Breakdown of Die onderwyser lees nou die verslag.
lees
to read
nou
now
die onderwyser
the teacher
die verslag
the report
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Questions & Answers about Die onderwyser lees nou die verslag.
What does die mean in this sentence?
die is the definite article in Afrikaans, equivalent to English the.
Why is the verb lees not followed by -ing to mark the continuous?
In Afrikaans, the simple present tense covers both the English present simple and present continuous. So lees can mean “reads” or “is reading” depending on context. Here it means “is reading.”
Why does nou come after the verb lees and not at the beginning?
Afrikaans usually places time adverbs (like nou) immediately after the finite verb in a main clause: Subject + Verb + Time + Object. You could front nou for emphasis (“Nou lees die onderwyser die verslag”), but the default is after the verb.
Why does the object die verslag also have die?
Afrikaans marks definiteness with die before both subjects and objects. There is no case marking, so you use die for “the” in both positions.
What is the gender of onderwyser?
Afrikaans nouns have no grammatical gender. Onderwyser simply means “teacher” (male or female).
Why doesn't the verb lees change with the subject?
In the present tense, Afrikaans verbs are uninflected for person and number. Lees stays the same whether the subject is “I,” “you,” “he,” or “they.”
How do you pronounce onderwyser?
Roughly ON-der-why-ser (IPA: /ˈɔn.dər.ʋɛi.sər/). The stress is on the first syllable.
What does verslag mean?
verslag means “report.”