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Selfs laat in die nag word warm tee aan gaste gegee.

Selfs laat in die nag word warm tee aan gaste gegee.
Even late at night, hot tea is given to guests.
FromLesson 7inHardcore Afrikaans

Questions & Answers about Selfs laat in die nag word warm tee aan gaste gegee.

What does Selfs mean in this sentence?
Selfs is the equivalent of even in English. It adds emphasis, showing that something happens despite what one might expect. Here it highlights that hot tea is served even late at night.
How would you translate Selfs laat in die nag?
You can translate it as “even late at night” or “even in the late hours of the night.” It’s an adverbial phrase setting the time frame for the action.
Why is the verb word placed before warm tee?
Afrikaans uses a verb-second (V2) word order in main clauses. Because the time phrase Selfs laat in die nag is fronted, the finite verb word must come in the second position. The subject (here warm tee, since it’s a passive clause) follows after that.
Why is gegee all the way at the end of the sentence?
In a main clause with an auxiliary plus participle, the finite verb (word) is second, and the past participle (gegee) goes to the very end. This split—aux in position two, participle at the end—is standard in Afrikaans.
What role does aan play in aan gaste? Why not vir gaste?
aan is the preposition used for indirect objects in Afrikaans (equivalent to “to” in English). So aan gaste means to guests. Using vir gaste here would be incorrect for this construction.
Why aren’t there any articles before warm tee or gaste?
When you speak in general terms, Afrikaans often omits the indefinite article. Here warm tee and gaste are nonspecific (any hot tea, any guests), so no die is needed. If you meant the guests, you’d say aan die gaste.
What’s the difference between warm tee and hete tee?
warm tee literally means warm tea (comfortable hot), while hete tee means very hot or scalding tea. Both are correct, but hete implies a higher temperature.
How would you express this idea in active voice?

One possible version is:
Selfs laat in die nag gee ons warm tee aan gaste.
Here ons (we) is the subject, gee the main verb, and the structure follows standard V2 word order with the same time emphasis.

What tense and voice is used in word gegee?
This is the present tense passive. word is the present-tense form of word (“to become/to be”), and gegee is the past participle of gee (“to give”). Together they form the passive “is given.”
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