Die rotsklimmer bind met die klimtou in.

with

Breakdown of Die rotsklimmer bind met die klimtou in.

• die klimtou: climbing rope
• die rotsklimmer: rock climber
• inbind: to tie into a climbing rope

Questions & Answers about Die rotsklimmer bind met die klimtou in.

Why is bind separated from in in this sentence?

Because the full verb is inbind, which is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

In a normal main clause, the conjugated verb comes early in the sentence, and the separable part moves to the end:

• Die rotsklimmer bind met die klimtou in.

So:

• bind = the verb stem in the main verb position
• in = the separable particle placed at the end

You can compare it to similar patterns in Dutch and German, or loosely to English phrasal verbs like tie in.

If you wanted the infinitive, you would keep it together:

• om in te bind

And in some subordinate clauses, it also stays together:

• Ek sien dat die rotsklimmer met die klimtou inbind.

Is in here the preposition in, or is it part of the verb?

Here, in is part of the verb inbind, not a separate preposition.

That matters because it affects both:

• meaning
• word order

In this sentence, in belongs with bind as a verbal unit: inbind.

So the sentence is not really structured as:

• bind in the rope

It is structured more like:

• ties in / secures oneself with the rope

A good clue is that in has been pushed to the end of the clause, which is typical of separable verbs.

Why doesn’t bind change for die rotsklimmer the way English says binds?