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Die water is koud.

Die water is koud.
The water is cold.
FromLesson 6inHardcore Afrikaans

Breakdown of Die water is koud.

die water
the water
wees
to be
koud
cold

Questions & Answers about Die water is koud.

What does die mean in “Die water is koud”?
It’s the definite article the. In Afrikaans, die is used universally for singular and plural, and it has no gender distinctions.
Why doesn’t die change for gender or number?
Afrikaans no longer marks gender on nouns or articles. Unlike languages such as German or Dutch, die stays the same regardless of whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, singular or plural.
What is is in this sentence?
Is is the present‐tense form of the verb wees (“to be”). It links the subject (die water) to the adjective (koud). The basic word order here is Subject-Verb-Predicate.
Why isn’t koud inflected with an -e ending?
When an adjective follows a form of wees (like is), it stays in its base form. You only add an -e ending when the adjective comes directly before a noun (e.g. koue water, ’n koue dag).
How do I say “cold water” as an attributive phrase?
Place the adjective before the noun and add -e: koue water. The -e ending marks it as an attributive adjective.
How would you turn “Die water is koud” into a question?
Invert the verb and the subject for a yes/no question: Is die water koud? That literally reads “Is the water cold?”
How do you pronounce koud?
The ou digraph is pronounced like the “ow” in English cow, so koud sounds roughly like kowt, ending with a crisp T sound.
How do you pronounce water in Afrikaans?
The w is closer to a v‐sound (/ʋ/), the a is like the “a” in father, and the final er is a quick schwa. So water comes out roughly as VAH-tə (IPA: /ˈʋaːtər/), with stress on the first syllable.
Can you drop die and just say “Water is cold” in Afrikaans?
Yes. For general or universal statements you often omit the article: Water is koud means “Water is cold” in a broad sense. Use Die water is koud when you mean a specific water (like the bath water, swimming pool, etc.).
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