Die mondhigiëne is belangrik.

Oral hygiene is important.

Breakdown of Die mondhigiëne is belangrik.

• wees: to be
• belangrik: important
• die mondhigiëne: oral hygiene

Questions & Answers about Die mondhigiëne is belangrik.

Why does die mean the here?

In Afrikaans, die is the normal definite article, so it often translates as the in English.

• die mondhigiëne = the oral hygiene / the mouth hygiene
• Afrikaans does not change the article for gender the way some languages do.
• The same die is used with many singular and plural nouns.

So in this sentence, Die mondhigiëne simply means The oral hygiene or more naturally Oral hygiene.

Is die ever pronounced like the English word die?

No. In Afrikaans, die is usually pronounced roughly like dee.

So:

• die ≈ dee

That is one of the first pronunciation differences English speakers notice.

Why is mondhigiëne written as one word?

Afrikaans often writes compound nouns as a single word, much like Dutch and German.

Here:

• mond = mouth
• higiëne = hygiene

So:

• mondhigiëne = mouth hygiene / oral hygiene

English often uses two words where Afrikaans prefers one compound word.