Breakdown of Ons skool hou ’n kompetisie by die stadion.
by
at
ons
our
’n
a
hou
to hold
die skool
the school
die stadion
the stadium
die kompetisie
the competition
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Questions & Answers about Ons skool hou ’n kompetisie by die stadion.
What does hou mean in this sentence and why do we use it?
The verb hou literally means “to hold” or “to keep.” Here it’s used in the sense of “to organize” or “to host” an event: “Our school is holding/organizing a competition.”
Why is there an apostrophe before the n in ’n?
In Afrikaans, the indefinite article “a/an” is written as ’n, which is a reduced form of een (“one”). The mark before the n is not a contraction apostrophe but a right single quotation mark indicating the article ’n.
How is the indefinite article ’n pronounced, and does it change with gender or number?
’n is pronounced [ən] (a schwa plus n). It does not change for gender (Afrikaans has none) or for singular nouns. You use ’n before any singular noun: ’n boek, ’n idee. For plurals you either drop the article or use a quantifier like ’n paar (“a few”).
Why is die used before stadion, but there is no die before kompetisie?
die is the definite article “the,” used when referring to a specific stadium. ’n kompetisie is “a competition,” introducing it for the first time or non-specifically. If you meant a particular, known competition, you’d say die kompetisie.
What is the role of by in by die stadion?
by is a preposition meaning “at” or “by” in locative expressions. It indicates the place where something happens. So by die stadion means “at the stadium.”
Can I say in die stadion instead of by die stadion, and what’s the difference?
Yes. in die stadion emphasizes that the competition takes place inside the stadium. by die stadion is more general (“at/near the stadium”), whereas in die stadion means “inside the stadium.”
What is the word order in this sentence, and why does the verb come second?
Afrikaans main clauses follow a verb-second (V2) rule. You start with the subject (Ons skool), then the verb (hou), then the rest (’n kompetisie by die stadion). If you begin with an adverbial, the verb still stays second and the subject moves to third:
• Vandag hou ons skool ’n kompetisie.
(“Today our school is holding a competition.”)
How do you form the plural of kompetisie, and would that change the article?
The plural is kompetisies (the ending -ie becomes -ies). For plurals you typically drop the indefinite article:
• Ons skool hou kompetisies. (“Our school holds competitions.”)
Or use the definite article if you mean specific ones:
• Ons skool hou die kompetisies. (“Our school holds the competitions.”)