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Questions & Answers about Ons sal by die winkel aankom.
Why do we use sal plus an infinitive to form the future tense in Afrikaans?
In Afrikaans the future tense is built with the auxiliary sal (equivalent to “will”) followed by the infinitive of the main verb—in this case aankom. So Ons sal aankom literally means “We will arrive.”
Why is aankom placed at the end of the sentence instead of directly after sal?
Afrikaans follows a verb-second (V2) rule: the finite verb (sal) comes second, and the main verb (aankom) moves to the very end. Any objects or prepositional phrases (like by die winkel) sit in between.
What does by mean in by die winkel aankom? Isn’t by usually “by” or “near”?
In the fixed expression by ’n plek aankom, by translates as “at.” Thus Ons sal by die winkel aankom = “We will arrive at the store.” If you used na die winkel, it would mean “towards the store,” focusing on movement rather than arrival.
Could I instead say Ons kom by die winkel aan to mean “We will arrive at the store”?
Ons kom by die winkel aan is grammatically correct but is present tense (“we arrive” or “we are arriving”). To specifically mark the future, you need sal + infinitive. Without sal, you’re not clearly talking about a future event.
Can I use gaan (going to) instead of sal for the future, like in English?
Standard Afrikaans uses sal + infinitive for the future. Gaan usually means physical “go.” In colloquial speech you might hear ek gaan sê (“I’m going to say”), but the proper future construction is ek sal sê.
What is the literal word-by-word order and meaning?
Ons = we
sal = will
by = at
die = the
winkel = store
aankom = arrive
Literal: “We will at the store arrive.”
How do you pronounce aankom, and where is the stress?
Aankom is pronounced [AHN-kom]. The double aa sounds like the “a” in “father,” and the stress falls on the first syllable: AAN-kom.