Hy drink ook water.

to drink

Breakdown of Hy drink ook water.

• die water: the water
• ook: also
• hy: he

Questions & Answers about Hy drink ook water.

Why is the word order Hy drink ook water (literally “He drinks also water”) instead of putting ook (also) at the end of the sentence?

Afrikaans typically places ook after the verb and before the object. In this case, “Hy drink ook water” maintains the standard Subject-Verb-Modifier-Object structure. Placing ook later, as in “Hy drink water ook,” sounds less natural in Afrikaans.

Why does the verb drink not change like English “drinks” when referring to “he”?

Afrikaans verbs do not conjugate differently for the third person singular (he/she/it). Whether it’s “ek drink,” “hy drink,” or “ons drink,” the verb form stays the same.

Is this sentence in the present tense, and how would I say it in the continuous tense?

Yes, this sentence is in the simple present tense. Afrikaans does not have a separate continuous tense form like English; it often uses is… besig om te + verb to convey an ongoing action if necessary. So, “Hy drink ook water” (present tense) could be rendered as “Hy is besig om ook water te drink” if you really need to emphasize the ongoing action.

Can I place ook right after the subject, for example: Hy ook drink water?

No. The correct position for ook is after the verb, or sometimes between the auxiliary and main verb in other tenses. If you say “Hy ook drink water,” it will sound ungrammatical to native speakers. Stick with “Hy drink ook water.”

What if I just want to say He also drinks without mentioning water?

A common way to say this is Hy drink ook, implying that he drinks as well (whatever the context is). Alternatively, you can specify the beverage and say “Hy drink ook something else,” or keep it short with just “Hy drink ook.”