Hy mag nie vleis kook as hy nie 'n stoof het nie.

He may not cook meat if he does not have a stove.

Breakdown of Hy mag nie vleis kook as hy nie 'n stoof het nie.

• hy: he
• hê: to have
• 'n: a
• nie: not
• die vleis: the meat
• kook: to cook
• die stoof: the stove
• as: if
• mag: to be allowed

Questions & Answers about Hy mag nie vleis kook as hy nie 'n stoof het nie.

Why are there two instances of ‘nie’ in this sentence?

Afrikaans requires double negation whenever you form a negative statement. The first ‘nie’ usually comes right after the verb, and the second often goes at the end of the clause to complete the negation.

What is the function of ‘mag’? Does it mean “can” or “may”?

‘Mag’ is a modal verb that mainly indicates permission or being allowed to. It is closer to “may” in English. If you wanted to say “can” in the sense of ability, you would typically use ‘kan’ in Afrikaans.

Why is the article written as ‘n rather than ‘een’?

Afrikaans uses ‘n (without capitalizing) as the indefinite article, similar to “a” in English. Even though it visually resembles ‘een’, which means “one”, in everyday practice it’s just the written form of the indefinite article and is generally pronounced “ə” (a schwa sound).

What does ‘as’ denote in this sentence?

In this context, ‘as’ expresses a conditional or hypothetical situation (like “if” in English). It typically introduces the condition that must be true or false for something else to happen or not happen.