Learn Hardcore Afrikaans: Hy vertel ’n grappige grap in die klas, en almal lag. - He tells a funny joke in the class, and everyone laughs.

In Afrikaans the indefinite article “a/an” is always written as ’n (pronounced like “uhn”). It’s actually a contraction of een (“one”), but when used as an article you always write it as ’n. You can’t drop the apostrophe or spell it out as een in this context.

Why does grappige end with -e instead of remaining grappig?

Adjectives in Afrikaans get an -e ending when they stand directly before a noun and there’s any kind of determiner (definite article die, indefinite ’n, possessive like sy/my, demonstratives like hierdie, etc.). Since you have ’n before grappige grap, you add -e to grappig.

Could you say hy vertel grappige grap in klas without articles?

No. Unlike English, Afrikaans generally requires an article or other determiner with countable singular nouns. You need ’n (or die, or another determiner) before grappige grap and die before klas.

In the second clause, why is the order en almal lag rather than en lag almal?

En is a coordinating conjunction (“and”), so each clause keeps its normal Subject-Verb-Object order. Almal lag (everyone laughs) stays in SVO order. You only invert (V-S-...) in Afr. if you start a main clause with an adverb or other element, not after en.

How is in die klas used to show location? Could I use by die klas instead?

In die klas literally means “in the classroom,” indicating where the joke is told. By die klas would mean “by the classroom” (standing next to it). If you want “to the class” as an indirect object (telling the students), you’d say vir die klas (or just die klas as a direct recipient):
• Hy vertel die klas ’n grappige grap.
• Hy vertel vir die klas ’n grappige grap.

How do you pronounce vertel and grappige?

• vertel: [fər-ˈtel] – v is an “f” sound, second syllable stressed, vowels as in “bet.”
• grappige: [ˈxrɑp-ə-xə] – g is the guttural () like the ch in German “Bach,” short a as in “bat,” i as in “bit,” final e is a schwa.

Why doesn’t vertel ’n grappige grap need a preposition for who hears the joke?

In Afrikaans vertel is ditransitive: you can directly say hy vertel ’n grap for “he tells a joke.” If you want to specify the audience/indirect object, you add vir (to): hy vertel vir sy vriende ’n grappige grap (“he tells his friends a funny joke”). In your sentence, in die klas is only the location, not the recipient.

What are other ways to say “tell a joke” in Afrikaans?

Besides vertel ’n grap, you can also say:
• maak ’n grap – “make a joke” (more like “crack a joke”)
• gooi ’n grap (colloquial) – “throw out a joke”
• sê ’n grap – “say a joke” (less common)

All will usually take the same adjective inflection: ’n grappige grap.