Sy skryf die storie neer om haarself later te herinner.

She writes the story down to remind herself later.

Breakdown of Sy skryf die storie neer om haarself later te herinner.

• sy: she
• die: the
• later: later
• om: to
• herinner: to remind
• die storie: the story
• skryf neer: to write down
• haarself: herself

Questions & Answers about Sy skryf die storie neer om haarself later te herinner.

What does skryf neer mean, and how is it different from just skryf?

The verb skryf neer is a separable verb meaning “to write down.”

• skryf = write
• skryf neer = write down (i.e., record or note something)

---

Why is neer placed at the end of the sentence rather than next to skryf?

In a main clause with a separable verb, Afrikaans splits it:

1. The finite verb (skryf) goes into second position.
2. The separable prefix (neer) moves to the end.

Structure: Subject | finite verb | object(s) | prefix
Example: Sy | skryf | die storie | neer.

---

How does the om ... te purpose construction work in this sentence?

om ... te + infinitive expresses purpose (“to …”).

• om = introduces the purpose clause
• te = infinitive particle (must immediately precede the verb root)
• Verb (here herinner) follows te

So om haarself later te herinner = “to remind herself later.”

---

Why is haarself used here?

haarself is the reflexive pronoun for “herself” (3rd person singular feminine). It refers back to the subject sy (“she”).

Reflexive pronouns in Afrikaans:

• ek → myself
• jy → jouself
• hy → homself / sy → haarself
• ons → onsself
• julle → julleself
• hulle → hulself

---

Why is later placed before te herinner rather than after herinner?

In an om ... te clause, te must directly precede the verb root. Time adverbs like later go before te, not after the verb:

• Correct: om haarself later te herinner
• Incorrect: om haarself te herinner later

---

When should you use sodat instead of om ... te to express purpose?

• Use om ... te when the subject of both clauses is the same.
  Example: Sy skryf die storie neer om haarself later te herinner.
• Use sodat
  • finite verb if you want a full subordinate clause or if the subjects differ.
    Example: Sy skryf die storie neer sodat sy dit later kan lees.

---

What's the difference between herinner and onthou, and how could you use onthou in this sentence?

• herinner = to remind
• onthou = to remember

If you use onthou, the story itself becomes the object and you don’t need a reflexive pronoun:
Sy skryf die storie neer om dit later te onthou.
(Here dit refers back to die storie.)

---

Why does the sentence use die storie instead of ’n storie?

die is the definite article (“the”), so die storie = the specific story.
If you mean any story in general, use ’n (“a”):
Sy skryf ’n storie neer om haarself later te herinner.

---

How would you change the tense to say “She wrote the story down”?

Afrikaans forms the perfect past with het + past participle. For skryf neer, the past participle is neergeskryf:

• Present: Sy skryf die storie neer.
• Past: Sy het die storie neergeskryf.

Including the purpose clause:
Sy het die storie neergeskryf om haarself later te herinner.

---

How do you negate this sentence (“She doesn’t write the story down to remind herself later”)?

Use nie ... nie around the separable verb components (or around the main clause and prefix):
Sy skryf die storie nie neer nie om haarself later te herinner.
This places nie before the prefix at the end; the double nie is standard for separable verbs.