Al die mense sit in die kamer.

All the people sit in the room.

Breakdown of Al die mense sit in die kamer.

• die: the
• in: in
• die kamer: the room
• sit: to sit

Questions & Answers about Al die mense sit in die kamer.

Why is al used instead of alle in al die mense?

In Afrikaans both al and alle can mean “all,” but they behave differently:

• al is a pronoun meaning “all of” when used with die, so al die mense = “all the people.”
• alle is an adjective and usually stands alone (without die): e.g. alle mense = “all people.”
  Native speakers often prefer al die mense for “all the people” rather than alle die mense.

What role does die play before mense and kamer?

die is the definite article in Afrikaans (equivalent to the in English). It does not change for gender or number:

• die mense = the people
• die kamer = the room
  You see die twice because it marks each noun as definite.

Why doesn’t Afrikaans use a continuous form like “are sitting,” but just sit?

Afrikaans does not have a present continuous tense. A simple present-tense verb covers both English’s present simple and present continuous. So:

• English: “They are sitting.”
• Afrikaans: Hulle sit.
  You don’t add an extra word or change the verb form.