Breakdown of Die vriendelike gids wag by die skool se hek en glimlag vir elke leerling.
en
and
wag
to wait
vir
for
by
at
se
’s
elke
every
die leerling
the pupil
die gids
the guide
die skool
the school
glimlag
to smile
vriendelik
friendly
die hek
the gate
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Questions & Answers about Die vriendelike gids wag by die skool se hek en glimlag vir elke leerling.
What is die doing in Die vriendelike gids and die skool se hek?
Die is the definite article in Afrikaans (equivalent to English the). It remains die for all nouns—there is no gender or number agreement.
Why does the adjective vriendelike end in -e instead of appearing as vriendelik?
In Afrikaans, adjectives that directly precede a noun in a definite or ‘article-marked’ noun phrase take an -e ending. Since both die (the definite article) and 'n (the indefinite article) count as markers, you write die vriendelike gids. Without an article or in predicate position (“Die gids is vriendelik”), you would drop the -e.
How is the possessive formed in skool se hek?
Afrikaans forms possession by inserting the invariant marker se between possessor and possessed. So skool se hek literally means “school’s gate.”
Why is there no apostrophe in the possessive marker se?
Unlike English, Afrikaans does not use an apostrophe for its possessive. The word se itself signals possession, so no punctuation is needed.
Why don’t the verbs wag and glimlag change form for person or number?
Afrikaans present-tense verbs are invariable across subjects. Whether it’s ek wag, jy wag or hulle wag, you always use the base form. The same applies to glimlag.
Is there a progressive (continuous) tense in Afrikaans like English “is waiting”?
No. Afrikaans does not have a dedicated progressive form. The simple present (wag) covers both “waits” and “is waiting.” If you want to stress the ongoing action, you can say is besig om te wag (“is busy waiting”), but it’s optional.
What do the prepositions by and vir mean here?
- by = “at” (location), so wag by die hek = “waits at the gate.”
- vir = “to/for” in contexts like giving or directing an action at someone. With glimlag, glimlag vir iemand means “smile at someone.”
Why is elke used before leerling, and how does it differ from alle?
Elke means “each” or “every,” focusing on individual members one at a time (every pupil). Alle means “all” collectively (all pupils). Here the sense is “every single pupil” receives a smile.
Why is leerling used instead of student in this context?
Leerling refers to pupils in primary or secondary school. Student in Afrikaans is typically reserved for someone attending a tertiary institution (college or university). Since our guide is at a school gate, leerling is the appropriate term.