Breakdown of Die hele groep verkies die rooi kleur bo blou.
die
the
verkies
to prefer
rooi
red
blou
blue
die groep
the group
hele
whole
die kleur
the colour
bo
over
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Afrikaans grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Die hele groep verkies die rooi kleur bo blou.
Why are there two instances of die in the sentence?
die is the definite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to English “the.” The first die marks groep as a specific group, and the second marks rooi kleur as a specific colour.
What does hele mean, and why is it placed before groep?
hele means “whole” or “entire.” In Afrikaans, adjectives like hele come directly after the article and before the noun to form “the whole group.”
Why does the verb verkies not change form for the third person?
Afrikaans verbs do not conjugate for person or number. verkies remains the same whether the subject is I, you, he, she, we, or they.
What is the basic word order of the sentence?
The sentence follows a Subject–Verb–Object pattern:
Subject = Die hele groep
Verb = verkies
Object = die rooi kleur
Followed by the comparison phrase bo blou.
What does the preposition bo mean in this context?
Here bo functions like “to” or “than” when expressing preference. It links the preferred item (rooi kleur) to the less preferred one (blou).
Why is there no –e ending on rooi?
Most adjectives take an –e in attributive position, but rooi ends in –i and belongs to a category of adjectives that stay unchanged. Also, when an adjective follows a definite article (die), it normally does not take an extra –e.
Could you use eerder as instead of bo?
Yes. You can also say Die hele groep verkies die rooi kleur eerder as blou. Both constructions are correct, though verkies … bo … is very common in everyday speech.
Why is blou used without die?
In the second part of a preference, you can omit the article: bo blou is a shortened form of bo die blou (kleur). Including die (i.e. bo die blou) is still grammatically correct but not required.
Could you drop kleur and just say die rooi bo blou?
Yes, if the context makes it clear you’re talking about colours. Die hele groep verkies rooi bo blou. But adding kleur removes any doubt that you mean the colour itself.
How do you pronounce blou?
blou is pronounced like English “blow,” with a long “o” sound ([bluː]).