Hy het die werk klaar.

He has finished the work.

Breakdown of Hy het die werk klaar.

• hy: he
• die: the
• die werk: the work

Questions & Answers about Hy het die werk klaar.

Why does Afrikaans use het in this sentence rather than something like is?

In Afrikaans, het is used with a past participle to indicate a completed action or a present perfect idea. Even though there’s no “-ge” particle before klaar, the structure “het + [complement] + klaar” is common and conveys that something is finished or completed.

What exactly does klaar mean here?

klaar translates to “finished” or “done.” It indicates that the work is completed. So “Hy het die werk klaar” carries the sense that he has completed the task at hand.

Can this sentence also be expressed as Hy is klaar met die werk and what would be the difference?

Yes, you can say Hy is klaar met die werk, which also means “He is done with the work.” However, Hy het die werk klaar places more emphasis on the completion of the task itself (a completed action), whereas Hy is klaar met die werk emphasizes the state of being finished. They’re both correct, but there’s a slight nuance in focus.

Why do we use die werk instead of sy werk or some other phrase here?

Using die werk refers to “the work” in a general sense, possibly something assigned or known in context. If you said sy werk, it would personalize it to “his work,” possibly implying it’s specifically his own project or job. The choice depends on context and what you want to emphasize.