As ek siek word, sal die dokter my na die hospitaal stuur.

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Breakdown of As ek siek word, sal die dokter my na die hospitaal stuur.

• na: to
• sal: will
• as: if
• my: me
• die dokter: the doctor
• siek: sick
• word: to become
• die hospitaal: the hospital
• stuur: to send

Questions & Answers about As ek siek word, sal die dokter my na die hospitaal stuur.

What does As mean in this sentence, and how does it introduce the condition?

As is the Afrikaans conjunction for “if.” It introduces a conditional clause just like English “if.” (Don’t confuse it with wanneer, which means “when.”)

Why does the verb word appear at the end of the first clause?

In Afrikaans subordinate clauses (those introduced by words like As, omdat, terwyl, etc.), the finite verb moves to the end. So you get As ek siek word (subject + complement + verb), not As word ek siek.

Why is sal used in the second clause, and what does it mean?

Sal is the auxiliary verb for expressing the future tense in Afrikaans—equivalent to English “will.” It tells you that the action (the doctor sending me) will take place in the future.

Why is sal placed before die dokter, and why is stuur at the end?

Main clauses in Afrikaans use verb-second (V2) word order. Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause, the main clause’s finite verb (sal) comes first, then the subject (die dokter), any objects/complements (my na die hospitaal), and finally the full verb (stuur), which sits at the end when paired with sal.

What’s the difference between siek word and siek is?

• Siek word = “become sick,” focusing on the onset or process of falling ill.
• Siek is = “be sick,” describing the state of being unwell.
  Both forms work in conditional sentences, but siek word emphasizes “if I fall ill,” whereas siek is is “if I am ill.”

How do you translate “to the hospital” in Afrikaans, and what is the role of na?

Na is the preposition for movement toward a place, like English “to.” So na die hospitaal = “to the hospital.” A more colloquial alternative is hospitaal toe, e.g. die dokter stuur my hospitaal toe, dropping na entirely.

Why is my used here for “me”? Is that the object form of ek?

Yes. My is the object pronoun corresponding to ek. Afrikaans doesn’t have a separate “mij” form as in Dutch, so my serves as both the unstressed object pronoun and the stressed possessive form.

Can you omit die before hospitaal?

No. In Afrikaans, most singular countable nouns need a definite article (die) when they are specific. Since hospitaal isn’t a proper name here, you say die hospitaal.

Could you use gaan instead of sal to express the future?

Yes. Gaan + infinitive is often used informally as a future marker:
“As ek siek word, gaan die dokter my na die hospitaal stuur.”
However, sal is more standard and slightly more formal for future tense.