Sy werk is sy roeping.

to be

Breakdown of Sy werk is sy roeping.

• die werk: the work
• sy: his
• die roeping: calling; vocation

Questions & Answers about Sy werk is sy roeping.

What does sy mean here?

In this sentence, sy means his.

So Sy werk is sy roeping means His work is his calling.

A useful thing to know is that sy can be confusing for English speakers, because Afrikaans sy can also mean she in other contexts. Here, though, both instances are possessive: his.

• sy werk = his work
• sy roeping = his calling

The sentence structure makes that the natural reading here.

Why is sy used twice?

Because Afrikaans repeats the possessive just like English often does.

• Sy werk = his work
• is sy roeping = is his calling

So the sentence literally matches English quite closely:

• His work is his calling.

You do not leave out the second sy.

Why is there no word for the or a in this sentence?

Afrikaans often leaves out the article in general statements like this.

So instead of saying something like His work is a calling, Afrikaans naturally says:

• Sy werk is sy roeping.

This gives the sentence a broad, general meaning: his work is what he feels called to do.

If you added an article, the meaning could become more specific or less natural depending on context.