Duisend mense wag.

to wait

Breakdown of Duisend mense wag.

• mense: people
• duisend: thousand

Questions & Answers about Duisend mense wag.

Why is there no word for a in Duisend mense?

In Afrikaans, a number can directly come before a noun without 'n. So duisend mense is the normal way to say a thousand people or one thousand people.

• duisend mense = a thousand people
• die duisend mense = the thousand people (a specific group)

So the sentence sounds natural exactly as it is.

Why is it mense and not something based on mens?

Mense is the irregular plural of mens.

• mens = person / human
• mense = people

This is similar to English person → people, where the plural is also irregular.

Why is the verb just wag? Shouldn’t it change for thousand people?

No. Afrikaans verbs do not usually change form for person or number in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek wag = I wait / I am waiting
• Jy wag = you wait / you are waiting
• Hy wag = he waits / he is waiting
• Duisend mense wag = a thousand people wait / are waiting

This is much simpler than English, where he waits but they wait.

Does wag mean wait or are waiting here?