Die oorpak beskerm die vrywilliger.

The protective coverall protects the volunteer.

Breakdown of Die oorpak beskerm die vrywilliger.

• beskerm: to protect
• die vrywilliger: volunteer
• die oorpak: protective coverall

Questions & Answers about Die oorpak beskerm die vrywilliger.

Why is die used twice in this sentence?

Because die is the definite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to English the.

So in Die oorpak beskerm die vrywilliger:

• die oorpak = the coverall / the overall
• die vrywilliger = the volunteer

Afrikaans uses the same article die for both nouns.

Does die change for gender, like de/het in Dutch or der/die/das in German?

No. That is one of the nice simplifications in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans nouns do not have grammatical gender in the way German does, and the definite article stays die regardless of:

• masculine/feminine/neuter
• subject/object
• singular/plural

So you do not have to memorize different article forms for different noun classes.

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

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form for person or number in the present tense.

Compare English:

• I protect
• he protects

In Afrikaans, you normally just use the same form:

• ek beskerm
• hy beskerm
• die oorpak beskerm

So beskerm stays the same.

Is the word order here the same as in English?