Die hoogtevrees verminder die greepkrag.

Fear of heights reduces grip strength.

Breakdown of Die hoogtevrees verminder die greepkrag.

• verminder: to reduce; decrease
• die hoogtevrees: fear of heights
• die greepkrag: grip strength

Questions & Answers about Die hoogtevrees verminder die greepkrag.

Why is die used twice in this sentence?

In Afrikaans, die is the definite article, meaning the. It is used for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all grammatical genders

So both die hoogtevrees and die greepkrag use the same article. Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, Afrikaans does not change the definite article based on gender or case.

What does hoogtevrees look like grammatically? Is it one word or two?

It is one word, and that is very normal in Afrikaans. Hoogtevrees is a compound noun:

• hoogte = height
• vrees = fear

Together, hoogtevrees means fear of heights or acrophobia.

Afrikaans often forms compounds by joining words together into a single noun.

What about greepkrag? Is that also a compound?

Yes. Greepkrag is also a compound noun:

• greep = grip
• krag = strength / force / power

So greepkrag literally means grip strength. Writing it as one word is standard Afrikaans spelling.

Why is the verb verminder not changed to match the subject?