Ek werk in ’n nuwe kantoor naby die stadion.

I work in a new office near the stadium.

Breakdown of Ek werk in ’n nuwe kantoor naby die stadion.

• ek: I
• in: in
• nuwe: new
• werk: to work

Questions & Answers about Ek werk in ’n nuwe kantoor naby die stadion.

What does the apostrophe in ’n indicate?

In Afrikaans ’n is the indefinite article (equivalent to English a or an). It’s a contraction of een (“one”), so you write an apostrophe before the vowel to show that it’s been shortened.

How do you pronounce ’n?

You usually pronounce it as a quick schwa-plus-n, roughly [ən]. In very casual speech it can sound like just [n], but it’s never a full een.

Why is the adjective nuwe spelled with an -e instead of just nuut?

The base form of “new” in Afrikaans is nuut. When you use an adjective directly before a noun (attributive position), most adjectives take an -e ending. So nuut + -e → nuwe (“new …”).

Why is there no continuous tense (“am working”) in Ek werk …?

Afrikaans uses the simple present (werk) for both habitual and ongoing actions. If you want to stress that it’s happening right now, you can use Ek is besig om te werk (“I am busy working”), but Ek werk covers “I work” and “I am working.”

Why do we use to say “work in an office” instead of or ?