Die kunstenaar verander die styl.

The artist changes the style.

Breakdown of Die kunstenaar verander die styl.

• verander: to change
• die kunstenaar: artist
• die styl: style

Questions & Answers about Die kunstenaar verander die styl.

Why is die used twice?

Because die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the. In this sentence, both kunstenaar and styl are definite nouns, so each one gets die:

• die kunstenaar = the artist
• die styl = the style

Unlike English, Afrikaans uses the same article die for all genders, and it is also used for plural definite nouns.

Does Afrikaans have grammatical gender, like de, het, or der/die/das in some other languages?

No. Afrikaans does not have grammatical gender for nouns in the way many European languages do. You do not need to learn separate masculine, feminine, or neuter articles.

That is why both nouns here use the same article:

• die kunstenaar
• die styl

This makes Afrikaans simpler than Dutch or German in this respect.

Why is verander not changed for die kunstenaar? Shouldn’t the verb agree with the subject?

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form depending on the subject. So the same form is used with I, you, he, we, and so on.

For example:

• Ek verander = I change
• Jy verander = you change
• Die kunstenaar verander = the artist changes

This is one of the easiest parts of Afrikaans grammar for English speakers.