Ons moet nou gaan slaap, want dit is laat.

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Breakdown of Ons moet nou gaan slaap, want dit is laat.

• nou: now
• wees: to be
• moet: must
• want: because
• dit: it
• laat: late
• gaan slaap: to go to sleep

Questions & Answers about Ons moet nou gaan slaap, want dit is laat.

Why do we use moet instead of something like moet om or moet te?

In Afrikaans, when expressing necessity, we typically just use moet followed directly by the action. Unlike English (must vs. must to), Afrikaans does not require any preposition like om or te immediately after moet. So you simply say Ons moet nou gaan slaap (We must now go sleep) rather than inserting extra words.

Why does the sentence use nou (now)? Can it be omitted?

Nou indicates immediacy, emphasizing that it is time to go to sleep right now. You could say Ons moet gaan slaap, but then you lose the nuance of urgency or “right at this moment.” Including nou makes it clear that you are talking about the immediate present.

What is the function of gaan slaap instead of just slaap?

Afrikaans often uses gaan before a verb to indicate the action of “going to do” something. Here, gaan slaap is akin to saying “go to sleep.” It’s more natural and idiomatic in this context than simply saying moet slaap, which might sound slightly abrupt.

Why do we use want and not omdat?

Both want and omdat can mean “because,” but they differ in syntax and style. Want is a coordinating conjunction, which doesn’t change the word order, while omdat is a subordinating conjunction and would change the following clause’s structure. In an everyday sentence like this, want flows naturally and simply states the reason: “because it is late.”

How do I pronounce Ons moet nou gaan slaap, want dit is laat like a native speaker?

• Ons: Similar to English “onts” (short “o,” rhyming with “once”).
• moet: Sounds like English “moot” (short “oo” as in “book” is common in many dialects).
• nou: Rhymes with English “no.”
• gaan slaap: “gaan” sounds like a slightly nasal “hahn,” and “slaap” shares the vowel of English “father.”
• want: Sounds like English “vant” (with an English “v” sound but in many accents, the “w” is softer).
• dit is laat: “dit” is short like “dit,” “is” is like “is” in English, and “laat” is a long “ah” sound (similar to the vowel in “father”).