Ek gooi die bal oor die muur.

I throw the ball over the wall.

Breakdown of Ek gooi die bal oor die muur.

• ek: I
• die: the
• die bal: the ball
• oor: over
• die muur: the wall
• gooi: to throw

Questions & Answers about Ek gooi die bal oor die muur.

Why does the verb gooi not change in the third-person singular like English throws?

Afrikaans verbs are invariant for person and number in the present tense. You use gooi with ek, jy, hy/sy/dit, ons, etc., without adding an -s or any other ending.

Why is there no to (or Afrikaans te) before gooi?

In a simple present-tense statement, Afrikaans uses the bare verb form (the infinitive without te). You only use te before an infinitive in certain subordinate clauses or after particular verbs and adjectives (e.g. hy probeer om te gooi, ek is bly om te help).

What role does die play here, and how is it different from ’n?

die is the definite article (“the”), making the noun specific. ’n (pronounced like the letter n) is the indefinite article (“a”/“an”) for non-specific nouns. So die bal = “the ball” and ’n bal = “a ball.”

How do you form the plural of bal and muur?

You add -e or adjust the stem based on irregular patterns:
• bal → balle (“balls”)
• muur → mure (“walls”)
With the definite article you’d say die balle and die mure.

What does oor mean in Ek gooi die bal oor die muur, and can it mean something else?

Here oor is a preposition meaning “over” or “across,” indicating the ball moves from one side of the wall to the other. oor can also mean “about”/“concerning” when talking or writing about a topic (e.g. praat oor die weer).

What is the sentence’s word order, since English sometimes uses inversion or different patterns?

Afrikaans uses a simple Subject-Verb-Object order in neutral statements:

1. Subject (Ek)
2. Verb (gooi)
3. Object (die bal)
4. Any prepositional or other phrases (oor die muur).

How would you express “I am throwing the ball over the wall” to emphasize that the action is in progress?

Use the progressive construction besig om te:
“Ek is besig om die bal oor die muur te gooi.”
This literally means “I am busy to throw the ball over the wall.”

How can you say “I will throw the ball over the wall” for a future action?

You can place a time word or use gaan for a colloquial future:
• Ek gaan die bal oor die muur gooi.
Or add a future-time adverb without gaan:
• Môre gooi ek die bal oor die muur.

Why is the pronoun Ek not omitted like in some languages?

Standard Afrikaans requires an explicit subject pronoun in most clauses. You normally cannot drop Ek (except in imperatives, e.g. Gooi die bal!).