Ek plaas die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel.

I place the plane ticket on the table.

Breakdown of Ek plaas die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel.

• ek: I
• die tafel: the table
• op: on
• plaas: to place
• die vliegtuigkaartjie: the plane ticket

Questions & Answers about Ek plaas die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel.

What does plaas mean, and how does it differ from English place or put?

plaas is a transitive verb meaning “to place” or “to put.” Like English place, it’s a bit more formal than put, but both English words can map to plaas. Afrikaans also has other verbs like sit (“to sit” or “to put down”) or neersit (“to set down”), so you might hear Ek sit die boek op die tafel instead of Ek plaas for casual speech.

Why is vliegtuigkaartjie written as one word, and how is it formed?

Afrikaans forms compound nouns by joining words together. Here, vliegtuig (“airplane”) + kaartjie (“ticket”) become vliegtuigkaartjie. There’s no space or hyphen, unlike English “airplane ticket.”

What is the -jie in kaartjie, and does it always mean “small”?

The suffix -jie is the diminutive. It often indicates smallness or affection, but in many Afrikaans nouns it’s just the standard form, not literally “little.”
• kaart → kaartjie (“ticket”)
• boek → boekie (“little book” or just “booklet”)
Even everyday objects often take the diminutive.

Why are die used before both vliegtuigkaartjie and tafel, and is it the same as “the”?

Yes, die is the definite article (“the”). Afrikaans uses die for all genders and numbers. If you wanted “a ticket,” you’d use the indefinite article ’n, as in ’n vliegtuigkaartjie.

Why is the sentence order Ek plaas die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel and not something like Ek op die tafel die vliegtuigkaartjie plaas?

Main clauses follow Subject–Verb–Object order, with any prepositional phrases (like op die tafel) after the object. If you front op die tafel for emphasis, you invert the verb and subject:
Op die tafel plaas ek die vliegtuigkaartjie.

Afrikaans doesn’t have a continuous tense like English. How would you say “I am placing the ticket on the table” if you want to stress it’s happening right now?

Simple present is usually fine: Ek plaas die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel.
To stress ongoing action you can use besig om ... te:
Ek is besig om die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel te plaas.

Can I replace plaas with another verb in this sentence?

Yes. Common alternatives:
• sit: Ek sit die vliegtuigkaartjie op die tafel.
• neersit: Ek sit die vliegtuigkaartjie neer op die tafel.
All convey “put/place,” with slight nuances of formality or focus on the act of sitting something down.