Breakdown of Ek kla oor die koue water in die kombuis.
ek
I
die water
the water
die
the
in
in
koud
cold
oor
about
die kombuis
the kitchen
kla
to complain
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Questions & Answers about Ek kla oor die koue water in die kombuis.
What does kla mean, and why doesn’t it change form like English complains?
kla means to complain. In ek kla it means I complain. Unlike English, Afrikaans verbs do not inflect for person or number in the present tense, so kla stays the same for ek, jy, hy, ons, etc., without adding an -s.
Why is the preposition oor used here? Does kla take other prepositions?
When you express what you complain about, you use kla oor (complain about). Oor corresponds to English about. If you instead want to say you complain to someone, you use kla vir: e.g. ek kla vir die baas (I complain to the boss).
Why do we say die koue water instead of die koud water?
An adjective before a definite noun (with die, ’n, sy, etc.) normally takes an -e ending in Afrikaans. So koud becomes koue in die koue water. When the adjective follows a linking verb (predicative), it stays in its bare form: die water is koud.
How would I say The water is cold in Afrikaans?
You would say die water is koud. Notice koud does not take -e here because it’s predicative (after the verb is).
Why is the prepositional phrase in die kombuis placed at the end? Can I change the word order for emphasis?
Afrikaans generally follows Subject–Verb–Object–(Adverbial) order, so a location like in die kombuis naturally comes last. You can front it for emphasis, but the verb must stay in second position:
In die kombuis kla ek oor die koue water.
However, the neutral word order is Ek kla oor die koue water in die kombuis.
Do I always have to use die before kombuis, or can I drop it like in English?
Afrikaans requires an article before singular countable nouns. You must say in die kombuis (in the kitchen) or in ’n kombuis (in a kitchen). You can’t drop it.
Why is kombuis not capitalized in this sentence?
In Afrikaans, only proper nouns (names of people, places, etc.) are capitalized. Common nouns like kombuis, water, and kla remain lowercase.
How can I refer back to die koue water in die kombuis with a pronoun?
Use the adverb daaroor, which means about it. So instead of repeating the whole phrase, say ek kla daaroor (“I complain about it”).