Die kind loop veilig in die tuin.

The child walks safely in the garden.

Breakdown of Die kind loop veilig in die tuin.

• in: in
• loop: to walk
• die kind: the child
• die tuin: the garden

Questions & Answers about Die kind loop veilig in die tuin.

What does die mean in this sentence?

die is the definite article “the.” In Afrikaans there’s no gender or case on articles, and die is used for singular and plural nouns alike.

Why is die used twice?

Each noun phrase gets its own article. The first die belongs to kind (“child”), the second to tuin (“garden”).

Does the verb loop change form for different subjects?

No. In the present tense Afrikaans verbs do not conjugate for person or number: ek loop, jy loop, hy loop, ons loop, julle loop, hulle loop.

How would I turn this into a question?

Invert the subject and verb:
Loop die kind veilig in die tuin?
That literally reads “Walks the child safely in the garden?”

How do I make this sentence negative?

Afrikaans uses double negation with nie…nie around the negated part:
Die kind loop nie veilig in die tuin nie.

Is veilig an adverb or adjective, and why isn’t there an –ly ending?