Breakdown of Fiks mense voel dikwels gelukkig en gesond.
en
and
voel
to feel
gesond
healthy
gelukkig
happy
fiks
fit
mense
people
dikwels
often
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Questions & Answers about Fiks mense voel dikwels gelukkig en gesond.
What does fiks mean in this sentence?
Fiks means fit (in the sense of being in good physical shape) and is used as an adjective modifying mense (people).
Why doesn’t fiks take an -e ending before mense?
In Afrikaans adjectives placed directly before a noun in a general (often indefinite) context typically stay in their base form. Also, adjectives ending in -s usually remain unchanged. Hence fiks mense, not fikse mense.
How do you form the plural of mens, and how is mense pronounced?
Mens (person) has the irregular plural mense (people). It’s pronounced /ˈmɛn.sə/ (“MEN-suh”).
Why doesn't the verb voel change for the third-person plural subject mense?
Afrikaans verbs generally do not inflect for person or number in the present tense. There is no added -s (as in English) or any other ending. So voel stays the same for all subjects.
Where and why is the adverb dikwels placed between voel and gelukkig?
Adverbs of frequency like dikwels most commonly appear immediately after the finite verb in main clauses: voel dikwels. You could also say Dikwels voel fiks mense... or Mense voel dikwels..., but the neutral position is right after voel.
Why don't gelukkig and gesond take an -e ending when they follow voel?
After linking verbs (like voel, is, bly) adjectives are in the predicative position and never take an -e ending in Afrikaans. So they stay gelukkig and gesond.
Can you start the sentence with dikwels, for example Dikwels voel fiks mense gelukkig en gesond?
Yes. Placing dikwels at the beginning is perfectly grammatical; it merely shifts emphasis onto often. Both word orders are correct.
What would be a word-for-word literal translation of Fiks mense voel dikwels gelukkig en gesond?
Fiks = fit
mense = people
voel = feel
dikwels = often
gelukkig = happy
en = and
gesond = healthy
So literally: Fit people feel often happy and healthy. A smoother English version is Fit people often feel happy and healthy.