Ek sien 'n klein huis, maar die kamers is groot.

I see a small house, but the rooms are big.

Breakdown of Ek sien 'n klein huis, maar die kamers is groot.

• ek: I
• sien: to see
• groot: big
• die: the
• 'n: a
• klein: small
• wees: to be
• die huis: the house
• die kamer: the room
• maar: but

Questions & Answers about Ek sien 'n klein huis, maar die kamers is groot.

Why does Afrikaans use an apostrophe in 'n for the indefinite article?

In Afrikaans, 'n is the shortened form of een (the word for one). The apostrophe replaces missing letters from the full word een, and 'n serves as the indefinite article (similar to "a" in English).

Why do we say klein and not "kleine" before huis when we use 'n?

In Afrikaans, many adjectives drop the -e ending when they follow 'n (the indefinite article), especially if they’re short or already end in certain sounds. Since klein is a short adjective following 'n, it remains klein rather than "kleine."

What is the function of maar in this sentence?

maar is a coordinating conjunction in Afrikaans, meaning "but." It connects two parts of the sentence—here, it links the idea of seeing 'n klein huis with the contrasting fact that die kamers is groot.

Why does Afrikaans use is even though the subject (die kamers) is plural?

Afrikaans does not change the form of the verb is based on number or person. Unlike English, where we switch from "is" to "are," Afrikaans simply uses is for both singular and plural subjects.

Why is die used for both singular and plural (e.g., "die kamer" and "die kamers")?

In Afrikaans, die is the definite article and stays the same whether the noun is singular or plural. It does not change form as English articles sometimes do ("the room" / "the rooms").