Die voëlgesang is mooi.

The birdsong is beautiful.

Breakdown of Die voëlgesang is mooi.

• wees: to be
• mooi: beautiful
• die voëlgesang: birdsong

Questions & Answers about Die voëlgesang is mooi.

What does die mean here?

In this sentence, die means the.

Afrikaans uses die as the definite article for:

• singular nouns: die voël = the bird
• plural nouns: die voëls = the birds

So unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the word for the depending on number.

Why is voëlgesang written as one word?

Afrikaans often forms compound nouns by joining words together, much like German and sometimes Dutch.

Here:

• voël = bird
• gesang = song or singing

So voëlgesang literally means birdsong.

English can also do this with words like birdsong, sunlight, or rainwater, so this may feel familiar.

What do the dots in voël mean?

The dots in voël are a diaeresis. They show that the vowels are pronounced separately rather than blended into a single sound.

So voël is not read like one smooth vowel group. The spelling helps show that the word has separate vowel sounds.

For a learner, the main thing to remember is:

• the dots are important
• they help guide pronunciation
• they are part of the correct spelling

How do you pronounce voëlgesang?