Ek rus nou in my kamer.

I rest now in my room.

Breakdown of Ek rus nou in my kamer.

• ek: I
• nou: now
• my: my
• in: in
• die kamer: the room
• rus: to rest

Questions & Answers about Ek rus nou in my kamer.

What is the function of rus in this sentence? Is it a transitive or intransitive verb?

rus is an intransitive verb meaning “to rest” or “to be at rest.” It does not take a direct object. In Ek rus nou in my kamer, rus simply describes what the subject (Ek) is doing.

Why is there no definite article die before kamer when English uses “my room”?

In Afrikaans, a possessive pronoun like my already makes the noun definite. You never say die my kamer; you say my kamer for “my room.” The article die is only used with common nouns when there is no possessive pronoun (e.g. die kamer = “the room”).

Why is nou placed after rus, and can you put it somewhere else?

nou is an adverb of time meaning “now.” In a standard main clause, adverbs of time usually follow the finite verb, so you get Subject + Verb + Adverb (Ek rus nou…). If you move nou to the beginning for emphasis, you must still obey Verb-Second (V2), so you’d say Nou rus ek in my kamer (Now rest I in my room).

How does the verb-second (V2) word order work in Ek rus nou in my kamer?

Afrikaans main clauses are V2: exactly one element comes before the finite verb, and everything else follows. Here the order is:
1) Subject (Ek)
2) Finite verb (rus)
3) Adverb of time (nou)
4) Prepositional phrase (in my kamer)

If you front nou, it becomes: Nou rus ek in my kamer.

How would you express “I am resting” if you want to emphasize the ongoing action in Afrikaans?

Afrikaans usually uses the simple present (Ek rus) for both “I rest” and “I am resting.” To emphasize that it’s ongoing, you can use a progressive construction:
• Ek is besig om te rus (literally “I am busy to rest”)
or
• Ek is besig om te ontspan (“I am busy relaxing”)

But in everyday speech Ek rus nou in my kamer is enough to convey “I am resting in my room now.”

Could you say Ek ontspan nou in my kamer instead of Ek rus nou in my kamer? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can. ontspan means “to relax; unwind,” while rus means “to rest; be at rest.”
• Ek rus nou in my kamer often implies you’re taking a break, maybe lying down or actually sleeping.
• Ek ontspan nou in my kamer suggests you’re actively doing something relaxing (reading, listening to music).

Choose rus for rest, ontspan for active relaxation.