Die water is koel.

the water

Breakdown of Die water is koel.

• wees: to be
• koel: cool

Questions & Answers about Die water is koel.

What does die mean in this sentence?

die is the definite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to the in English.

Does die change with gender or number?

No. Afrikaans has a single form die for all genders and numbers (singular, plural, masculine, feminine, neuter).

Why doesn’t the adjective koel end in -e here?

Because koel is in predicative position (it comes after the verb is). Predicative adjectives in Afrikaans do not take an -e ending. Only attributive adjectives (those directly before a definite noun) normally take -e.

How would you say “the cool water” (adjective before noun)?

You would use an attributive adjective with an -e ending: die koele water.

Why isn’t there an indefinite article before water, and how would I say “a glass of water is cool”?

Afrikaans uses 'n (with an apostrophe) as the indefinite article. Saying just Water is koel makes a general statement (“Water is cool” in general). To refer to one glass, you could say 'n glas water is koel (“a glass of water is cool”).

How do you pronounce water, is, and koel in Afrikaans?

In IPA roughly:
• water /ˈʋaːtər/ (“VAH-ter”)
• is /ɪs/ (“iss”)
• koel /kuːl/ (“kool” with a long oo as in “pool”)

What is the word order in this sentence?

It follows a Subject–Verb–Object pattern (SVO). The main verb (is) always occupies the second position in a main clause, so with Die water as the subject, is comes next, then koel.

How can I intensify “the water is cool” to say “the water is very cool”?

You insert baie (very) before the adjective: Die water is baie koel.

How do I turn “Die water is koel” into a question (“Is the water cool?”)?

Move the verb to first position: Is die water koel?