Ek loop na die einde van die pad.

I walk to the end of the road.

Breakdown of Ek loop na die einde van die pad.

• ek: I
• die: the
• loop: to walk
• na: to
• die pad: the road
• van: of
• die einde: the end

Questions & Answers about Ek loop na die einde van die pad.

Why is the verb loop used to mean walk? How does it differ from hardloop and stap?

loop is the standard Afrikaans verb for to walk or to go on foot.
• hardloop means to run.
• stap (“step”) is used informally for to stroll or to take a walk, but loop remains more common.

Why is the preposition na used instead of in, op or tot when indicating movement toward a place?

In Afrikaans na means to when talking about movement toward a location.
• in = in (static or into)
• op = on
• tot = until (you’d use tot or tot by to stress up to a point)
For simple directional movement use na.

Why do we say die einde van die pad and not pad einde or einde pad?

Afrikaans expresses “end of the road” by putting the head noun first (einde) and then the genitive phrase (van die pad).
• pad einde or einde pad breaks the normal noun-of-noun order.
• You could say die pad se einde (Saxon genitive), but einde van die pad is far more common in everyday speech.

Is van die pad a genitive construction, and why isn't die pad se einde always used?

Yes, van die pad is the regular genitive in Afrikaans.
• die pad se einde uses the Saxon genitive and is correct, but it often sounds more formal or poetic.
• For most purposes einde van die pad is preferred.

Why is there no direct object after loop, and is na die einde van die pad functioning as an object?

loop here is intransitive, meaning it doesn’t take a direct object.
• na die einde van die pad is a prepositional phrase showing direction, not a grammatical object.

Can I use tot by die einde van die pad instead of na die einde van die pad? What’s the nuance?

Yes.
• na die einde van die pad simply means toward/to the end of the road.
• tot by die einde van die pad adds the nuance up to or as far as that point, implying you go right up to the very end.

How would I put this sentence in the past tense to say “I walked to the end of the road”?

Use the auxiliary het plus the past participle:
Ek het na die einde van die pad geloop.
(Literally I have walked to the end of the road.)

How would I express a future action, “I will walk to the end of the road”?

Use the future auxiliary sal plus the infinitive:
Ek sal na die einde van die pad loop.
(Literally I shall walk to the end of the road.)