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Questions & Answers about Ek sit op die bank.
What does Ek mean?
Ek is the first-person singular pronoun, meaning I in English. It’s used as the subject of the sentence.
Why is Ek capitalized here?
In Afrikaans only the first word of a sentence and proper nouns are capitalized. Since Ek is the first word, it’s written with a capital E. If it appeared mid-sentence, you’d write ek.
What does the verb sit mean, and is there a separate continuous tense?
Sit means sit (both “I sit” and “I am sitting”). Afrikaans doesn’t have a distinct continuous form. You use the present tense for both simple and ongoing actions.
How do you translate op die bank, and why not use in?
Op means on, so op die bank is on the bench/sofa. Using in (which also exists in Afrikaans) would imply being “inside” something. For surfaces or seats, you use op.
Why is the definite article die used, and how does it work?
Die is the universal definite article (the) for all genders and numbers. Unlike English, it doesn’t change for singular/plural or masculine/feminine. Here it marks a specific bench or sofa: op die bank = on the bench/sofa.
What does bank mean here? Could it mean something else?
In this sentence bank means bench or sofa, depending on context. It can also mean a financial bank. Context and preposition help: op die bank refers to sitting on furniture, whereas in die bank (in the bank) would point to a financial institution.
How would you say “I was sitting on the couch” in Afrikaans?
You form the past with het plus the past participle. For sit, the participle is gesit. So:
• Ek het op die bank gesit.
Why does the verb sit come second in the sentence?
Main clauses in Afrikaans follow a V2 (verb-second) rule. The finite verb must occupy the second position. Here Ek is first, so sit comes next. If you started with another element (e.g., Vandag), sit would still be in slot two.