Ek lees ’n lang boek.

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Breakdown of Ek lees ’n lang boek.

• lees: to read
• die boek: the book
• ’n: a

Questions & Answers about Ek lees ’n lang boek.

What does ’n mean in Ek lees ’n lang boek?

’n is the indefinite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to English a or an. It does not change for gender or number and always appears with an apostrophe because it’s a contraction of een (“one”).

Why is there an apostrophe before the n in ’n?

The apostrophe shows that letters have been omitted. Historically, ’n comes from een (“one”). We drop the ee and replace it with an apostrophe, so you never write en on its own when you mean the article.

How do you pronounce ’n?

You pronounce ’n as a quick, unstressed schwa sound, roughly [ən]. It’s similar to the “a” in English about or sofa.

Why is lang placed before boek? Would ’n boek lang ever work?

In Afrikaans attributive position, the adjective comes immediately before the noun:

• Adjective + Noun: ’n lang boek
• (’n boek lang is incorrect.)

Unlike English you don’t separate them. The adjective also doesn’t agree with the noun when you have ’n, so there is no extra -e ending.