Ek sien die skip.

I see the ship.

Breakdown of Ek sien die skip.

• ek: I
• sien: to see
• die: the
• die skip: the ship

Questions & Answers about Ek sien die skip.

How do I say a ship instead of the ship?

Afrikaans uses the indefinite article ’n (pronounced “un”). So instead of Ek sien die skip (“I see the ship”), you’d say Ek sien ’n skip (“I see a ship”). Note the apostrophe marks the missing “e” in ’n.

Why is the verb sien not conjugated for Ek (I)?

In Afrikaans, verbs do not change form according to the subject in the present tense. You use the base form for all persons:
• Ek sien
• Jy sien
• Hy/sy sien
• Ons sien, etc.

What is the plural of skip, and how would I say “I see the ships”?

The plural of skip is skepe. To say “I see the ships,” you simply replace the noun and keep the article: Ek sien die skepe.

How is die pronounced in die skip, and does it change between singular and plural?

Die (the) is always pronounced [di] (like English “dee”). It never changes form between singular and plural. So you have die skip (“the ship”) and die skepe (“the ships”).

Why doesn’t Afrikaans use a continuous tense like English “I am seeing”?

Afrikaans generally uses the simple present for both habitual and ongoing actions. Ek sien die skip can mean either “I see the ship” (habitual) or “I am seeing the ship” (right now).

Is the word order in Ek sien die skip always Subject-Verb-Object?

Yes. Main clauses in Afrikaans follow a strict SVO order. You won’t move the verb to the end like in German subordinate clauses.

How do I emphasize die skip if I want to say “It’s the ship that I see,” not something else?

You can use a cleft construction with dit is … wat. For example: Dit is die skip wat ek sien (“It is the ship that I see”).