Breakdown of Die onderwyser herinner ons dat ons onsself en ander moet respekteer wanneer ons leer.
ons
we
en
and
moet
must
dat
that
wanneer
when
ons
us
die onderwyser
the teacher
leer
to learn
herinner
to remind
onsself
ourselves
ander
others
respekteer
to respect
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Questions & Answers about Die onderwyser herinner ons dat ons onsself en ander moet respekteer wanneer ons leer.
How is the word order structured in the main clause and in the subordinate clauses introduced by dat and wanneer?
Afrikaans generally follows Subject–Verb–Object (S V O) order in both main and subordinate clauses:
- Main clause: Die onderwyser (S) herinner (V) ons (O).
- After dat (that-clause) you still do S V O: dat ons (S) moet (modal V) respekteer (infinitive V) onsself en ander (O).
- The temporal clause wanneer ons leer also keeps S V O (unlike German, the verb does not move to the end).
You can move wanneer ons leer to the front, but within that clause it remains S V O:
“Wanneer ons leer, herinner die onderwyser ons dat ons onsself en ander moet respekteer.”
Why does the sentence use ons three times? Isn’t that repetitive?
Each ons serves a different clause role:
- In the main clause it’s the object of herinner (herinner ons = reminds us).
- In the dat-clause it’s the subject of “moet respekteer” (we must respect).
- In the wanneer-clause it’s the subject of “leer” (we learn).
Afrikaans requires a clear subject/object in each clause, so you’ll often see the same pronoun repeated if it participates in multiple clauses.
What is onsself, and why does it have two s’s?
onsself is the reflexive pronoun meaning ourselves. You form it by combining the possessive pronoun ons (our/we) with self. Because ons ends in –s and self begins with s, you keep both letters: onsself.
What does ander refer to, and do I need to pluralize it or add mense?
Here ander means “others” (other people) and functions as an indefinite pronoun. You don’t need to add –s or another noun. If you want to be more explicit you can say ander mense, but just ander is perfectly idiomatic for “others.”
What is the function of moet, and why isn’t there te before respekteer?
moet is a modal verb meaning must/should. When you use a modal in Afrikaans, the main verb stays in the bare infinitive form without te. So you get moet respekteer (must respect), not moet te respekteer.
Why is dat used here? Can I omit it, and do I need a comma before it?
dat introduces the “that”-clause (what the teacher reminds us of).
- In spoken or very informal Afrikaans you can sometimes drop dat, especially if the context is crystal-clear.
- A comma before dat is optional; most writers leave it out unless the sentence is long or potentially ambiguous.
What’s the difference between wanneer, as, and terwyl? Could I use one of those instead?
- wanneer = when (refers to time, single or repeated events).
- terwyl = while (emphasizes simultaneity/duration).
- as = if or when (only for conditional situations, not general time).
In your sentence wanneer is correct (“when we learn”). You could use terwyl if you meant “while we are in the process of learning,” but as would change the meaning to “if we learn.”
Is there a feminine form of onderwyser, or is gender not marked?
Traditionally onderwyseres was the feminine form, but modern Afrikaans often uses onderwyser for both male and female teachers. If you really want to stress “female teacher,” you can say onderwyseres, but it’s becoming less common.
How would I say this sentence in the past tense (“The teacher reminded us that…”)?
Use the perfect tense with het and the past participle:
“Die onderwyser het ons daaraan herinner dat ons onsself en ander moes respekteer wanneer ons leer.”
Note that the modal moet becomes moes in the past. The rest of the structure (S-V-O in clauses) stays the same.