Sy sê dat sy ook sou hardloop, maar haar spiere is moeg.

She says that she would also run, but her muscles are tired.

Breakdown of Sy sê dat sy ook sou hardloop, maar haar spiere is moeg.

• ook: also
• sy: she
• wees: to be
• maar: but

Questions & Answers about Sy sê dat sy ook sou hardloop, maar haar spiere is moeg.

Why are there two sy in this sentence?

The first sy (“Sy sê”) is the subject of the main clause (“She says”). The second sy in the subordinate clause (“dat sy ook sou hardloop”) is its own subject (“that she would run”).

What does dat do here, and can I leave it out like in English?

dat is a conjunction meaning that, introducing the reported clause. In Afrikaans you normally must include dat; unlike in English (“She says (that) she…”), you cannot drop it.

What does sou hardloop mean? Is this a tense?

sou hardloop is the conditional form, equivalent to English “would run.” It’s built from the modal auxiliary sou (the past-tense form of sal) plus the infinitive hardloop.

How is sou different from sal?

sal expresses a simple future: “will run.”
sou expresses a hypothetical or conditional: “would run.”

Why is sou (the finite verb) in second position in the subordinate clause, and hardloop at the end?