Breakdown of Hy dink dat 'n goedkoop kaartjie beter as 'n duurder een is.
hy
he
wees
to be
dink
to think
dat
that
beter
better
’n
a
die kaartjie
the ticket
as
than
goedkoop
cheap
duur
expensive
een
one
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Questions & Answers about Hy dink dat 'n goedkoop kaartjie beter as 'n duurder een is.
Why is 'n used instead of een here?
In Afrikaans 'n is the indefinite article (equivalent to English “a” or “an”). een by itself is the numeral “one.” So 'n goedkoop kaartjie means “a cheap ticket,” not “one cheap ticket.”
Why does the verb is appear at the end of the subordinate clause?
Afrikaans subordinate clauses (introduced by words like dat) follow a verb-final word order. In English you say “that a cheap ticket is better…” but in Afrikaans the verb moves to the end: dat 'n goedkoop kaartjie beter as 'n duurder een is.
Why do we need dat after dink?
dat is the complementizer that introduces a subordinate clause. After certain verbs (like dink, sê, weet), you use dat to link to what you think, say or know. It’s equivalent to English that.
How do we form the comparative of goed? Why beter rather than meer goed?
Some common adjectives in Afrikaans have irregular comparatives. For goed (good) the comparative is beter (better), not meer goed. So “better” is beter, just as in English.
Why don’t we use goedkoper here instead of goedkoop?
goedkoop means “cheap” (positive degree). goedkoper would mean “cheaper” (comparative). In this sentence we’re comparing a generic cheap ticket to a more expensive one, so we describe the first as simply goedkoop. You’d use goedkoper if you were choosing the cheaper of two already cheap tickets.
What role does as play in the sentence?
Here as functions like English “than” in comparisons. So beter as means “better than.”
Why is duurder chosen as the comparative for duur?
duur means “expensive,” and its comparative is formed by adding -er, yielding duurder (“more expensive”). This is the regular way to form comparatives on many monosyllabic adjectives in Afrikaans.
What’s the function of een in 'n duurder een?
een is a pronoun meaning “one” (referring back to kaartjie). 'n duurder een literally means “a more expensive one,” so you don’t have to repeat the noun kaartjie.
Why do we say kaartjie instead of kaart?
Afrikaans often uses the diminutive suffix -jie to form common nouns. kaartjie is the standard word for “ticket.” The -jie ending also tells you kaartjie is a neuter noun.
Can we omit the final is in this sentence? Why or why not?
No, you cannot omit the final is in a standard subordinate clause. The finite verb must remain at the end to complete the clause: dat … een is. Omission would leave the clause grammatically incomplete.