Ons waardeer die voorreg.

we

Breakdown of Ons waardeer die voorreg.

• waardeer: to appreciate
• die voorreg: privilege

Questions & Answers about Ons waardeer die voorreg.

What does ons mean here, and is it always we?

In this sentence, ons means we.

Afrikaans uses ons for we/us, depending on the role in the sentence. In Ons waardeer die voorreg, it is the subject, so it means we.

Examples:

• Ons kom môre. = We are coming tomorrow.
• Hy sien ons. = He sees us.

So unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the form to we/us.

Why is waardeer used here, and what does it literally mean?

Waardeer is the verb meaning to appreciate or to value.

So Ons waardeer die voorreg literally means:

• We appreciate the privilege or
• We value the privilege

It is a very useful verb in polite or formal Afrikaans.

Related idea:

• waarde = value
• waardeer = appreciate / value

Why doesn't the verb change for ons? Shouldn't it be something like waardeers?

No. In Afrikaans, verbs do not usually change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So you get:

• Ek waardeer = I appreciate
• Jy waardeer = you appreciate
• Ons waardeer = we appreciate
• Hulle waardeer = they appreciate

This is much simpler than English or many other languages. The basic verb form usually stays the same.