Die ouers stuur nog 'n boodskap om hul dankbaarheid vir die liefde te wys.

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Questions & Answers about Die ouers stuur nog 'n boodskap om hul dankbaarheid vir die liefde te wys.

What does nog ’n mean in this sentence?
In Afrikaans, when nog precedes the indefinite article ’n, it means “another.” So “nog ’n boodskap” translates as “another message.”
Why is the indefinite article written as ’n with an apostrophe?
The indefinite article comes from the word een (one). In writing, the initial e is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe, giving ’n. It is always lowercase.
Why is the verb stuur not ending in -s for the third person plural die ouers?
Afrikaans verbs do not change their form according to person or number in the present tense. All subjects (ek, jy, hy/sy, ons, julle, hulle) use the same verb form, so you simply say stuur.
Why do we say die ouers and not hul ouers to mean “the parents”?

die ouers is the definite noun phrase “the parents.”
hul ouers would mean “their parents.”
The possessive pronoun hul indicates ownership (their), not just the generic concept of parents.

What is the function of om … te wys in om hul dankbaarheid vir die liefde te wys?

This is an infinitive clause expressing purpose. In Afrikaans you use om + [object] + te + [verb] to mean “in order to …”
So om hul dankbaarheid vir die liefde te wys = “in order to show their gratitude for the love.”

Why is hul used instead of hulle for “their gratitude”?

hul (without -le) is the possessive pronoun their.
hulle is the subject pronoun they or the object pronoun them.
You never add -le when marking possession.

Why is vir used in dankbaarheid vir die liefde?

The noun dankbaarheid (gratitude) takes the preposition vir to indicate “gratitude for (something).”
Hence dankbaarheid vir die liefde means “gratitude for the love.”

Why do we need both om and te in an infinitive clause? Can one be dropped?

Afrikaans requires the paired om … te to form an infinitive clause of purpose.

  • om introduces the clause
  • te appears immediately before the verb
    Dropping either one makes the structure ungrammatical.