Breakdown of Sy vra my wagwoord voordat sy die lêer aanlyn aflaai.
sy
she
my
my
voordat
before
vra
to ask for
die wagwoord
the password
die lêer
the file
aanlyn
online
aflaai
to download
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Questions & Answers about Sy vra my wagwoord voordat sy die lêer aanlyn aflaai.
What does voordat mean in Sy vra my wagwoord voordat sy die lêer aanlyn aflaai, and why can’t I use voor instead?
voordat is a subordinating conjunction meaning “before” when you introduce a whole clause (with its own verb). voor is a preposition or adverb meaning “in front of” or “before” in a simple, non-clausal sense. You need voordat to link two clauses: “before she downloads…”
Why does aflaai appear at the very end in the clause voordat sy die lêer aanlyn aflaai?
Because voordat is a subordinating conjunction. In Afrikaans subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end. The order is: conjunction (voordat) + subject (sy) + objects/adverbs (die lêer aanlyn) + verb (aflaai).
Can I drop the second sy after voordat, or is it required every time?
You must include a subject in each clause. In Afrikaans you cannot omit the subject pronoun, even in subordinate clauses. So you need voordat sy die lêer…, not voordat die lêer… when you still want to say “before she…”.
Why isn’t there a preposition like vir before my in Sy vra my wagwoord? Wouldn’t Sy vra vir my wagwoord be more logical?
The verb vra (“ask”) is ditransitive in Afrikaans: it can take both an indirect object and a direct object without adding vir. So:
• indirect object = my (me)
• direct object = wagwoord (password)
Hence Sy vra my wagwoord literally “She asks me password” = “She asks me for the password.” You only use vra vir when you’re asking someone to do something (e.g. Sy vra vir my om te help “She asks me to help”).
How do I know that my in Sy vra my wagwoord is “me” and not the possessive my (“my password”)?
Afrikaans uses my for both the object pronoun (“me”) and the possessive adjective (“my”). You distinguish by role and word order. Here my precedes wagwoord, but functionally it’s the indirect object of vra. The structure is: vra + indirect object (my) + direct object (wagwoord). Context tells you it’s “ask me the password,” not “ask someone else my password.”
Why is aflaai written as one word? Are there separable verb prefixes like in German?
In Afrikaans, prefixes such as af- stay attached to the verb and are never split. So it’s always aflaai (to download), not af laai. There is no verb-prefix separation in Afrikaans.
Where does the adverb aanlyn fit, and could I move it around?
In this subordinate clause, since aflaai must be last, aanlyn (an adverb meaning “online”) sits immediately before the verb: die lêer aanlyn aflaai. You cannot put aanlyn after aflaai here because that would violate the “verb-final” rule in subordinate clauses. In a main clause you have more flexibility (e.g. Sy laai die lêer aanlyn af), but in a voordat clause the verb stays at the very end.
What does wagwoord literally mean, and is it related to English “password”?
wagwoord breaks down into wag (“guard” or “watch”) + woord (“word”), so literally “watch-word” or “guard-word.” It’s a direct cognate of English password but reflects Dutch/Afrikaans roots.
Why is there a circumflex on ê in lêer, and how do I pronounce it?
The circumflex on ê indicates a long vowel sound and distinguishes lêer (file) from leer (to learn). Pronounce it like English “lay-er,” with a drawn-out ê ([leːər]).