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Hy noem sy hond en kat in die verslag.

Hy noem sy hond en kat in die verslag.
He mentions his dog and cat in the report.
FromLesson 11inHardcore Afrikaans

Questions & Answers about Hy noem sy hond en kat in die verslag.

What does noem mean in this sentence? Doesn’t it mean “to call” as in naming someone?

noem can indeed mean both “to name/call” and “to mention.” Here is the distinction:

  • noem
    • person/things + name: “call someone [name]”
      (Ek noem hom John → I call him John)
  • noem something in context: “mention”
    (Die artikel noem geen name → The article mentions no names)
    In Hy noem sy hond en kat in die verslag, noem means “mentions.”
Why is noem the second word in the sentence? In English we’d say “He his dog and cat mentions…”

Afrikaans is a V2 (verb-second) language in main clauses. That means:

  1. The finite verb (noem) must occupy the second position.
  2. The subject (Hy) then follows or precedes, but the verb stays second.
    So the structure is:
    1st position: Hy (subject)
    2nd position: noem (verb)
    3rd+ positions: sy hond en kat (objects) + in die verslag (adverbial phrase)
Why don’t we say sy die hond en die kat with die before each noun?

A possessive pronoun (sy) already makes the noun definite. You never add die again after a possessive. Compare:

  • “My dog” → my hond (not my die hond)
  • “The dog” → die hond
    So sy hond en kat means “his dog and cat,” no extra die needed.
Could sy ever mean “her” instead of “his”?

Yes, sy can be ambiguous in isolation:

  • As a subject pronoun, sy = “she.”
  • As a possessive pronoun, sy = “his.”
    Afrikaans also has haar for “her” (possessive). Therefore:
  • sy hond = his dog
  • haar hond = her dog
    In Hy noem sy hond…, context makes sy = his.
What’s the function of in die verslag?
in die verslag is a prepositional phrase serving as an adverbial of place/context. It tells you where (or in what context) he mentions his dog and cat. In English, it corresponds to “in the report.”
Can I start with In die verslag for emphasis? How does word order change?

Yes. If you front In die verslag, you still keep the verb second:
“In die verslag noem hy sy hond en kat.”
Structure:
1st: In die verslag (adverbial)
2nd: noem (verb)
3rd: hy (subject), then the objects.

How do you pronounce verslag? It looks tricky.

Approximate phonetic: fer-SLAG with a guttural “g” at the end:

  • ver like “fur”
  • slag like “slahg,” the “g” is like the Scottish “loch” or German “Bach.”
    Altogether: [fərˈslɑx] (or simply fer-SLAKH).
Is there ever a comma before en in Afrikaans lists (like the Oxford comma)?

No, Afrikaans generally does not use a comma before the final en in a simple list. You write:
“sy hond en kat,”
not
“sy hond, en kat.”
In longer lists you separate items with commas, but you still omit the comma before en.

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