Breakdown of Hy hou sy paspoort en vliegtuigkaartjie in sy sak.
hy
he
in
in
en
and
sy
his
hou
to keep
die paspoort
the passport
die vliegtuigkaartjie
the plane ticket
die sak
the pocket
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Questions & Answers about Hy hou sy paspoort en vliegtuigkaartjie in sy sak.
What does the verb hou mean in this sentence?
Here hou means “to keep” or “to hold onto” something. Although it often translates as “to hold,” in this context it implies storing or carrying items in a bag rather than just physically gripping them.
Why is there no article before sy paspoort?
When you use a possessive pronoun like sy (“his”), you drop the definite article. So sy paspoort simply means “his passport” rather than “the passport.”
Why is vliegtuigkaartjie spelled as one word?
Afrikaans frequently combines related nouns into compounds without spaces or hyphens. Here vliegtuig (“airplane”) + kaartjie (“ticket”) merge to form vliegtuigkaartjie (“plane ticket”).
How do diminutives work, as in kaartjie?
To form a diminutive, Afrikaans adds -jie (or -tjie after certain consonants) to a noun. For example:
- kaart (“ticket/card”) → kaartjie (“little ticket” or simply “ticket” in everyday usage).
Diminutives can indicate smallness or affection but are also standard noun forms (as here).
Why is the prepositional phrase in sy sak placed at the end of the sentence?
Afrikaans word order mirrors English in this case: Subject–Verb–Object–Prepositional Phrase. So after Hy hou sy paspoort en vliegtuigkaartjie, you naturally add in sy sak (“in his bag”) at the end.
Could you use sit instead of hou in this sentence?
Yes. sit … in means “to put … in,” focusing on the action of placing something inside the bag. For example:
- Hy sit sy paspoort en vliegtuigkaartjie in sy sak.
That sentence emphasizes the act of putting the items in the bag, whereas hou emphasizes that he keeps or carries them there.
Why doesn’t the sentence say sy paspoort en sy vliegtuigkaartjie?
Afrikaans allows one possessive pronoun to govern multiple nouns connected by en (“and”). So sy paspoort en vliegtuigkaartjie means “his passport and ticket.” Repeating sy is grammatically correct but redundant.
Could you use tas instead of sak here?
Yes. Both sak and tas can mean “bag.”
- sak often refers to a sack, pocket, or generic bag.
- tas usually denotes a suitcase, shoulder bag, or satchel.
Choosing one depends on the type of bag you have in mind.
How do you pronounce vliegtuigkaartjie?
Break it down into parts:
- vlieg ≈ “fleeg” (long ee)
- tuig ≈ “toyg” (similar to “toy” but with a slight g/k sound)
- kaart ≈ “kart” (like English)
- jie ≈ “yee”
Put together: FLEEG-toyg-KART-yee.