Hulle is hier.

they

Breakdown of Hulle is hier.

• hier: here

Questions & Answers about Hulle is hier.

Why is the pronoun hulle used here instead of something else?

Hulle is the Afrikaans pronoun for they. It refers to a group of people (or sometimes things) that are being talked about. Since we want to say they are here, we use hulle.

Is there any difference between is in Afrikaans and "is" in English?

Yes and no. In this simple sentence, is works similarly to the English verb to be. However, in Afrikaans, is does not change its form based on the subject (I am, they are) the way English does. It’s simply is for all subjects.

How do I pronounce hier correctly?

Hier is pronounced like "hear" in English. Essentially, the h sound is soft and the ie is a long ee vowel sound.

Can hulle is hier be abbreviated or shortened in speech?

Yes, in casual Afrikaans speech, people might blend words or talk faster, but written formal Afrikaans generally keeps it as hulle is hier. You might occasionally hear hulle’s hier, but it’s more colloquial and less common in writing.