Breakdown of Ons moet water kry voordat ons groente kook.
die water
the water
ons
we
moet
must
kry
to get
kook
to cook
voordat
before
die groente
the vegetables
Questions & Answers about Ons moet water kry voordat ons groente kook.
Why does the sentence use voordat instead of voor?
In Afrikaans, voordat means before in a temporal sense—indicating one action (getting water) happens before another (cooking vegetables). Voor can also mean before, but it often refers to physical placement or position, or it can mean in front of, rather than a sequence of actions. So, voordat makes it clear that one event must happen in time before the other.
Why is there no article before water?
Afrikaans typically doesn’t use an indefinite article (like 'n) with uncountable nouns such as water, melk (milk), or suiker (sugar). These nouns are often treated as mass nouns, which don’t require an article.
What does moet mean, and where does it go in the sentence?
Moet means must or have to. As a modal verb, it usually appears second in a sentence (after the subject), with the main verb (kry) often coming directly after it. So you get the structure: Ons (subject) + moet (modal) + water kry (main verb phrase).
What is the difference between kry and neem?
Kry often means to obtain or to get, focusing on the result of acquiring something, whereas neem means to take, often highlighting the action of physically picking something up or removing it from somewhere. In this sentence, kry suggests that you are procuring or obtaining water, not just physically taking it from a specific place.
Is groente ever written in plural form?
The word groente is a collective noun in Afrikaans and generally stays the same whether referring to one type of vegetable or multiple vegetables. Some speakers may occasionally say groentes, but groente is widely accepted to refer to vegetables in general.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Afrikaans grammar?”
Afrikaans grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning AfrikaansMaster Afrikaans — from Ons moet water kry voordat ons groente kook to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions