Die kruising voor die brug is besig in die oggend.

to be

Breakdown of Die kruising voor die brug is besig in die oggend.

• in: in
• besig: busy
• die kruising: the intersection

Questions & Answers about Die kruising voor die brug is besig in die oggend.

What does kruising mean and is it the same as kruispunt?

Kruising literally means ‘crossing’ and in traffic contexts refers to where two roads meet—an intersection. Kruispunt is another common word for ‘intersection’. They’re largely interchangeable, though some speakers find kruispunt slightly more formal or technical.

Why are there two dies in Die kruising voor die brug? Can’t you just say one?

Afrikaans requires a definite article (die) before each noun phrase. Here you have two noun phrases: die kruising (the intersection) and die brug (the bridge). Omitting the second die would leave voor brug, which is ungrammatical because each noun phrase needs its own article.

What does voor mean here? Could it ever mean ‘before’ in time?

In this sentence voor means ‘in front of’ (spatially). The very same word is used for the temporal meaning ‘before’, e.g. voor die ete = ‘before dinner’. You tell which by the context—space or time.

How does besig function in is besig? Is it a verb?