Breakdown of Ek oefen elke dag om my spiere te versterk.
ek
I
my
my
om
to
elke dag
every day
oefen
to exercise
die spier
the muscle
versterk
to strengthen
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Questions & Answers about Ek oefen elke dag om my spiere te versterk.
What does oefen mean?
oefen is the present tense of the verb meaning to exercise or to practice.
What does elke dag mean, and how is it different from dagelijks?
elke dag literally means each day, or every day in English.
dagelijks means daily. Both are correct, but elke dag is more common in everyday speech to emphasize the repetition of individual days.
Why is the phrase om my spiere te versterk used here?
This phrase is a purpose clause in Afrikaans.
Structure: om + object + te + infinitive
- om = “in order to”
- my spiere = “my muscles”
- versterk = infinitive “to strengthen”
Altogether: in order to strengthen my muscles.
Why is te placed before versterk?
When you use om to express purpose, Afrikaans requires te before the main verb. The pattern is always:
om … te + [infinitive verb].
What does spiere mean, and why not spier?
spiere is the plural form of spier.
- spier = “muscle” (singular)
- spiere = “muscles” (plural)
Here you’re talking about multiple muscles, so you use spiere.
How do you pronounce the oe in oefen?
In Afrikaans, oe is pronounced like the “oo” in English boot.
So oefen sounds roughly like OO-fuhn.
Could I say Ek oefen elke dag om my spiere sterker te maak instead?
Yes. That version uses maak (“to make”) plus the comparative sterker (“stronger”) instead of the direct verb versterk (“to strengthen”). Both convey the same idea, though versterk is more concise.
Why is there no article before spiere after my?
Possessive pronouns like my already mark the noun as “my muscle(s),” so no additional article is needed. If you were speaking about muscles in general, you could say om die spiere te versterk (“to strengthen the muscles”).