Breakdown of Ek sit op die stoel en lees die boek.
Questions & Answers about Ek sit op die stoel en lees die boek.
“Ek” means I. It’s the first-person singular subject pronoun, just like I in English.
Examples:
• Ek sit – I sit / I’m sitting
• Ek lees – I read / I’m reading
In Afrikaans the present-tense verb doesn’t change for person or number. You always use the stem:
• ek sit
• jy sit
• hy/sy sit
• ons sit
Afrikaans has no separate continuous (progressive) tense. The simple present covers both habitual and ongoing actions.
So Ek sit en lees can mean either:
• I sit and read.
• I am sitting and reading.
If you want to stress “I’m in the middle of reading,” you can say: Ek is besig om te lees (I am busy reading).
• die = the (definite article)
• ’n = a / an (indefinite article)
Thus:
• die stoel = the chair
• ’n stoel = a chair
op means on. To say “sit on the chair,” you use sit op + object:
• sit op die stoel = sit on the chair
You could also combine with other prepositions if the furniture changes:
• in die stoel = in the (arm)chair
• op die bank = on the couch
en means and. It links words, phrases or clauses. Here it joins two actions:
• sit en lees = sit and read
Each verb phrase has its own object:
• sit op die stoel – “sit on the chair”
• lees die boek – “read the book”
The conjunction en simply connects the two verb phrases.
• lees is pronounced /leːs/ (long ee, like “layss”)
• boek is pronounced /buːk/ (Afrikaans oe is like the “oo” in “moon,” not the “oo” in “book”)
Yes, by inverting verb and subject:
Statement: Ek sit op die stoel en lees die boek.
Question: Sit jy op die stoel en lees jy die boek?
(Literally: Do you sit on the chair and read the book?)
You can also ask specific questions with question words:
• Waar sit jy? = Where do you sit?
• Wat lees jy? = What are you reading?