Breakdown of Ek drink elke oggend koffie.
ek
I
drink
to drink
die koffie
the coffee
elke oggend
every morning
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Questions & Answers about Ek drink elke oggend koffie.
Why isn’t the verb drink conjugated for ek?
In Afrikaans the present tense is invariant: you use the base form of the verb for all persons. So drink stays the same whether the subject is ek, jy, hy/sy, ons, etc. Only the past tense involves a helper verb (het) plus a past participle.
Why is there no article before koffie?
When you speak about something in general or an uncountable substance, Afrikaans drops the article. You simply say koffie for coffee in general. If you wanted a specific cup you’d use an article or numeral, e.g. ek drink ’n koppie koffie or ek drink die koffie in dié kroeg.
Does elke change depending on gender, number, or case?
No. elke always stays the same and is followed by a singular noun. You never say elke oggende or elke oggende; it’s always elke oggend (just like English every morning).
Why is oggend singular even though it happens daily?
In Afrikaans, after determiners like elke (every), the noun remains singular. This parallels English “every morning,” not “every mornings.”
Can I swap the order to Ek drink koffie elke oggend? Which word order is correct?
Both are grammatically possible, but the most natural neutral order is Subject-Verb-Time-Object: Ek drink elke oggend koffie. Placing koffie before elke oggend is also understandable, but may shift slight emphasis onto the coffee rather than the habitual time.
How do you pronounce oggend?
The double g is a guttural sound (similar to the Scottish or German “ch” in loch or Bach). So oggend sounds roughly like OGH-khent, with stress on the first syllable.
If I want to ask “Do you drink coffee every morning?” how would I form the question?
Invert the subject and verb: Drink jy elke oggend koffie? Notice you still keep the base form drink, then subject jy, then time phrase elke oggend, then object koffie.