Hy sê dat die geskenk sonder ’n kaart onvolledig sou wees.

He says that the gift would be incomplete without a card.

Breakdown of Hy sê dat die geskenk sonder ’n kaart onvolledig sou wees.

• hy: he
• wees: to be
• dat: that
• sê: to say

Questions & Answers about Hy sê dat die geskenk sonder ’n kaart onvolledig sou wees.

Why is sê in the present tense even though the gift situation is hypothetical?

We use sê (says) because the reporting verb refers to what he is saying right now. The hypothetical nature of the gift is shown by the conditional auxiliary sou in the subordinate clause (sou wees). In other words, present sê + conditional sou = “says … would be.”

What role does dat play in this sentence, and is it mandatory?

Dat is a conjunction that introduces the subordinate clause (equivalent to that in English). In Afrikaans you normally need dat after verbs like sê, dink, weet, etc., to link to a following clause. Omitting it here would be ungrammatical.

Why do sou and wees come at the end of the subordinate clause?

Afrikaans subordinate clauses introduced by dat follow a verb-final (SOV) word order. The finite auxiliary sou and the infinitive wees form a verb cluster that moves to the clause’s end: … onvolledig sou wees.

What does sou mean, and how is it different from sal?