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Questions & Answers about Winter is koud.
Why is there no article before Winter? Shouldn’t it be Die winter is koud for “The winter is cold”?
In Afrikaans you can drop the definite article when making a general statement about seasons (or months, days, etc.). Winter is koud simply means “(The) winter is cold” in a generic sense. You could add die (“Die winter is koud”) and it would still be correct, but omitting it is common in headlines, proverbs and general observations.
Do adjectives in Afrikaans change form like in German or Dutch, for example koud?
No. Afrikaans adjectives do not agree in gender or number. Whether you say “Die winter is koud,” “Somers is koud” (if summers were cold), or “My truie is koud,” koud remains the same.
How is koud pronounced in Afrikaans?
koud is pronounced [kʰuːd]. The ou produces a long “oo” sound (similar to English “food,” but often a bit shorter), and the final d may be softened or barely released in casual speech, making it sound close to [kʰuː].
Why is Winter capitalized in this sentence? Are seasons normally capitalized?
It’s capitalized here only because it begins the sentence. In Afrikaans, seasons are not treated as proper nouns, so you would write “My gunstelingseisoen is winter” in lowercase.
Why does Afrikaans use is just like English?
Afrikaans is comes directly from the Dutch verb is and aligns with the English “is.” It covers the present tense of “to be,” so “Winter is koud” literally matches the English S-V-C structure.
Why is the adjective koud not koue here?
In Afrikaans, predicate adjectives (those that follow a linking verb like is) stay in their base form (koud). The -e ending appears when an adjective is attributive (placed before a definite noun): die koue winter (“the cold winter”). Because koud comes after is, no -e is added.
How would I say “Winter has arrived and is cold” in one sentence?
You can combine the perfect tense of aankom (to arrive) with is and link them with en:
“Die winter het aangebreek en is koud.”
Literally: “The winter has dawned/arrived and is cold.”