Breakdown of Wanneer die see kalm is, sit ons op die handdoek en luister.
ons
we
luister
to listen
wees
to be
sit
to sit
en
and
wanneer
when
op
on
die see
the sea
die handdoek
the towel
kalm
calm
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Questions & Answers about Wanneer die see kalm is, sit ons op die handdoek en luister.
Why does the verb is appear at the end of the clause wanneer die see kalm is?
Because wanneer introduces a subordinate clause. In Afrikaans subordinate clauses the finite verb moves to the very end. So instead of wanneer die see is kalm (which would be wrong), you say wanneer die see kalm is.
Why does the main clause start with sit instead of ons?
Whenever a subordinate clause (or any adverbial) comes before the main clause, you invert the subject and verb in the main clause. The normal order ons sit (SVO) becomes sit ons (V-S-O) after the comma.
Could we use as instead of wanneer for “when”?
You could use as in some contexts, especially for single, conditional events (As ek wil, kom ek). But for general or repeated time clauses, wanneer is the standard choice. Here it simply means “whenever/when the sea is calm”.
Why is die used before see and handdoek instead of ’n?
Die is the definite article (the). The speaker refers to a known sea and a specific towel. If you wanted to say “on a towel” (any towel), you would use ’n handdoek.
Why is there op before die handdoek?
Sit is often followed by op when you sit on something. In English you say sit on the towel; in Afrikaans it’s sit op die handdoek.
Can kalm change form (like adding an –e) in this sentence?
No. With the definite article die, adjectives do not take an –e ending before singular nouns: die see is kalm (not die see is kalme).
Why is there no na after luister? Shouldn’t it be luister na?
Afrikaans luister can be used intransitively to mean simply “listen” (implying the sound of the sea). If you want to specify the object, you add na (e.g. luister na musiek). Here it’s clear what you’re listening to, so na is optional and often dropped in casual speech.
Could you reorder elements, for example putting op die handdoek first?
Yes. You could say Op die handdoek sit ons en luister wanneer die see kalm is. The inversion rules still apply: after any fronted element, the verb follows before the subject in the main clause.