Breakdown of Hy hardloop vyf kilometer om sy spiere te versterk.
hy
he
sy
his
om
to
hardloop
to run
vyf
five
die kilometer
the kilometre
die spier
the muscle
versterk
to strengthen
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Questions & Answers about Hy hardloop vyf kilometer om sy spiere te versterk.
What tense is hardloop, and how is the present tense used in Afrikaans?
hardloop is the simple present tense (present indicative) of the verb hardloop (meaning to run). In Afrikaans this form covers both habitual actions and actions happening right now, since there is no separate continuous form.
Why doesn’t kilometer take a plural ending after vyf like in English?
Units of measurement in Afrikaans remain singular when counted. So after vyf you still use kilometer, not kilometers. This applies to most units such as meter, liter, and kilogram.
What is the function of om ... te in om sy spiere te versterk?
om ... te introduces a purpose clause, equivalent to in order to. om marks the start of the infinitive clause, and te precedes the verb (versterk), indicating purpose.
Why does versterk appear at the end of the clause?
Subordinate clauses in Afrikaans, including infinitive clauses introduced by om, follow a verb-final word order. That is why the infinitive versterk comes at the very end of om sy spiere te versterk.
How is the plural of spier formed, and why is it spiere here?
The singular spier (muscle) forms its plural by adding -e, resulting in spiere. Many Afrikaans nouns form plurals with -e (sometimes with a vowel change) or -s.
What does sy mean in this sentence, and why not haar?
sy is the third-person singular possessive pronoun his, matching the subject hy. haar would mean her, which would not agree with hy.
Why is hardloop placed immediately after Hy instead of later in the sentence?
Afrikaans main clauses follow a verb-second (V2) word order: the finite verb occupies the second position. Since Hy is first, hardloop must come directly after, before the object phrase vyf kilometer.