Breakdown of In die klas gebruik ek ’n woordeboek om nuwe woorde te vind.
ek
I
die
the
in
in
nuut
new
gebruik
to use
om
to
’n
a
vind
to find
die klas
the class
die woordeboek
the dictionary
die woord
the word
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Questions & Answers about In die klas gebruik ek ’n woordeboek om nuwe woorde te vind.
Why is die used before klas? Can it be omitted?
In Afrikaans, singular nouns nearly always need a determiner. die is the definite article “the,” so in die klas means “in the class.” Omitting it (in klas) isn’t standard unless in very fixed expressions.
Why is there an apostrophe in ’n instead of writing n alone?
’n is the indefinite article “a/an,” contracted from een (one). The apostrophe shows the contraction. You always write ’n with an apostrophe and a space: ek gebruik ’n woordeboek.
Why does the verb gebruik come before the subject ek in In die klas gebruik ek …?
Afrikaans main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: regardless of what starts the sentence, the finite verb must be the second element. Since In die klas is first, gebruik follows, then the subject ek.
Why is gebruik the same for ek, jy, ons, etc.? Doesn’t it change form?
Afrikaans verbs do not conjugate for person or number in the present tense. The form stays constant: ek gebruik, jy gebruik, ons gebruik, hulle gebruik, and so on.
Why is woordeboek written as one word? In English it’s two words.
Afrikaans commonly forms compounds by joining two words together. woord (word) + boek (book) → woordeboek (dictionary). Most such compounds are written as a single word.
What is the purpose of om and te in om nuwe woorde te vind?
The construction om ... te + infinitive expresses purpose (“in order to”). You need both:
- om introduces the purpose clause
- te marks the infinitive before the verb (vind)
Without either one, the clause is ungrammatical.
Why is the adjective nuwe spelled with an -e ending before woorde?
Adjectives in Afrikaans take -e when they modify plural nouns or when a determiner (like die, ’n, a demonstrative, or a numeral) precedes the noun. Here woorde is plural, so nuut becomes nuwe.
Does the word order change inside the om ... te clause?
Yes. In an om ... te infinitive clause, you place the object or any modifiers before te + verb at the end. So it’s om nuwe woorde te vind, not om te vind nuwe woorde.