English often writes these as two words, but Afrikaans commonly joins them.

Why does is look exactly like English is?

Because it is a related word. Afrikaans and English are both Germanic languages, so some very common words look similar.

In Afrikaans:

is = is

It works for all persons much more simply than English:

Ek is = I am
Jy is = you are
Hy/Sy is = he/she is
Ons is = we are
Hulle is = they are

So Afrikaans does not change this verb the way English does with am / is / are.

Why doesn’t belangrik change form?

In this sentence, belangrik comes after the verb is, so it is being used predicatively:

Die handposisie is belangrik.
The hand position is important.

In that position, Afrikaans adjectives usually stay in their basic form.

Compare:

Die handposisie is belangrik. = The hand position is important.
'n belangrike handposisie = an important hand position

Before a noun, the adjective often takes -e: belangrike.
After is, it usually stays belangrik.

Is the word order the same as in English here?

Yes, in this simple statement the word order is very similar to English:

Die handposisie = subject
is = verb
belangrik = adjective/complement

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + adjective

That makes this sentence very straightforward for English speakers.

Does die change for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns?

No. Afrikaans does not use different definite articles for grammatical gender the way some other European languages do.

So whether the noun would be masculine, feminine, or neuter in another language, Afrikaans still just uses:

die

This is one reason Afrikaans grammar is often simpler for learners.

How would I make this sentence plural?

You would make the noun plural, but is stays the same:

Die handposisies is belangrik. = The hand positions are important.

Notice two useful things:

handposisie becomes handposisies
The verb still stays is

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change for number the way English verbs do.

How is belangrik pronounced?

A rough guide is:

be-LANG-rək or be-LAHNG-rik, depending on accent and how detailed you want to be

A few helpful notes:

The stress is usually on -lang-
The g in Afrikaans is not usually like the English g in go
It is often a throat/fricative sound, similar to the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach

So an English speaker may need a little practice with that sound.

Why is handposisie not capitalized?

In Afrikaans, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin the sentence.

So:

Die handposisie is belangrik.

Here Die is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence, not because it is a noun.

This is different from German, where all nouns are capitalized.

Could I also say Handposisie is belangrik without die?

Sometimes Afrikaans can omit the article in more general statements, but the meaning changes slightly.

Die handposisie is belangrik. = The hand position is important.
This sounds like a specific hand position.
Handposisie is belangrik. = Hand position is important.
This sounds more general, like a broad statement.

So die helps make it more definite and specific.

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