Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Woensdag is die dag wanneer ons fiksheidsklas die hardloopbaan gebruik. - Wednesday is the day when our fitness class uses the running track.

wanneer is a relative adverb introducing a time clause (“when”). It links die dag to the subordinate clause about using the track. dat (“that”) is a conjunction for noun clauses and does not convey time, so you cannot substitute dat here.

Why do we use wanneer and not toe or as for “when” here?

wanneer is used for general or habitual time clauses (present/future): “the day when we use…”.
toe refers to a specific moment in the past (“when I arrived…”).
as means “if” in conditional clauses.
Because this sentence is about a regular activity (every Wednesday), wanneer is the correct choice.

Why is the verb gebruik not placed at the end of the subordinate clause, like in German?

In Afrikaans subordinate clauses introduced by time words like wanneer, the word order stays Subject–Verb–Object (SVO). So we say wanneer ons fiksheidsklas die hardloopbaan gebruik, keeping gebruik right after the subject ons fiksheidsklas.

Could I replace wanneer with waarop (on which)?

Yes, you can say Woensdag is die dag waarop ons fiksheidsklas die hardloopbaan gebruik. It’s grammatically correct, but wanneer (“when”) is more natural and common for time references in everyday speech, while waarop sounds a bit more formal.

Why is Woensdag capitalized here? I thought weekdays weren’t capitalized in Afrikaans.

You’re right that, apart from English influence, Afrikaans normally writes weekdays in lowercase. In this sentence, Woensdag is only capitalized because it’s the first word. If it appeared elsewhere, you’d write woensdag.

What role does die play before dag? Can I drop it?

die is the definite article “the,” marking dag as a specific day (“the day when…”). Without die, the phrase would be ungrammatical. If you wanted “a day when…,” you’d use ’n dag wanneer (note the apostrophe in ’n).

Why is ons placed before fiksheidsklas? Would fiksheidsklas van ons work?

Afrikaans uses possessive pronouns before the noun (like English “our class”): ons fiksheidsklas. You could say die fiksheidsklas van ons, but that’s more roundabout and emphasizes “of us” rather than sounding like a simple possession.

What exactly is fiksheidsklas? I’m not familiar with fiksheid.

fiksheidsklas is a compound noun: fiksheid = “fitness,” klas = “class.” So it literally means “fitness class,” just like in English we combine “fitness” + “class.”

Is hardloopbaan the same as atletiekbaan, and which is more common?

Both mean “running track.” hardloopbaan (“run-track”) is the everyday term and very common. atletiekbaan (“athletics track”) is understood but feels more technical or formal. You’ll hear hardloopbaan most often in regular conversation.