Breakdown of Die hotel reël vervoer vir gaste by aankoms.
vir
for
by
at
die hotel
the hotel
die gas
the guest
reël
to arrange
die vervoer
the transport
die aankoms
the arrival
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Questions & Answers about Die hotel reël vervoer vir gaste by aankoms.
Why is die used here instead of n or nothing at all?
die is the definite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to the in English. Since the sentence refers to a specific hotel (“the hotel”), you need die. If you meant “a hotel,” you would say ’n hotel.
Why doesn’t reël change form for the subject? I might expect something like reëlt.
Afrikaans verbs do not inflect for person or number. The present-tense form is identical for all subjects, so you always use reël whether the subject is ek, hy, ons or die hotel.
What does the diaeresis (two dots) on the ë in reël indicate?
The diaeresis shows that the vowel is not part of a diphthong but starts a new syllable. reël is pronounced re-əl, two syllables. Without the diaeresis, readers might try to read it as a single sound.
Why is reël in the second position of the sentence, right after Die hotel?
Afrikaans, like German and Dutch, follows a V2 (verb-second) word order in main clauses. The finite verb (reël) must be the second constituent, no matter the length of the subject.
Why is vervoer used without an article?
Here vervoer is an indefinite direct object meaning “transport in general.” When you speak about something uncountable or nonspecific, you drop the article. If you wanted “the transport,” you would say die vervoer.
Could vervoer be a verb here? It looks like an infinitive.
Although vervoer can also be a verb meaning “to transport,” in this sentence it’s a noun (“transport”). The main verb is reël, and vervoer is its direct object.
Why is vir used before gaste instead of aan?
Afrikaans uses vir (like English “for”) to mark the beneficiary or indirect object of an action. aan would more often mark the recipient of something given or told, but for “arranging something for someone,” you use vir.
Why does the time phrase say by aankoms without an article?
Time expressions with by (“upon/at”) commonly drop the definite article in Afrikaans: by aankoms means “upon arrival.” If you wanted to speak of a particular arrival, you could include the article—by die aankoms—but in general statements it’s omitted.
Can I move by aankoms to the front of the sentence?
Yes. You can topicalize the time phrase, but the V2 rule still applies. You’d say:
By aankoms reël die hotel vervoer vir gaste.
Why is aankoms singular and not the plural aankomste?
In by aankoms, aankoms functions as a singular noun meaning “arrival” in a general sense. The plural aankomste would refer to multiple specific arrivals, but for an adverbial time expression you normally use the singular.