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Questions & Answers about Ek sien die kleur rooi.
Why is the adjective rooi placed after the noun kleur in Ek sien die kleur rooi?
In Afrikaans, die kleur rooi is the fixed way to express the concept “the color red.” Here kleur is the head noun and rooi a descriptive complement. If you instead said die rooi kleur, you’d literally mean “the red color (of something),” focusing on that specific shade rather than the general idea of “the color red.”
What does die do in Ek sien die kleur rooi?
die is the definite article in Afrikaans (equivalent to English “the”) and is used for all nouns regardless of gender or number. So die kleur simply means “the color.”
Should rooi take an extra -e ending because kleur is definite?
Typically adjectives add -e before a definite noun (e.g. die groot hond), but adjectives ending in a vowel—such as rooi, blou, groen—do not take the extra -e, so they remain unchanged.
How would I say “I see a red color” (indefinite) in Afrikaans?
You could say Ek sien ’n rooi kleur, but this sounds formal and is less common. More natural is Ek sien rooi (“I see red”) or Ek sien iets rooi (“I see something red”).
Can I shorten Ek sien die kleur rooi to Ek sien rooi?
Yes. Ek sien rooi means “I see red” and is the standard way to point out a color without naming the noun kleur.
How is rooi pronounced?
The vowel cluster oi in rooi is a diphthong similar to oi in English oil or boy, and the r is rolled or guttural. In simple English approximation it sounds like “roy”.
Can rooi act as a noun, for example in Ek wil die rooi hê?
Yes. In Ek wil die rooi hê (“I want the red one”), die rooi functions as a noun phrase meaning “the red one.” The form of rooi stays the same.
How would I say “I see the red color of the wall”?
You can say Ek sien die rooi kleur van die muur, or even more idiomatically Ek sien die muur se rooi kleur (“I see the wall’s red color”).