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Ontvangs word vier-en-twintig uur per dag beman.

Ontvangs word vier-en-twintig uur per dag beman.
Reception is staffed twenty-four hours a day.
FromLesson 7inHardcore Afrikaans

Questions & Answers about Ontvangs word vier-en-twintig uur per dag beman.

Why is ontvangs spelled with an s at the end?
ontvangs is a noun meaning “reception.” In Afrikaans you often add -s to a verb to turn it into a noun (similar to English “-tion” or “-ing”). Here ontvang = “to receive,” so ontvangs = “reception” (as in the front desk or receiving area).
Why is there no article like die before ontvangs?
Afrikaans allows bare nouns in general statements, especially for functions or departments. It’s like English “Reception is open 24/7” with no “the.” You could say Die ontvangs word … if you mean a specific reception desk, but in broad notices the article is usually dropped.
What is the role of word in this sentence?

word is the present-tense auxiliary for forming the passive voice—equivalent to English “is” in “is staffed.” In Afrikaans passive you put:

Here it signals that beman is passive (“is manned”).

How is the passive voice formed in Afrikaans?

You combine:

  1. the auxiliary word (present) or is (past passive)
  2. the past participle of the main verb

Example: Gevra (asked) → Dit word gevra (“It is asked”).
Note: Verbs with unstressed prefixes (be-, ver-, ont-, her-, mis-) do not take an extra ge- in the past participle (see next question).

Why doesn’t beman get a ge- prefix (e.g. gebeman)?
In Afrikaans, verbs that start with an unstressed prefix (like be-) do not take the ge- prefix in the past participle. So the past participle of beman remains beman, and the passive is word beman (“is staffed”).
Why is vier-en-twintig hyphenated?

Compound numbers from 21 to 99 are always hyphenated in Afrikaans:
• een-en-twintig (21)
• vier-en-twintig (24)
• nege-en-negentig (99)

Each element is linked by hyphens.

Why is dag singular in per dag?
When expressing rates (per hour, per day, etc.), Afrikaans—like English—uses the singular form of the unit. So you say 20 uur per dag, 3 dae per week (note: “week” is singular here, too).
Why is uur needed after the number? Could we just say vier-en-twintig per dag?
You need the noun uur (“hour”) to specify what you’re counting. vier-en-twintig per dag is incomplete—it sounds like “twenty-four per day” of something unspecified. vier-en-twintig uur per dag clearly means “twenty-four hours per day.”
Can I use digits (like 24) instead of writing vier-en-twintig?
Yes. In informal, technical or sign-posting contexts you often see 24 uur per dag. In more formal or literary texts, numbers under 100 are usually spelled out.
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