Questions & Answers about Die koning maak 'n goeie indruk.
Why does the sentence start with Die? Does it just mean the?
Yes. Die is the Afrikaans definite article, and here it means the.
So:
- die koning = the king
A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die for singular and plural nouns, and it does not change for gender. So unlike languages such as German or French, you do not need different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.
Examples:
- die man = the man
- die vrou = the woman
- die kinders = the children
Why is maak in the middle of the sentence?
Because Afrikaans usually follows the verb-second pattern in main clauses. That means the finite verb normally comes in the second main slot of the sentence.
In this sentence:
So the order is very natural:
- Die koning maak 'n goeie indruk.
This is similar to normal English word order here, but the verb-second rule becomes especially noticeable when something other than the subject comes first.
For example:
- Vandag maak die koning 'n goeie indruk. = Today the king makes a good impression.
Notice that maak still stays in second position.
What is 'n, and how do you pronounce it?