Ek deel my kos met die hond.

I share my food with the dog.

Breakdown of Ek deel my kos met die hond.

• ek: I
• die hond: the dog
• my: my
• met: with
• die kos: the food
• deel: to share

Questions & Answers about Ek deel my kos met die hond.

What does each word in Ek deel my kos met die hond mean?

• Ek = I
• deel = share
• my = my
• kos = food
• met = with
• die = the
• hond = dog

Why is there no article before my kos?

In Afrikaans, a possessive pronoun (like my, jou, sy, etc.) comes directly before the noun and takes the place of any definite or indefinite article. You simply say my kos for “my food,” not ’n my kos or die my kos.

How is the verb deel conjugated in the present tense?

Afrikaans verbs do not change form for person or number in the present tense. You use deel for every subject:
• ek deel
• jy deel
• hy/sy/dit deel
• ons deel
• julle deel
• hulle deel

Why is the preposition met used here instead of aan?

• met means “with” and indicates doing something together or sharing.
• aan means “to” and is used when you give something to someone (a one-way transfer).
  Because you’re sharing your food with the dog, you use met.

Why is the definite article die used before hond, not the indefinite ’n?

The speaker refers to a specific, known dog (for example, their own pet), so the definite article die (“the”) is used. If you just meant any dog, you could say ’n hond.

Is the word order in Ek deel my kos met die hond the same as in English?

Yes. Both languages follow Subject-Verb-Object order, and then you add any prepositional phrase. The structure is:
S V O (prepositional phrase)
Ek – deel – my kos – met die hond

How would you make this sentence negative in Afrikaans?

Afrikaans uses double negation with nie at the end of the clause:
Ek deel nie my kos met die hond nie.

How do you turn Ek deel my kos met die hond into a yes/no question?

Invert the verb and the subject, just like many Germanic languages:
Deel ek my kos met die hond?

What are the plural forms of hond and kos, and how would you say “I share my food with the dogs”?

• hond → honde (regular plural with –e)
• kos is a mass/uncountable noun, so it usually stays kos even if you share more than one portion
  To say “I share my food with the dogs”:
  Ek deel my kos met die honde.

Could you instead say Ek gee my kos vir die hond? What’s the difference?

• Ek gee my kos vir die hond means “I give my food to the dog” (you hand food over).
• Ek deel my kos met die hond means “I share my food with the dog” (you and the dog both partake).
  Also note that with gee (“give”) you use vir for “to,” whereas with deel (“share”) you use met for “with.”