Hy is haastig, want hy wil nou klaar wees.

He is in a hurry, because he wants to be finished now.

Breakdown of Hy is haastig, want hy wil nou klaar wees.

• hy: he
• nou: now
• wees: to be
• klaar: finished
• wil: to want
• want: because
• haastig: in a hurry

Questions & Answers about Hy is haastig, want hy wil nou klaar wees.

Why is it haastig and not haastige?

Afrikaans adjectives generally don’t change form based on gender or number, and when an adjective follows a linking verb like is, it usually remains in its base form. That’s why we say hy is haastig rather than hy is haastige.

What does want mean here?

Want in Afrikaans is a coordinating conjunction meaning “because” or “for” in more everyday language. It links two clauses of equal importance: “He is in a hurry, because he wants to be finished now.”

How is klaar wees different from other ways of saying “to finish”?

Klaar wees literally means “to be done.” In other contexts, to say you’re finishing something, you might use klaarmaak, which is closer to “to finish something off” or “to complete something.”

Why use nou here?

Nou means “now,” emphasizing the immediacy or urgency. It reinforces that he wants to be finished at this moment, not later.

Can I replace want with omdat?

Yes, you can sometimes use omdat (“because”) in place of want, but note that omdat typically starts a subordinate clause and will affect word order. For example, Hy is haastig omdat hy nou klaar wil wees, where the verb wil moves to the end of that clause.