Hy wil 'n stoof koop, maar hy moet eers geld spaar.

He wants to buy a stove, but he must first save money.

Breakdown of Hy wil 'n stoof koop, maar hy moet eers geld spaar.

• hy: he
• 'n: a
• moet: must
• koop: to buy
• wil: to want
• die stoof: the stove
• maar: but
• eers: first
• spaar: to save
• die geld: the money

Questions & Answers about Hy wil 'n stoof koop, maar hy moet eers geld spaar.

Why is the Afrikaans indefinite article written as ’n instead of something like een?

In Afrikaans, ’n is a contracted form of een (meaning one). It’s always written in lowercase with the apostrophe because it functions like the English indefinite article “a” or “an.” You’ll hear it pronounced very lightly, almost like uhn.

What does eers mean in this context?

Eers can mean first or before anything else. Here, it implies that he must first save money before buying the stove—so the saving has to happen initially, and only then can he purchase it.

What is the difference between wil in Afrikaans and “will” in English?

In this sentence, wil means wants to. It’s a direct translation of “want” (as in He wants to buy). Afrikaans also has sal, which corresponds more to the future tense “will” in English (as in He will buy).

How is maar used in Afrikaans?

Maar means but. It functions like the English conjunction “but” to contrast two parts of a sentence. Here, it contrasts the desire to buy a stove with the requirement to save money first.

What does spaar mean exactly?

Spaar means to save—particularly referring to saving money or other resources. In this sentence, it highlights the idea that he needs to accumulate enough funds before he can afford the stove.