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Ons help mekaar in die tuin.

Ons help mekaar in die tuin.
We help each other in the garden.
FromLesson 11inHardcore Afrikaans

Breakdown of Ons help mekaar in die tuin.

ons
we
in
in
help
to help
die tuin
the garden
mekaar
each other

Questions & Answers about Ons help mekaar in die tuin.

What does Ons mean in this sentence?
Ons is the first-person plural pronoun in Afrikaans; it translates to we in English.
How is the verb help used here? Shouldn’t there be a different ending for “we”?
In present-tense Afrikaans, most verbs stay in their basic (root) form for all persons and numbers. So for ons (we), you simply use help, not helpen or helpen.
What exactly is mekaar?
Mekaar is the reciprocal pronoun meaning each other or one another. It shows that the action goes both ways: we help one another.
Why is mekaar placed after the verb rather than before it?
Afrikaans generally follows Subject–Verb–Object order. Here, ons is the subject, help the verb, and mekaar the object (reciprocal pronoun). So you say Ons help mekaar, not Ons mekaar help.
Could I say Ons help elkander instead of Ons help mekaar?
You could, but mekaar is much more common in modern Afrikaans. Elkander is understood but sounds more formal or old-fashioned.
Why is it in die tuin and not op die tuin?
Use in when you’re talking about being inside a bounded area like a garden. Op would imply “on top of” something—so in die tuin is correct here.
What does die do before tuin?
Die is the definite article in Afrikaans (the). Die tuin means the garden. If you wanted to say any garden, you’d use ’n tuin (a garden).
Can I expand the sentence to specify what we help each other with?
Yes. For example: Ons help mekaar met die plante in die tuin. (“We help each other with the plants in the garden.”) Here met (“with”) introduces the object of assistance.
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