Breakdown of Veiligheid is belangrik in die hotel en in die vliegtuig.
die
the
wees
to be
in
in
en
and
belangrik
important
die hotel
the hotel
die veiligheid
the safety
die vliegtuig
the airplane
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Questions & Answers about Veiligheid is belangrik in die hotel en in die vliegtuig.
Why isn’t veiligheid capitalized like in English, where all nouns are capitalized?
In Afrikaans, unlike English, common nouns are not capitalized—only proper nouns and the first word of a sentence. So veiligheid stays lowercase.
How is the noun veiligheid formed in Afrikaans?
It’s built from the adjective veilig (safe) plus the suffix -heid, which turns adjectives into abstract nouns (similar to English -ness). Hence veiligheid means “safety.”
Why is die used for both hotel and vliegtuig?
Afrikaans has a single definite article die for all genders and numbers. So you say die hotel (“the hotel”) and die vliegtuig (“the airplane/aircraft”).
What’s the indefinite article “a/an” in Afrikaans?
Afrikaans uses ’n (pronounced like “uhn”) as its indefinite article. You’d say ’n hotel for “a hotel,” noting the apostrophe marks the dropped letter.
Why do we repeat in die in in die hotel en in die vliegtuig instead of saying in die hotel en vliegtuig?
Repeating in die before each noun ensures clarity: it shows the preposition and article apply to both places. Omitting the second in die can make it unclear or unidiomatic.
Can we say op die vliegtuig instead of in die vliegtuig to mean “on the plane”?
No—op would imply on the outside or top of the plane. For being inside the cabin, Afrikaans uses in: in die vliegtuig.
Why is belangrik spelled without a “j” compared to the Dutch belangrijk?
Afrikaans simplified the Dutch spelling, dropping the j and reducing internal consonants. So Dutch belangrijk becomes Afrikaans belangrik but keeps the same pronunciation.
How do you pronounce vliegtuig in Afrikaans?
It’s roughly FLEEG-toych, where g is a guttural sound (like the “ch” in Scots “loch”), and ui sounds like “oy” in “boy.”
What is the word order in veiligheid is belangrik?
Afrikaans follows Subject–Verb–Predicate order, same as English. veiligheid (subject) + is (verb) + belangrik (predicate adjective).