Breakdown of By die ingang wag 'n gids om elke besoeker te groet.
wag
to wait
by
at
om
to
’n
a
elke
each
die ingang
the entrance
die gids
the guide
die besoeker
the visitor
groet
to greet
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Questions & Answers about By die ingang wag 'n gids om elke besoeker te groet.
Why is the indefinite article written as 'n with an apostrophe?
Because Afrikaans uses 'n (pronounced /ən/) as the indefinite article equivalent to English a or an. The apostrophe shows the omission of the initial vowel from the older Dutch een. It is never written out in full.
Why does the verb wag come before the subject 'n gids?
Afrikaans main clauses follow a V2 (verb-second) word order. When a phrase like By die ingang starts the sentence, the finite verb wag must come directly after it, pushing the subject 'n gids into third position.
What is the function of om … te in om elke besoeker te groet?
The construction om … te + infinitive expresses purpose or intention, similar to English “to …”. Here om elke besoeker te groet means “to greet every visitor” and explains why the guide is waiting.
Why don’t we use vir after wag in this sentence?
In Afrikaans, wag vir means “wait for” someone (e.g. Ek wag vir jou = “I am waiting for you”). But here wag is followed by om … te to show purpose, not vir.
Could we say Aan die ingang instead of By die ingang?
Generally by is used to mean “at” or “by” a place. aan die ingang can imply something is physically attached to or on the entrance. So by die ingang is more natural for “at the entrance.”
Why is die used with ingang but 'n with gids?
die is the definite article “the,” indicating a specific entrance. 'n is the indefinite article “a,” indicating any guide, not one in particular.
Why doesn’t elke besoeker need its own article?
The word elke (“every” or “each”) inherently specifies all members of a group and replaces the need for an article.
Is the Afrikaans verb wag the same as Dutch wacht?
They share the same origin, but in modern Afrikaans the verb is spelled wag, whereas in Dutch it’s wachten (1st person present “wacht”). Both mean “to wait.”