Die tandbederf veroorsaak 'n probleem.

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Breakdown of Die tandbederf veroorsaak 'n probleem.

• die probleem: the problem
• veroorsaak: to cause
• die tandbederf: tooth decay

Questions & Answers about Die tandbederf veroorsaak 'n probleem.

Why does the sentence start with die? Does Afrikaans have gendered articles like de and het in Dutch?

No. Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for all nouns in the singular and plural.

So:

• die tandbederf = the tooth decay
• die probleem = the problem
• die probleme = the problems

Unlike Dutch or German, Afrikaans does not mark grammatical gender with different articles. That makes article use much simpler.

What does 'n mean, and why is it written with an apostrophe?

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, meaning a or an.

So:

• 'n probleem = a problem

It is always written with a lowercase n and an apostrophe: 'n.

A few useful points:

• At the start of a sentence, it still stays 'n, not 'N.
• The next word is capitalized instead if needed.
  Example: 'n Probleem het ontstaan.

In pronunciation, 'n is usually very weak, like the a in about.

Why is tandbederf one word?