Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Afrikaans grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Aan die anderkant is 'n afdeling met diere in glasbokse.
What is ’n and why is it written with an apostrophe?
’n is the indefinite article in Afrikaans – equivalent to English a or an. It’s a reduced form of the old word een, and the apostrophe shows that the letters ee have been dropped.
Why is there die before anderkant but not before afdeling?
die is the definite article (“the”). In “aan die anderkant” you’re referring to the other side of something specific (e.g. a hall, a street). In contrast, “’n afdeling” introduces a section in general, so it takes the indefinite article ’n instead of die.
How does the phrase Aan die anderkant translate, and why does is appear before ’n afdeling?
“Aan die anderkant” means “on the other side.” Afrikaans uses verb-second (V2) word order: when you start a sentence with an adverbial phrase like “Aan die anderkant,” the finite verb (is) must come immediately after that phrase, before the subject.
Can I split anderkant into two words (ander kant), or is it always one word?
Both are seen. As one word (anderkant) it often functions as an adverb (“on the other side”). Splitting into two words (ander kant) treats kant as a noun “side” modified by ander (“other”). In “aan die anderkant” the one-word form is idiomatic, but “aan die ander kant” (three words) is also perfectly acceptable.
What does afdeling mean and where would I use it?
afdeling means section, department, or division. You’ll find it in contexts like store departments, museum sections, library sections, or any area that’s subdivided into parts.
Why is met diere used here, and why is there no article before diere?
met means with and indicates that the section comes with animals. Leaving out an article before diere makes it indefinite and general: simply animals. If you wanted to talk about specific animals you’d say met die diere (“with the animals”).
How is glasbokse formed and why is it written as a single word?
glasbokse is a compound noun: glas (glass) + boks (box). In Afrikaans you usually fuse compound elements into one word, and you form the plural by pluralizing the head noun: boks → bokse, hence glasbokse (“glass boxes”).
Could I rephrase the sentence to start with Daar is instead of Aan die anderkant is? How would the meaning change?
Yes. You could say “Daar is ’n afdeling met diere in glasbokse aan die anderkant.” Starting with Daar is (there is) puts the emphasis on the existence of a section, whereas starting with Aan die anderkant is puts the emphasis on where that section is located.