Die koffie is gratis.

The coffee is free.

Breakdown of Die koffie is gratis.

• wees: to be
• gratis: free
• die koffie: the coffee

Questions & Answers about Die koffie is gratis.

What does the word die mean here in die koffie is gratis?

die is the definite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to the in English. It precedes all nouns—there’s no gender or number change (so it works for singular, plural, masculine, feminine, etc.).

Why is there no indefinite article like a or an before koffie? How would I say a coffee is free?

Afrikaans uses ’n (pronounced “en”) as the equivalent of a/an. To say a coffee is free, you’d write:
’n koffie is gratis

How do I say coffee is free in general, without the?

Just drop the article and start with the noun:
Koffie is gratis.
That treats coffee as a general, uncountable concept.

How is koffie pronounced?

Phonetically it’s /ˈkɔ.fi/.

• k = like English k
• o = like the “o” in saw
• ffie = like fee
  Stress falls on the first syllable.