Hy wou my hond sien, al was hy besig met werk.

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Breakdown of Hy wou my hond sien, al was hy besig met werk.

• sien: to see
• die hond: the dog
• wees: to be
• my: my
• met: with
• die werk: the work
• besig: busy

Questions & Answers about Hy wou my hond sien, al was hy besig met werk.

Why do we use wou here instead of wil?

In Afrikaans, wou is the past tense form of wil. This indicates that the desire to see the dog happened in the past, rather than expressing a current wish.

What is the function of al in this sentence?

Here, al acts like “even though” or “although.” It contrasts two ideas: wanting to see the dog versus being busy with work. It shows that one action (wanting to see the dog) happened despite another condition (being busy).

How does besig met werk work grammatically?

The phrase besig met werk literally translates to “busy with work” or “occupied with work.” Besig can be followed by met plus a noun to describe what activity someone is engaged in.

Why is the verb order "al was hy besig met werk" used?

In Afrikaans, when using words like al (although), a subordinate clause follows, so was comes after al. It ensures we understand that the condition in this clause is somewhat secondary or contrasting to the main statement.

Is it common to use wou before an infinitive like sien?

Yes. In Afrikaans, words like wil, kan, and wou are often followed by an infinitive (like sien). It’s similar to English “wanted to see,” keeping the verb in its base form after an auxiliary/ modal verb.