Ek sien dat jy besig is, want jy het baie werk.

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Breakdown of Ek sien dat jy besig is, want jy het baie werk.

• jy: you
• sien: to see
• hê: to have
• wees: to be
• die werk: the work
• want: because
• dat: that
• besig: busy
• baie: a lot of

Questions & Answers about Ek sien dat jy besig is, want jy het baie werk.

What does besig mean in this sentence?

Besig generally means busy. In this context, it indicates that the person is occupied or engaged with work or activities.

Why do we use dat here?

Dat is a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause in Afrikaans, similar to "that" in English. It helps to connect the main clause (Ek sien) with the subordinate clause (jy besig is).

Why does the verb is appear at the end of the subordinate clause (dat jy besig is)?

In Afrikaans subordinate clauses, the finite verb often moves to the end of the clause. This is a standard word-order rule: subject and complements appear first, and the conjugated verb typically comes last.

What is the role of want in this sentence?

Want means because here. It serves as a coordinating conjunction that introduces the reason why the person is busy (since they have a lot of work).

Is jy het baie werk always the best way to say "you have a lot of work" in Afrikaans?

Yes, it's the standard way to express that someone possesses a large amount of work. You might sometimes hear variations like jy het baie om te doen, which literally means "you have a lot to do," but jy het baie werk is perfectly natural.