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Questions & Answers about Ek moet die inligting nagaan.
What does Ek mean?
Ek is the first-person singular pronoun “I” in Afrikaans.
What is the function of moet in Ek moet die inligting nagaan?
Moet is a modal verb meaning must or have to. It expresses necessity or obligation. It remains the same for all subjects (e.g., ek moet, jy moet, hulle moet).
Why is there no to (or te) before nagaan, like in English “to check”?
After modal verbs like moet, Afrikaans uses the bare infinitive. You say moet nagaan, never moet te nagaan. The particle te appears only in other constructions (e.g., probeer om … te …).
What does nagaan mean, and is it separable?
Nagaan combines na- (“to/after”) + gaan (“go”) and means “to check,” “verify,” or “go through.” It’s one word and never splits in a sentence; even in past tense, it’s nagegaan.
Why is die used before inligting, and is inligting countable?
Inligting is an uncountable noun (“information”), so you don’t use ’n. Die makes it definite: the information. Without die, you’d speak of information in general.
Why is the object die inligting placed before the infinitive nagaan?
Afrikaans main clauses follow verb-second word order. The finite verb (moet) sits in position two, and everything else (objects, non-finite verbs) follows. So after Ek (position one) + moet (position two), you have die inligting then nagaan.
How do you say “I don’t have to check the information” versus “I must not check the information”?
- Ek hoef die inligting nie na te gaan nie. (“I don’t have to check the information.”)
- Ek moet die inligting nie nagaan nie. (“I must not check the information.”)
How would you ask “Did you check the information?” in Afrikaans?
Use the perfect tense with het, invert subject and auxiliary, and use the past participle nagegaan:
Het jy die inligting nagegaan?