Breakdown of Die gaste wag rustig in die hotel se voorportaal.
in
in
wag
to wait
se
’s
die hotel
the hotel
die gas
the guest
die voorportaal
the lobby
rustig
calmly
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Questions & Answers about Die gaste wag rustig in die hotel se voorportaal.
Why is die used twice in this sentence?
Afrikaans has a single definite article, die, meaning “the.” Here it appears once before gaste (“guests”) to mark a specific group, and again before hotel inside the phrase in die hotel se voorportaal (“in the hotel’s foyer”). The second die is simply the article for hotel.
How is the plural gaste formed from the singular gas?
Most Afrikaans nouns form the plural by adding -e or -te. For gas (guest), you drop the final -s sound and add -te, yielding gaste.
Why doesn’t Afrikaans use a separate continuous tense like English’s “are waiting”?
Afrikaans generally uses one simple present tense form for both simple and continuous actions. So wag covers “wait,” “is waiting,” and “are waiting” without a special auxiliary or participle.
What role does rustig play in this sentence?
Here rustig (“calmly” or “quietly”) is an adverb of manner describing how the guests are waiting. It modifies the verb wag.
Why is rustig placed after wag and before the location phrase?
In Afrikaans, adverbs of manner (like rustig) typically follow the main verb. Then you add any additional information, such as place or time: Subject – Verb – Adverb – Prepositional Phrase.
How do you form the possessive “hotel’s” in Afrikaans?
You use the particle se after the possessor noun. So hotel se means “hotel’s.” Notice there is no apostrophe-s; se is a separate word.
Could you write hotel se as one word, like hotelse?
No. The possessive marker se always stands alone after the possessor. Combining them (e.g. hotelse) is not correct in standard Afrikaans.
What does voorportaal literally mean, and how is it formed?
Voorportaal is a compound noun from voor (“front” or “before”) + portaal (“portico” or “hallway”). Literally “front portico,” it equates to “foyer” or “lobby.”