Ek wou daardie kos proe, maar ek was te haastig.

I wanted to taste that food, but I was too much in a hurry.

Breakdown of Ek wou daardie kos proe, maar ek was te haastig.

• ek: I
• wees: to be
• daardie: that
• die kos: the food
• maar: but
• te: too
• proe: to taste

Questions & Answers about Ek wou daardie kos proe, maar ek was te haastig.

Why do we use wou instead of wil?

In Afrikaans, wou is the past tense form of wil. So if you want to say "I wanted" rather than "I want," you use wou.

Why do we say daardie instead of die?

Daardie emphasizes that something is specific or somewhat distant—similar to "that" in English—while die is more general, often translating to "the." Here, daardie kos points to a particular dish distinctly.

What does te mean before an adjective like haastig?

When te stands in front of an adjective in Afrikaans, it's used to emphasize "too" in English (as in "too hasty"). It signals an excessive degree of the quality described by the adjective.

What is the difference between haastig and haas?

Haastig is an adjective or adverb that translates to something like "hasty" or "hurried," describing the manner or state. Haas, on the other hand, often means "hare" (the animal) if used as a noun, or it can be part of the verb haas (to hurry), depending on context. They look related but have different uses.

Why do we split the sentence with maar?

Maar in Afrikaans means "but" and functions similarly to how it does in English. It introduces a contrast between the first part ("I wanted to taste the food") and the second part ("I was too hasty").